n. A large number and wide range of species; exceptional biological diversity.
2006
Aware of Mexico's position as one of the 17 countries considered to have megadiversity, Mexico ratified the [Convention on Biological Diversity] in 1993, one year after its introduction at the landmark U.N. Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
2006
Only five percent of the coral reefs in the Philippines, one of the world’s 17 megadiversity nations, are in excellent condition while the rest are either critically damaged or at risk.
1988 (earliest)
Russell Mittermeier of World Wildlife Fund favors focusing first on the "megadiversity" countries—the 13 countries that house some 60% of the world's species.
The 17 megadiversity countries are: Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, United States, and Venezuela.