Alien species

A species occurring in an area outside its natural range, as a result of intentional or accidental dispersal by human activities (as opposed to 'native species'). [Source: World Resources Institute]

Biodiversity

See 'biological diversity'.

Biomass

The total weight of all living things within a given area or biological community.

Biome

 A major portion of the living environment of a particular region (such as a grassland), characterised by its distinctive vegetation and maintained by local climatic conditions. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Biopiracy

Activities relating to the access or use of genetic resources that contravene national regimes based on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Biopiracy also refers to the unauthorised patenting of genetic resources. The term is often used in the context of 'neocolonial' or corporate use and the patenting of products derived from developing countries' biological resources without equitable compensation.

Bioprospecting

 The search for for new plant and microbial strains that may serve as sources for new natural products such as food or pharmaceuticals. Bioprospecting is not the same as biopiracy.

Biota

All of the organisms — including animals, plants, fungi, and microbes — found in a given area. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of people, or individuals of a particular species, that a given part of the environment can maintain indefinitely. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Cartagena Protocol

International agreement that lays down rules under which genetically modified (GM) crops and other GM organisms can be transferred from one country to another. The Protocol is a part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and entered info force in September 2003.

Cold forest

One of three broadly-defined types of forest (see also 'temperate forest' and 'tropical forest'). Cold forests contain relatively few species of tree — mainly fir, pine and spruce — and are found mainly in North America and the northern parts of Europe and Asia.

Community

A group of interdependent organisms living in the same area and interacting together. Also called a biological community.

Conservation

The management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to the current generation while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Convention on Biological Diversity

International agreement signed by 180 governments at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Convention asserts that natural resources belong to the sovereign state in which they exist. Signatories promise to conserve biodiversity, use it in a sustainable way, and share any benefits equitably.

Earth Summit

Popular description for the landmark 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development that took place in Rio de Janeiro. The UN conventions on biodiversity and climate change were signed at this Summit, and agreement was reached to negotiate a third convention to combat desertification.

Ecosystem

Contraction of the phrase 'ecological system'. It is an integrated unit comprising a community of species and the physical environment in which they live. The relationships among species in an ecosystem are complex and finely balanced. See also 'ecosystem models'.

Ecosystem boundaries

The transition zones that separate different types of ecosystems. Changes in temperature and precipitation can cause these boundaries to move. This allows some ecosystems to move into new areas, while others diminish in size as the climate becomes inhospitable to the species they contain.

Ecosystem models

There are currently three 'models' that try to explain the relationship between species and ecosystems. The 'redundancy' model says that if an ecosystem loses a species, others will step forward to do its job. The 'idiosyncratic' model says that it is impossible to predict how an ecosystem will react to species being lost. The 'complementarity' model says that ecosystems work better when large quantities of species are present.

Endangered

Refers to a species in danger of extinction. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) provides a classification of the imminence of this threat (near threatened, vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered).

Extinct

A species no longer in existence or not observed in the wild for 50 years.

Functional diversity

A measure of how individual species contribute to the workings of an ecosystem — for example, whether species improve soil fertility by facilitating the fixation of nitrogen, or can tolerate drought, or reduce soil erosion. Functional diversity provides more insights into the relationship between biodiversity and environmental processes, compared to simply counting the number of species in a given area.

Functional group

Most ecosystems contain hundreds to thousands of species. For any one ecosystem, these can be divided into one of three what are called 'functional groups', based on whether they produce, consume or decompose organic matter - the source of energy for living organisms. Every working ecosystem needs at least one species from each functional group if it is to process energy effectively.

Genetic diversity

Variation in the genetic composition of individuals within or among species; the heritable genetic variation within and among populations. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Green Revolution

An organised effort — sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation — to increase world food production by introducing high-yielding cereal varieties, first developed in Mexico and the Philippines. The Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, led to impressive yields of grain on limited land using large quantities of fertilizer, pesticides, and water.

An organised effort — sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation — to increase world food production by introducing high-yielding cereal varieties, first developed in Mexico and the Philippines. The Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, led to impressive yields of grain on limited land using large quantities of fertilizer, pesticides, and water.
The environment within which a species lives — including characteristics of the soil, water and nutrients as well as its biological components — which allows the species' continued existence.

Hotspots

The hotspots concept describes 25 areas of the world that contain the largest number of species under the greatest threat. Supporters are lobbying for conservation funds to be used to purchase land and protect it from development. But others believe that cleansing an area of human activity causes socio-economic problems and does not guarantee preservation of threatened species. See also 'protected areas'.

Indicator species

A species whose status provides information on the overall condition of an ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Invasive species

Native or non-native plants that invade and can dominate an area already colonised by other plant species. Invasive species can spread very aggressively, causing existing plants and trees to become over-shaded and suppressed.

Keystone species

A species whose importance in maintaining community stability is disproportionate to its abundance. Their loss is predicted to lead to a cascade of further extinctions within the system. See also 'ecosystem models'.

Migratory species

Wildlife that moves from one habitat to another in response to changing seasons, climate and food supply. Migratory birds often travel very long distances on pre-determined routes. They are protected by an international agreement, the 1979 UN Convention on Migratory Species.

Millennium Development Goals

A framework to reduce global poverty before 2015 agreed by the international community at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. The eight goals are sub-divided into 18 targets measured using 48 indicators. Most development finance is now contingent on countries signing up to achieving the goals. Goal number 7 is to "ensure environmental sustainability". Its indicators include monitoring changes in forestry cover and areas protected to conserve biodiversity.

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.

Species

A taxonomic group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. One species have a unique set of characteristics that distinguishes them from other species — such as shape and behaviour — but these are not always apparent to human observers.

Species diversity

A function of the distribution and abundance of species. In more technical literature, includes considerations of the evenness of species abundances. An ecosystem is said to be more diverse, according to the more technical definition, if species present have equal population sizes and less diverse if many species are rare and some are very common. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Species richness

The number of species within a region. A term commonly used as a measure of species diversity, but technically only one aspect of diversity. [Source: World Resources Institute]

Sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Colloquially referred to as: 'using the Earth's resources as if we intend to stay'. Sustainable development entered the international lexicon following a 1987 United Nations report on environment and development, Our Common Future. The goal of a sustainable world was reaffirmed at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Systematics

The scientific study and description of the variation in living organisms and the relationships that exist between them. Systematics is sometimes (incorrectly) used to describe taxonomy.

Taxonomy

The principles and practice of classifying and naming living organisms. The basic unit is a species, several of which constitute a genus, which, in turn, are grouped into families. See also 'systematics'.

Temperate forest

One of three broadly defined types of forest — see also 'cold forests' and 'tropical forests'. Temperate forests are found in places where there is fairly evenly distributed rainfall, moderate temperatures and seasons that change. They usually contain several different species of trees.

Tropical forest

One of three broadly defined types of forest - see also 'cold forest' and 'temperate forest'. Tropical forests, which include rainforests, are characterised by high temperatures, regular, heavy rain, prolific plant growth, and thousands of species. Rainforest regions include Amazonia, the Congo Basin, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Wetlands

A generic term for all the different kinds of habitats where the land is wet for some time each year but not necessarily permanently wet. Wetlands include swamps, marshes and bogs. They are an important habitat for birds and other wildlife and are responsible for cleaning water by trapping sediment and capturing nutrients from waters that flow through them. Wetlands are protected by an international treaty called the Ramsar Convention.. [UCB]