Diversity Invest in Opportunity, Not Inventory of Hotspots RICHARD M. COWLING, ∗ ANDREW T. KNIGHT,† SEAN D. J. PRIVETT,§ AND GYAN SHARMA,†‡ ∗ Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa, email rmc@kingsley.co.za †Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa ‡Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa §Grootbos Nature Reserve, P.O. Box 148, Gansbaai 7220, South Africa Regions with large numbers of endemic species that are extensively threatened by human activities have been termed hotspots (Myers et al. 2000), and these have been prioritized for conservation interventions by many or- ganizations. Most hotspots are found in low-latitude na- tions that lack a history of, and capacity for, compre- hensive species inventory. Conservation scientists have responded to this situation by pleading for developed nations to invest in long-term, comprehensive species in- ventories to more effectively identify priorities for conser- vation action (Raven & Wilson 1992; Prance & Campbell 1998; Balmford & Gaston 1999; Brooks et al. 2004). Others are skeptical of the value for conservation of comprehensive species inventory in hotspots (e.g., Janzen 1997; Whitten et al. 2001; New 2006). Inventory is time consuming and expensive (Ramos et al. 2001; Gardner et al. 2008), unlikely to be achieved comprehen- sively for all but the most conspicuous species groups (Tobler et al. 2007; C´ aceres et al. 2008), and may not even be necessary for effective prioritization (Grantham et al. 2008). Moreover, time to conserve areas is dwindling as rates of habitat destruction in hotpots continue to esca- late (Bradshaw et al. 2009; Underwood et al. 2009), fur- ther imperiling the persistence of hundreds of thousands of range-restricted species (Pimm & Raven 2000), most of which have yet to be collected and described (Prance & Campbell 1998). In the face of rapid habitat loss, it may be prudent to devote limited resources to conservation action rather than invest in more comprehensive species inventory and subsequent ongoing spatial prioritization, as has been demonstrated in several recent studies (Meir et al. 2004; Grantham et al. 2008, 2009). Here we present a case from South Africa’s Cape Floris- tic Region (CFR) hotspot that illustrates the futility of Paper submitted June 10, 2009; revised manuscript accepted June 16, 2009. species inventory as a means of generating data for identi- fying conservation priorities. Our case study is Grootbos, a 1750-ha property located along the Atlantic Ocean coast of South Africa about 150 km southeast of Cape Town (34 ◦ 32 ′ 50 ′′ S, 19 ◦ 24 ′ 50 ′′ E). It forms the western mar- gin of the Agulhas Plain, an area with an extraordinarily high diversity of endemic plants and several unique ter- restrial and aquatic habitats, all of which are threatened by habitat loss through alien plant invasions, clearing for agriculture, and coastal resort development (Heydenrych et al. 1999). Three systematic conservation plans have been completed for the region: two for the Agulhas Plain designed to achieve targets for habitats and occurrences of endemic plant species (Lombard et al. 1997; Cole et al. 2000) and one for the entire CFR (Cowling et al. 2003) de- signed to achieve targets for a variety of features, includ- ing a charismatic plant taxon (Proteaceae), regarded as the most comprehensive species databases for any taxon in any hotspot (Grantham et al. 2008). All three plans identified Grootbos as an area of low conservation value (or irreplaceability) because it lacked endemic species and unique habitats and had an impoverished and unre- markable Proteaceae flora and because targets for ecolog- ical and evolutionary processes could be better achieved in areas that harbored unique or underrepresented pat- tern features. Grootbos was purchased in 1991 by a creative and entrepreneurial family who had the vision, and the social and financial capital, to turn it into one of South Africa’s leading private nature reserves and ecotourism facilities (http:// www.grootbos.com). Substantial investment in ecologically and socially sustainable management of the property has been made (Privett et al. 2002, http://www.grootbosfoundation.org). Shortly after 633 Conservation Biology, Volume 24, No. 2, 633–635 C 2009 Society for Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01342.x