Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=spacer}
.jpg){kind=small}
Definitions
List of terms for Biodiversity
P
Peace parks
Transfrontier conservation areas that are managed jointly by two or more countries. These countries sometimes have troubled political relations — hence the name 'peace parks'.
Pollination
Pollen grains contain the male gametes produced by seed-bearing plants. Pollination refers to the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part. It is a process necessary for a seed to fertilize. Pollen can be transferred in many ways, such as wind, insects and rain. Biodiversity loss affects the rate of pollination.
Population
A group of individuals within a species with common ancestry, that are much more likely to mate with one another than with individuals from another such group. [Source: World Resources Institute]
Productivity
The rate at which nutrients in the soil become biomass.
Protected Areas
An area of land or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity. By the end of 2003 there were some 30,000 protected areas covering around 12 per cent of the Earth's surface. Protected areas are often important to local communities and economies, especially indigenous peoples who depend on a sustainable supply of resources from them. Protected areas are not the same as hotspots.
