Glossary definitions

Linear areas of land within or at the edges of fields, farms, or other areas (rights of way, riparian areas, etc.) where flowering plants are seeded and encouraged to grow, often for the benefit of pollinators and other wildlife (q.v. insectory strips).

An animal that visits flowers (a.k.a. anthophile) but is not necessarily a pollinator.

Plants that are characterized by producing flowers, even if inconspicuous. They are collectively called Angiosperms and include most plants grown for food and fibre.

People's everyday understanding of the biological world-how they perceive, categorize, and reason about living kinds (Medin & Atran, 1999).

The units of meaning into which a language breaks up the universe for example, folk plant and animal taxa (Berlin, 1973).

Folk medicine is defined as the mixture of traditional healing practices and beliefs that involve use of algae, animals, fungi, and plants, spirituality and manual therapies or exercises in order to diagnose, treat or prevent an ailment or illness.

When all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.

The ability of a region or country to produce enough food (especially staple crops) without needing to buy or import additional food.

Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.

The right to define own policies and strategies for the sustainable production, distribution and consumption of food that guarantee the right to food for the entire population, on the basis of small and medium-sized production, respecting their own cultures and the diversity of peasant, fishing and indigenous forms of agricultural production, marketing and management of rural areas, in which women play a fundamental role.

An important ecological concept representing feeding relationships within a community and implying the transfer of food energy from its source in plants through herbivores to carnivores; normally, food webs consist of a number of food chains meshed together.

see prediction.

A reduction in the capacity of a forest to produce ecosystem services such as carbon storage and wood products as a result of anthropogenic and environmental changes.

A range of systems for the management of forest resources that are intermediate on a continuum between pure extraction and plantation management, and ranging from wild forests modified for increased production of selected products (e.g. fruit and nut trees) to anthropogenic forests with a high density of valuable species within a relatively diverse and complex structure.

A reduction of illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

Forest management is defined as a practice about managing, using, conserving and repairing forest, woodlands and associated resources. Objectives and goals are fulfilled by implementing and regulating tree management and harvesting practices stipulated in forest management plans.

A shift, usually assessed at the national scale, from net forest loss to net forest gain, whether through natural recovery or planted forests.

A minimum area of land of 0.05-1.0 hectares with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10-30 per cent with trees with the potential to reach a minimum height of 2-5 metres at maturity in situ. A forest may consist either of closed forest formations where trees of various stories and undergrowth cover a high proportion of the ground or open forest.

A minimum area of land of 0.05 - 1.0 hectares with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10?30 per cent with trees with the potential to reach a minimum height of 2?5 m at maturity in situ. A forest may consist either of closed fore.

A minimum area of land of 0.05 - 1.0 hectares with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10-30 per cent with trees with the potential to reach a minimum height of 2-5 m at maturity in situ. A forest may consist either of closed forest formations where trees of various stories and undergrowth cover a high proportion of the ground or open forest.

Include law and policies e.g. regulations and directives, and fiscal, agricultural or planning policies, to name just a few examples. These are typically based on legal instruments, treaties and customary laws. Informal institutions in turn include social norms and rules, such as those related to collective action.

Fuels such as petroleum derived for fossil oil sources.

Fossil fuels are derived from the remains of ancient plant and animal life: coal, oil and natural gas. In common dialogue, the term fossil fuel also includes hydrocarbon-containing natural resources that are not derived from animal or plant sources.

see Habitat fragmentation.

The process or state of breaking or being broken into fragments. Often used in reference to habitats.

Free implies that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are not pressured, intimidated, manipulated or unduly influenced and that their consent is given, without coercion; prior implies seeking consent or approval sufficiently in advance of any authorization to access traditional knowledge respecting the customary decision-making processes in accordance with national legislation and time requirements of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities; informed implies that information is provided that covers relevant aspects, such as: the intended purpose of the access; its duration and scope; a preliminary assessment of the likely economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts, including potential risks; personnel likely to be involved in the execution of the access; procedures the access may entail and benefit-sharing arrangements; consent or approval is the agreement of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities who are holders of traditional knowledge or the competent authorities of those Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, as appropriate, to grant access to their traditional knowledge to a potential user and includes the right not to grant consent or approval.

The range, actual values, relative abundance and distribution of functional trait attributes in a given community.

Value, range and relative abundance of functional traits in a given ecosystem.

The range, actual values and relative abundance of functional trait attributes in a given community.

See 'Exctinction'.

A collection of organisms with similar suites of co-occurring functional attributes. Groups are traditionally associated with similar responses to external factors and/ or effects on ecosystem processes. A functional group is often referred to as ‘guild.

The occurrence in the same ecosystem of species filling similar roles, which results in a sort of insurance in the ecosystem, with one species able to replace a similar species from the same functional niche.

A feature of an organism, which has demonstrable links to the organism's function (Lavorel et al. 1997). As such, a functional trait determines the organism's response to pressures (Response trait), and/or its effects on ecosystem processes orservices(Effect trait).Functional traits are considered as reflecting adaptations to variation in the physical and biotic environment and trade-offs (ecophysiological and/or evolutionary) among different functions within an organism. In plants, functional traits include morphological, ecophysiological, biochemical and regeneration traits, including demographic traits(at population level). In animals, these traits are combined with lifehistory and behavioural traits (e.g. guilds, organisms that use similar resources/ habitats).

Any feature of an organism, expressed in the phenotype and measurable at the individual level, which has demonstrable links to the organism's function. As such, a functional trait determines the organism's response to external abiotic or biotic factors (response trait), and/or its effects on ecosystem properties or benefits or detriments derived from such properties (effect trait). In plants, functional traits include morphological, ecophysiological, biochemical and regeneration traits. In animals, these traits include e.g. body size, litter size, age of sexual maturity, nesting habitat, time of activity.

Any feature of an organism, expressed in the phenotype and measurable at the individual level, which has demonstrable links to the organism's function (Lavorel et al. 1997; Violle et al. 2007). As such, a functional trait determines the organism's response to external abiotic or biotic factors (Response trait), and/or its effects on ecosystem properties or benefits or detriments derived from such properties (Effect trait). In plants, functional traits include morphological, ecophysiological, biochemical and regeneration traits. In animals, these traits include e.g. body size, litter size, age of sexual maturity, nesting habitat, time of activity.

Any feature of an organism, expressed in the phenotype and measurable at the individual level, which has demonstrable links to the organism’s function. As such, a functional trait determines the organism’s response to external abiotic or biotic factors (Response trait), and/or its effects on ecosystem properties or benefits or detriments derived from such properties (Effect trait). In plants, functional traits include morphological, ecophysiological, biochemical and regeneration traits. In animals, these traits include e.g., body size, litter size, age of sexual maturity, nesting habitat, time of activity.

A substance that kills or inhibits the growth and development of fungi. Fungicides may be synthetic chemicals, natural chemicals, or biological agents.