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Global biodiversity hotspots are areas containing high levels of species richness, endemism
and threat. Similarly, regions of agriculturally relevant diversity have been identified where many
domesticated plants and animals originated, and co-occurred with their wild ancestors and relatives.
The agro-biodiversity in these regions has, likewise, often been considered threatened. Biodiversity
and agro-biodiversity hotspots partly overlap, but their geographic intricacies have rarely been
investigated together. Here we review the history of these two concepts and explore their geographic
relationship by analysing global distribution and human use data for all plants, and for major crops and
associated wild relatives.We highlight a geographic continuum between agro-biodiversity hotspots
that contain high richness in species that are intensively used and well known by humanity (i.e., major
crops and most viewed species onWikipedia) and biodiversity hotspots encompassing species that
are less heavily used and documented (i.e., crop wild relatives and species lacking information
on Wikipedia). Our contribution highlights the key considerations needed for further developing
a unifying concept of agro-biodiversity hotspots that encompasses multiple facets of diversity
(including genetic and phylogenetic) and the linkage with overall biodiversity. This integration will
ultimately enhance our understanding of the geography of human-plant interactions and help guide
the preservation of nature and its contributions to people.
