This thought-provoking collection of essays by scientists writing from the systematics viewpoint challenges the concepts of `megadiversity' and `hotspots', and argues that the preservation of the systematic hierarchy - as the most complete representation of the evolutionary legacy - should be the goal of conservation.
The contributions reflect the wide range of views that are held of what constitutes biodiversity; from its perception in terms of species numbers, variety and the systematic hierarchy to geographic areas which we may wish to save. The problems of monitoring and establishing databases are given special consideration.