Japan, Germany). The four countries with the greatest output in total outperform all
other 183 countries (Fig. 2).
The strong economic power is above average not only in absolute terms. The
mean affluence (GDP per capita in $) of the 25 countries with highest values (right
circle, large slice: 57,051) is more than seven times as high as the mean affluence of
all other 163 countries (small slice: 8140).
This means that on the one hand, there is a group of countries with an economic
output much higher than in the rest of the world, and on the other hand, there is
another group of countries with a distinct higher level of affluence than the others.
4.2 Distribution Patterns of Biodiversity and Endangerment
of the Biota
Species richness across the globe is highly uneven distributed as well
(cf. e.g. Groombridge and Jenkins 2002).
The countries with highest numbers of vascular plant, mammal plus breeding
bird, endemic vertebrate and/or endemic vascular plant species are Australia,
Bolivia, Brazil, China and Colombia. These refer to the so-called Megadiversity
8,140
57,051
41,772 43,069
Fig. 2 Sum of GDP (left circle) and mean GDP per capita (right circle). The four richest countries
(USA, China, Japan, Germany) represent a sum of GDP (left circle, right side (43,069 (Billion $)
which is higher than the sum of all other 184 countries (left side (41,772). The poorest 20% of the
countries (N ¼ 38) in the sample all together produce a GDP that is about 81 billion $ per year. In
contrast, each of the richest 25 (13%) countries produce a GDP of more than 518 billion $
6,094
5,850
113,579
110,193
Fig. 3 Sum of endemic vertebrate (left circle) and endemic vascular plant species (right circle) per
country. Eight countries each (right sides) harbour more endemics than all other countries (left
sides)
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T. Gaens et al.
other 183 countries (Fig. 2).
The strong economic power is above average not only in absolute terms. The
mean affluence (GDP per capita in $) of the 25 countries with highest values (right
circle, large slice: 57,051) is more than seven times as high as the mean affluence of
all other 163 countries (small slice: 8140).
This means that on the one hand, there is a group of countries with an economic
output much higher than in the rest of the world, and on the other hand, there is
another group of countries with a distinct higher level of affluence than the others.
4.2 Distribution Patterns of Biodiversity and Endangerment
of the Biota
Species richness across the globe is highly uneven distributed as well
(cf. e.g. Groombridge and Jenkins 2002).
The countries with highest numbers of vascular plant, mammal plus breeding
bird, endemic vertebrate and/or endemic vascular plant species are Australia,
Bolivia, Brazil, China and Colombia. These refer to the so-called Megadiversity
8,140
57,051
41,772 43,069
Fig. 2 Sum of GDP (left circle) and mean GDP per capita (right circle). The four richest countries
(USA, China, Japan, Germany) represent a sum of GDP (left circle, right side (43,069 (Billion $)
which is higher than the sum of all other 184 countries (left side (41,772). The poorest 20% of the
countries (N ¼ 38) in the sample all together produce a GDP that is about 81 billion $ per year. In
contrast, each of the richest 25 (13%) countries produce a GDP of more than 518 billion $
6,094
5,850
113,579
110,193
Fig. 3 Sum of endemic vertebrate (left circle) and endemic vascular plant species (right circle) per
country. Eight countries each (right sides) harbour more endemics than all other countries (left
sides)
208
T. Gaens et al.