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Data and code from: Climate change will exacerbate the mismatch between plant diversity hotspots and protected areas in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

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Sep 14, 2026 version files 19.41 MB

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Abstract

Biodiversity conservation strategies often fall short of long-term planning. To address this gap, we integrated a completed phylogeny of 22,058 vascular plant species and 464,407 distribution records across the Hindu Kush Himalaya with climate projections. This revealed the highest species richness, phylogenetic diversity, phylogenetic endemism, and weighted endemism (plant diversity and endemism) in southern low- to mid-elevations during the Last Glacial Maximum and the current period. The centers of neo-endemism were located in the southeast, while paleo-endemism grids were distributed throughout the study area. Future projections (2040-2100) revealed clear northward and upward shifts in plant diversity and endemism hotspots, driven by changes in precipitation (explained variance > 30 %) and temperature extremes (explained variance > 20 %). These shifts increased the current 54 % mismatch between diversity hotspots and protected areas to over 80 %. By overlaying current and future hotspots with current protected areas, we identified 17 significant conservation gaps: 8 require immediate attention, and 9 are essential for future conservation planning. Exploratory path analysis revealed that 39 % of species richness and 16 % of phylogenetic endemism variation were explained, with evolution showing the strongest association with species richness and climate with phylogenetic endemism. Our findings emphasize the need for spatio-temporal conservation planning to ensure the establishment of climate-resilient protected areas.