Languages:
Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment.
Various types of adaptation can be distinguished, including anticipatory and
reactive adaptation, private and public adaptation, and autonomous and planned
adaptation.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The rapid excessive growth of algae, generally caused by high
nutrient levels and favourable conditions.
Can result in deoxygenation of the water mass when the algae die, leading to the
death of aquatic flora and fauna.
(Source: Water resources Management Practicum 2000
Biology
An alien species is a species introduced outside its normal distribution.
Invasive alien species are alien species whose establishment
and spread modify ecosystems, habitats, or species.
(Source:
MA
Breeding and rearing of fish, shellfish, or plants in ponds, enclosures, or
other forms of confinement in fresh or marine waters for the direct harvest of
the product.
(Source:
MA
Biocapacity refers to the capacity of a given biologically productive area to generate an on-going supply of renewable resources and to absorb its spillover wastes.
Unsustainability occurs if the area’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity. (Source: GreenFacts)
Biodiversity is a contraction of biological diversity. Biodiversity reflects the number, variety and variability of living organisms.
It includes diversity within species (genetic diversity), between species (species diversity), and between ecosystems (ecosystem diversity). (Source: GreenFacts)
The total quantity or mass of organic material produced by living organisms in a particular area, at a given time. (Source: GreenFacts)
Ecological communities of living things,
such as microorganisms, plants and animals; the communities form as a result of
the physical surroundings, including the land, air, and water of an area. For
example, deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests are biomes.
(Source: Exploring the Environment
Glossary
Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms,
or derivatives thereof to make or modify products or processes for specific use.
(Source:
MA
Capture fishery refers to all kinds of harvesting of naturally occurring living resources in both marine and freshwater environments. (Source: GreenFacts )
The long-term fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, wind, and all other aspects of the Earth's climate.
It is also defined by the United Nations Convention on Climate Change as
“change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity
that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to
natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”
(Source:
CoRIS
glossary
A large fish that often lives close to the seafloor.
Cod have firm white flesh; for centuries, cod have been important to people of many nations as a food fish.
The largest kind of cod fish is the Atlantic cod, an important food fish of northern Atlantic waters.
The Atlantic cod has a distinctive elongated hairlike structure called a "barbell" that hangs from its chin; it also has three dorsal fins, and two anal fins. The Atlantic cod may reach 2 meters in length, and its average weight is about 30 kilograms. (Source: GreenFacts)
When referring to humans, a community is defined as:
A collection of human beings who have something in common.
A local community is a fairly small group of people who share a common place of residence and a set of institutions based on this fact, but the word ‘community’ is also used to refer to larger collections of people who have something else in common (e.g., national community, donor community).
When referring to other living organisms, a community is defined as:
An assemblage of species occurring in the same space or time, often linked by
biotic interactions such as competition or predation.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
"Conservation International believes that Earth's natural heritage must be maintained if future generations are to thrive spiritually, culturally and economically.
Our mission is to conserve the Earth's living heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature."
"CIapplies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the hotspots, major tropical wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., CI works in more than 30 countries on four continents."
(Source: CI website
"Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Conceived as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live."
(Source: CBD website
"Governments worldwide have promised to save biodiversity by 2010. Countdown 2010 helps them move from words to action."
"Objectives:
The conversion of forested land to non-forested land as a direct result of
human activities.
(Source: Forest Carbon Accounting
Definitions
A persistent reduction in the capacity to provide ecosystem services.
(Source:
MA
"The Health and Consumers DG (formally known as Health and Consumer Protection DG) is one of 36 Directorates-General (DGs) and specialised services which make up the European Commission."
The mission statement of the Health and Consumers DG is: "to promote a better quality of life by ensuring a high level of protection of consumers' health, safety and economic interests as well as of public health"
"This overall goal is addressed through legislative and non-legislative
actions in three inter-related policy areas: 1. Consumer policy (...), 2. Public
Health (...), 3. Food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health
(...)".
(Source:
DG Health and Consumers website
"Biodiversity underpins the life-support system of our planet. Yet several factors, including human behaviour, have brought us to a critical point. The world is experiencing an unprecedented rate of species extinction, which may have far-reaching consequences for all life forms.
