When examining global biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats mountain chain of which Kerala is an integral part is internationally recognized alongside which other tropical Asian forest region?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Western Ghats, along with the Indo-Burma and Sundaland regions, form the tropical Asian biodiversity hotspots recognized globally for their extraordinarily high levels of endemic flora and fauna. Other choices like the Amazon and Congo basins are located in South America and Africa respectively, rather than tropical Asia. Biodiversity hotspots must meet stringent criteria, including holding at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics and having lost over 70 percent of their original habitat.