Spatial conservation tools usually focus on identifying areas having species groups of interest. Consequently, there is a need to identify the main factors influencing the concentration of species (hotspots) and their locations. We asked: whether existing strictly protected areas are efficient to cover the main regional biodiversity hotspots; what characteristics are associated with hotspot arrangement; what is the minimal distance from a biodiversity research center needed to cover the main biodiversity amount. We analyzed factors influencing the spatial arrangement of 164 threatened plant species in the Republic of Mordovia (European Russia). To quantify species distribution, we used a grid mapping approach using 100 km² quadrats. We identified four biodiversity research centers (BDRC) of threatened plant species in the study area, including two protected areas, the town of Saransk, and a regional key conservation area. About 50% of species and species locations were concentrated within a 24-km radius around BDRCs. From our results, buffer zones of protected areas should have a 5–10 km width and the establishment of new protected areas should be preceded by the identification of regional biodiversity hotspots. Additionally, the correctness of protected area arrangement with plant species richness in a region should be tested.

空间保护工具通常侧重于确定具有感兴趣物种组的区域。因此，需要确定影响物种（热点）及其位置的主要因素。我们问：现有的严格保护区是否能有效覆盖主要区域生物多样性热点；热点安排有哪些特点；距生物多样性研究中心覆盖主要生物多样性数量所需的最小距离是多少？我们分析了影响Mordovia共和国（欧洲俄罗斯）的164种受威胁植物物种空间分布的因素。为了量化物种分布，我们使用了100 km ²的网格映射方法四边形。我们在研究区域内确定了四个受威胁植物物种的生物多样性研究中心（BDRC），包括两个保护区，萨拉斯克镇和一个区域重点保护区。大约50％的物种和物种位置集中在BDRC周围24公里半径内。根据我们的结果，保护区的缓冲区应具有5-10 km的宽度，在建立新的保护区之前应先确定区域生物多样性热点。此外，应测试保护区安排与区域内植物物种丰富度的正确性。