DIVERSITAS brings together biological, ecological and social sciences to address four key questions that underlie our limited understanding of the current situation.
The variety and relative abundance of different entities in a sample.
(Source:
MA
Any natural or human-induced factor that directly or indirectly causes a
change.
(Source:
MA
Dryland systems are ecosystems characterised by a lack of water. They include cultivated lands, scrublands, shrublands, grasslands, savannas, semi-deserts and true deserts.
The lack of water constrains the production of crops, forage, wood, and other ecosystem services.
Four dryland subtypes are widely recognized: dry sub-humid,
semiarid, arid, and
hyperarid, showing an increasing level of aridity or moisture
deficit.
(Source: GreenFacts based on Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
A relatively large unit of land or water that is characterized by a
distinctive climate, ecological features and plant and animal communities e.g.,
Everglades Flooded Grasslands and the Great Basin Lakes and Streams.
(Source: National Geographic’s Strange Days on Planet Earth Glossary
The benefits people obtain from ecosystems.
These include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating
services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual,
recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient
cycling that maintain the conditions for life on Earth.
(Source:
MA
The complex system of plant, animal, fungal, and microorganism communities and their associated non-living environment interacting as an ecological unit.
Ecosystems have no fixed boundaries; instead their parameters are set to the
scientific, management, or policy question being examined. Depending upon the
purpose of analysis, a single lake, a
watershed, or an entire region could be
considered an ecosystem.
(Source:
US EPA
Glossary of Climate Change Terms
"The European Commission (EC) embodies and upholds the general interest of the [European] Union and is the driving force in the Union's institutional system. Its four main roles are to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council, to administer and implement Community policies, to enforce Community law (jointly with the Court of Justice) and to negotiate international agreements, mainly those relating to trade and cooperation."
The Commission's staff is organised into 36 Directorates-General (DGs) and
specialised services, such as the Environment DG and the Research DG.
(Source:
EC website
The European Environmental Agency (EEA) is one of the 15 specialised agencies of the European Union, which handle specific technical, scientific or management tasks. Operational since 1994, the EEA is based in Copenhagen.
"Its mission is to collect, prepare and disseminate timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information on the state and trends of the environment at European level. The founding regulation of EEA stipulates that it is open to countries that do not belong to the European Union but share its concern for the environment. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have been members from the start, and 12 out of 13 candidate countries have joined in 2002 (...)."
(Source: EEA website
The increase in additions of nutrients [especially nitrogen and phosphorus] to
freshwater or marine systems, which leads to increases in plant growth and often
to undesirable changes in ecosystem structure and function.
(Source:
MA
The population or [total mass] of a fishery resource. Such stocks are usually
identified by their location. They can be, but are not always, genetically
discrete from other stocks.
(Source:
MA
A particular kind of fishing activity, e.g., a trawl fishery or a particular species targeted, e.g., a cod fishery or salmon fishery.
(Source:
MA
"The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. We help developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since our founding in 1945, we have focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world's poor and hungry people. FAO's activities comprise four main areas:
The interconnected food chains (feeding relationships) in an ecosystem. Plants, herbivores, and carnivores all form parts of the food web. (Source: GreenFacts)
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines “forest” as a portion of land bigger than half a hectare (5 000m2) with trees higher than 5 meters and a tree canopy cover of more than 10 %, or with trees that will be able to meet these criteria.
It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.
Water that is not salty, for instance water found in lakes, streams, and rivers, but not the ocean. Also used to refer to things living in or related to freshwater (e.g., "freshwater fish"). (Source: GreenFacts)
The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring.
Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a
specific protein.
(Source:
NHGRI
Talking Glossary of Genetic
Terms
A moving body of ice that forms on land from the accumulation and compaction
of snow, and that flows downslope or outward due to gravity and the pressure of
its own weight.
(Source: Alcwin
Dictionary of
Geology
Greenhouse gases are those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere and clouds.
This property causes the greenhouse effect.
Water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and
ozone (O3) are the primary greenhouse gases
in the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover there are a number of entirely human-made
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as the halocarbons and other
chlorine and bromine containing substances,
dealt with under the Montreal Protocol. Beside CO2, N2O and CH4, the
Kyoto Protocol deals with the greenhouse gases
sulphur hexafluoride (SF6),
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).
