The Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot consists mainly of three large groups of islands between North and South America: the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. While the hotspot spans more than 4 million square kilometers of ocean, it covers roughly 230,000 square kilometers of land area, with the four islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico making up around 90 percent of land area.

This archipelago sustains an exceptional array of ecosystems ranging from montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands, and hosts dozens of highly threatened species, including two giant shrew species and the Critically Endangered Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer).

Like its natural diversity, the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the hotspot is incredibly high. It includes indigenous American, Hispanic, African, Anglo-Saxon, French and Asian cultures. With the exception of Haiti, which is the least-developed country in the Americas, the hotspot’s nations are considered to be of middle to high income. But economic inequity is at high levels even in some of the richer countries, and poverty is a concern across the region.