Priority areas for arthropod conservation in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands: Insights from a multi‐taxon distributional database

Abstract Arthropods dominate global biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services, yet they remain largely overlooked in conservation research and policy. The identification of areas of high biological diversity is key to guiding efficient conservation actions. We aimed to identify arthropod biodiversity hotspots and conservation priority areas in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands (a major European biodiversity hotspot under increasing anthropogenic pressures) using the first integrative, large‐scale assessment of arthropod distribution in the region, while also evaluating the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network (N2000) in protecting these areas. We compiled over 416,000 occurrence records representing 6231 arthropod species from 13 complete taxonomic groups. We mapped species richness patterns and identified hotspots for each group, then delineated 40 Priority Areas for Iberobalear Arthropods (PAIA), defined as areas that were hotspots for at least three groups. Hotspot congruence across groups was low, with only one grid cell shared by seven taxa (Sierra Nevada), highlighting the importance of multi‐taxon approaches for conservation planning. PAIA were concentrated in major mountain systems (Central and Baetic Systems, Cantabrian Mountains and Pyrenees), reflecting their role as Mediterranean biodiversity centres and Pleistocene refugia. Collectively, the 40 PAIA (0.6% of the territory) hosted 3416 species (55% of the total). Most PAIA overlapped substantially with the N2000 (>90% for multi‐taxon hotspots), although some key areas remained marginally protected or unprotected. Our findings support N2000 as an effective foundation for arthropod conservation but emphasize the urgent need to explicitly integrate arthropods into its management plans. The PAIA identified here provide a robust baseline for safeguarding arthropod diversity and guiding the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.