(Source:
IPCC
Glossary
The location and environmental conditions in which a particular organism normally lives.
(Source:
MA
Change in the local environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
Habitat change can occur naturally through droughts, disease, fire, hurricanes, mudslides, volcanoes, earthquakes, slight increases or decreases in seasonal temperature or precipitation, etc.
However, it is generally induced by human activities such as land use change and physical modification of rivers or water withdrawal from rivers. (Source: GreenFacts)
Hull fouling refers to the way organisms can attach themselves to the hull of a ship during a voyage and transport themselves long distances this way. Aquatic plants, in particular, are easily transported when plant fragments get tangled on boat propellers and fishing gear of recreational boats
(Source:
Tulane University
Definitions
Inland waters are permanent water bodies inland from the coastal zone and areas whose properties and use are dominated by the permanent, seasonal, or intermittent occurrence of flooded conditions.
Inland waters include rivers, lakes, floodplains, reservoirs, wetlands, and inland saline systems. (Source: MA Synthesis Report )
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assesses the conservation status of species, subspecies, varieties and even selected sub-populations on a global scale.
This system is designed to determine the relative risk of extinction, and the main purpose of the IUCN Red List is to catalogue and highlight those species that are facing a higher risk of global extinction (i.e. those listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable).
The IUCN Red List also includes information on species that are categorized as
Extinct or Extinct in the Wild.
(Source: based on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Introduction
A variety of large brown seaweed.
Kelp forests are marine ecosystems dominated by large kelps. These forests are restricted to cold and temperate nutrient-rich waters, and are most common along the western coasts of continents. Kelp forests are among the most biologically productive habitats in the marine environment. (Source: GreenFacts )
The human use of a piece of land for a certain purpose (such as irrigated agriculture or recreation). Influenced by, but not synonymous with, land cover.
(Source:
MA
An area of land that contains a mosaic of ecosystems, including human-dominated ecosystems.
The term cultural landscape is often used when referring to
landscapes containing significant human populations or in which there has been
significant human influence on the land.
(Source:
MA
A general name for several species of halophyte (plant that grows in soils that have a high content of various salts) belonging to different families of plants (including trees, shrubs, a palm tree and a ground fern) occurring in intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical sheltered coastlines and exceeding one half meter in height.
The term is applied to both the individual and the ecosystem, the latter of
which is termed mangal.
(Source:
CoRIS glossary
The term ‘Marine trophic index’ is the CBD’s name for the mean trophic level of fisheries landings [and one primary marine biodiversity indicator].
Trophic level measures the position of a species in a food web, starting with
‘producers’ (eg phytoplankton, plants) at level 0, and moving through primary
consumers that eat primary producers (level 1) and secondary consumers that eat
primary consumers (level 2), and so on. In marine fishes, the trophic levels
vary from two to five (top predators).
(Source: EASAC
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), endorsed by governments at the United Nations in September 2000, aim to improve human well-being by reducing poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality, ensuring education for all, controlling and managing diseases, tackling gender disparity, ensuring sustainable development and pursuing global partnerships.
The eight MDGs are:
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
(Source: GreenFacts, based on the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
)
"The MA is an international work program designed to meet the needs of decision makers and the public for scientific information concerning the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and options for responding to those changes.
The MA was launched by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001 and it will help to meet assessment needs of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention to Combat Desertification, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Convention on Migratory Species, as well as needs of other users in the private sector and civil society.
If the MA proves to be useful to its stakeholders, it is anticipated that an
assessment process modeled on the MA will be repeated every 5–10 years and that
ecosystem assessments will be regularly conducted at national or sub-national
scales."
(Source:
MA website
Quantity of nutrients entering an ecosystem in a given period of time.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
A group or number of people living within a specified area or sharing similar
characteristics (such as occupation or age).
(Source:
ATSDR
Glossary of
Terms
The pronounced deprivation of well-being.
Income poverty refers to a particular formulation expressed solely in terms of
per capita or household income.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Production is the process of creating, growing, manufacturing, or improving goods and services. It also refers to the quantity produced.
In economics, productivity is used to measure the efficiency or rate of production. It is the amount of output (e.g. number of goods produced) per unit of input (e.g. labor, equipment, and capital).
In biology, productivity is a measure of the efficiency with which a biological system converts energy into growth. (Source: GreenFacts)
A plausible and often simplified description of how the future may develop, based on a coherent and internally consistent set of assumptions about key driving forces (e.g., rate of technology change, prices) and relationships.
Scenarios are neither predictions nor projections and sometimes may be based on a “narrative storyline.”
Scenarios may include projections but are often based on additional
information from other sources.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
A substance is soluble if it dissolves in certain fluids. The fluid [gas or liquid] (present in excess) is called the solvent and the substance dissolved in it is called the solute which together form a solution. The process of dissolving is called solvation. A solution that can not hold any more solute is said to be saturated. (Source: GreenFacts )
A group of organisms that differ from all other groups of organisms and that
are capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring. This is the smallest
unit of classification for plants and animals.
(Source:
OceanLink
Glossary of Common Terms and Definitions in Marine
Biology
A characteristic or state whereby the needs of the present and local population can be met without compromising the ability of future generations or populations in other locations to meet their needs.
"Poverty reduction and sustainable development are the principal tasks of the SDC. To facilitate the achievement of these goals, the SDC focuses on various thematic priorities. In each thematic domain, a sub-goal is targeted while ever keeping in mind the fact that the priority themes are intimately linked to one another."
(Source: SDC website
When the combined effect of several forces operating is greater than the sum
of the separate effects of the forces.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The classification, especially of plants and animal, on the basis of
differences and similarities between them.
(Source: Illinois Wetlands
Terms
An exchange of one thing in return for another, especially relinquishment of
one benefit or advantage for another regarded as more desirable.
(Source:
Answers.com
Dictionary
A trophic level of an organism is its position in a food chain.
Levels are numbered according to how far particular organisms are along the chain from the primary producers [plants] at level 1, to herbivores (level 2), to predators (level 3), to carnivores or top carnivores (level 4 or 5).
Fish at higher trophic levels are typically of higher economic value. (Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Figure 1.3. Decline in Trophic Level of Fisheries Catch Since 1950 )
A group of large predatory fish species related to the mackerel living in the open ocean.
Many tuna species are important food fish for people. Tunas are the single most important resource exploited in the high seas.
Examples of tuna species include the large bluefin tuna, the yellowfin tuna, the albacore tuna, the bigeye tuna, and the skipjack tuna. (Source: GreenFacts)
"De Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a UK Government Department.
The overarching challenge for Defra is to enable everyone to live within our environmental means. This is most clearly exemplified by the need to:
"The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN: membership totals 191 countries*.
When States become Members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four purposes: to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations."
(Source: UN website
"The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), established in 1972, works to encourage sustainable development through sound environmental practices everywhere. Its activities cover (...) the promotion of environmental science and information, to an early warning and emergency response capacity to deal with environmental disasters and emergencies."
See also UNEP.Net
"The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. The centre has been in operation since 1989, combining scientific research with practical policy advice.
UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services to help decision makers recognize the value of biodiversity and apply this knowledge to all that they do. Its core business is managing data about ecosystems and biodiversity, interpreting and analysing that data to provide assessments and policy analysis, and making the results available to international decision makers and businesses."
(Source: UNEP-WCMC website
Exposure to contingencies and stress, and the difficulty in coping with them.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
A context- and situation-dependent state, comprising basic material for a good
life: freedom and choice, health and bodily well-being, good social relations,
security, peace of mind, and spiritual experience.
(Source:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
"IUCN is a unique Union. Its members from some 140 countries include 77 States, 114 government agencies, and 800-plus NGOs. More than 10,000 internationally-recognised scientists and experts from more than 180 countries volunteer their services to its six global commissions. Its 1000 staff members in offices around the world are working on some 500 projects"
"Our Mission is 'to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.' "
GreenFacts is a member of IUCN.
(Source: IUCN website
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) was founded in 1961 (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) and today is the world's largest conservation organization.
"WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:
 Biological diversity (Part 3): challenges 2050 |  Biological diversity (Part 2): the objectives, actions and means at the horizon 2030 |  Biological diversity (Part 1): the context of the Convention |
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