Glossary definitions

The process of bringing something together, and comparing (e.g. models or scenarios) to facilitate compatibility or consistency.

A process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation. Hazards that this assessment discusses are mostly environmental hazards (chemical, natural and biological hazards), while cognizant that many hazards are socio- natural, in that they are associated with a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Natural hazards are predominantly associated with natural processes and phenomena, including geological or geophysical hazards that originate from internal earth processes (earthquakes, volcanic activities, landslides, tsunamis), and hydrometeorological hazards, which are of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic origin (tropical cyclones, floods, drought; heatwaves, and storm surges). Biological hazards are of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors, including pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and bioactive substances. Examples are bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as venomous wildlife and insects, poisonous plants and mosquitoes carrying disease-causing agents.

Describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality.

A row of shrubs or trees that forms the boundary of an area such as a garden, field, farm, road or right-of-way.

An economic valuation approach that utilizes information about the implicit demand for an environmental attribute of marketed commodities.

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

The Holocene is the current geological epoch. It began after the Pleistocene, approximately 11,650 calendar years before present.

Yard areas surrounding a house for vegetable and fruit production and keeping of domestic animals. In many regions homegardens contain wild species utilized as medicinal plants, timber or other uses.

Organisms (vertebrates) with a constant and high body temperature, with a high level of energy exchange.

When used in the ecological sense homogenisation means a decrease in the extent to which communities differ in species composition.

When used in the ecological sense homogenisation means a decrease in the extent to which communities differ in species or functional composition.

When used in the ecological sense homogenization means a decrease in the extent to which communities differ in species composition.

Any bee that is a member of the genus Apis. They are primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests from wax. Currently, eight species of honey bee are recognized.

High investment crop production using resources intensively for high value product.

Areas with significantly high levels of agrobiodiversity.

See 'Biodiversity hotspot'.

The aggregate impact of land use on biomass available each year in ecosystems.

All the knowledge, talents, skills, abilities, experience, intelligence, training, judgment and wisdom possessed individually and collectively by individuals in a population.

A general term used to refer to pre-historical and historical periods describing the development of humanity. Different classifications of periods exist reflecting different interpretation of human history.

Rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or any other status. These rights are interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Instruments for the protection and promotion of human rights, including general instruments, instruments concerning specific issues, and instruments relating to the protection of particular groups.

The inalienable fundamental rights of each and every human being as acknowledged in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948). Arguments of intragenerational justice basically refer to human rights.

See Values.

A state of existence that fulfils various human needs, including material living conditions and quality of life, as well as the ability to pursue one's goals, to thrive, and feel satisfied with one's life (IPCC, 2020). The IPBES definition is consistent with this definition but notes that well-being also includes non-material living conditions and cultural identity. The phrase ‘Good quality of Life' as used in this report (see glossary entry) is intended to be inclusive of both the human well-being definitions given above.

See Good Quality of Life.

see well-being.

The ways in which people relate to and engage with the natural environment, which are diverse and linked to worldviews, values and attitudes embedded in daily life.

Humanistic economics intend to show that humankind is perfectly capable of living without the profit motive, and has done so for most of its history. It goes again the tendency to consider the profit motive as self-evident, an idea that underlies many political decisions. See also Behavioural economics.

Decomposition of organic material followed by a synthesis of humic substances.

The capture by humans of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, whether dead or alive, irrespective of the techniques used to capture them or the reasons to do so.

See models.

Models that combine correlative and process-based modelling approaches.

An oil and gas well development process that typically involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure into a bedrock formation via the well. This process is intended to create new fractures in the rock as well as increase the size, extent, and connectivity of existing fractures. Hydraulic fracturing is a well-stimulation technique used commonly in low-permeability rocks like tight sandstone, shale, and some coal beds to increase oil and/or gas flow to a well from petroleum-bearing rock formations.

A fissure on the floor of a sea out of which flows water that has been heated by underlying magma. The water can be as hot as 400°C (752°F) and usually contains dissolved minerals that precipitate out of it upon contact with the colder seawater, building a stack of minerals, or chimney. Hydrothermal vents form an ecosystem for microbes and animals, such as tube worms, giant clams, and blind shrimp, that can with stand the hostile environment. The hottest hydrothermal vents are called black smokers because they spew iron and sulfide which combine to form iron mono sulfide, a black compound.

Low dissolved oxygen levels in coastal and oceanic waters (<2mL per liter of water), either naturally occurring or as a result of a degradation (e.g. eutrophication).

the time between when an alien species arrives in a new area and the onset of the phase of rapid, or exponential, increase. Multiple factors are frequently implicated in the persistence or dissolution of the lag phase in biological invasions, including an initial shortage of suitable sites, the absence or shortage of essential mutualists, inadequate genetic diversity, and reduction in competition or predation (due to other alterations in the resident biota)

Land abandonment occurs when a particular land use ceases, and there is no clearly- defined subsequent land use practice. It is often associated with poorly defined ownership and/or land use governance.

The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it. Related to, but not synonymous with, land use.

The observed (bio)physical cover on the earth's surface.

The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it. Related to, but not synonymous with, land use (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).

The surface cover on the ground, whether vegetation, urban infrastructure, water, bare soil or other. Identifying, delineating and mapping land cover is important for global monitoring studies, resource management, and planning activities. Identification of land cover establishes the baseline from which monitoring activities (change detection) can be performed, and provides the ground cover information for baseline thematic maps.

Refers to the many processes that drive the decline or loss in biodiversity, ecosystem functions or their benefits to people and includes the degradation of all terrestrial ecosystems.

A state whereby the amount of healthy and productive land resources, necessary to support ecosystem services, remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales.

Refers to the many processes that drive the decline or loss in biodiversity, ecosystem functions or services and includes the degradation of all terrestrial ecosystems.

See ‘Grabbing (of wild species and space)’.

See ‘Large scale land acquisition'.

The large-scale acquisition of land (especially in developing countries), driven primarily by concerns about food and energy security of high-income countries and often executed by the private sector.

Concepts used to describe, in general terms, spatial-temporal arrangements of agricultural and non-agricultural areas. Land sharing is a situation where farming practices enable biodiversity to be maintained within agricultural landscapes. Land sparing, also called land separation involves restoring or creating non-farmland habitat in agricultural landscapes at the expense of field-level agricultural production - for example, woodland, natural grassland, wetland, and meadow on arable land. This approach does not necessarily imply high-yield farming of the non-restored, remaining agricultural land. See also 'Conservation agriculture'.

A situation where low-yield farming enables biodiversity to be maintained within agricultural landscapes.

Also called Land separation involves restoring or creating non-farmland habitat in agricultural landscapes at the expense of field-level agricultural production - for example, woodland, natural grassland, wetland, and meadow on arable land. This approach does not necessarily imply high- yield farming of the non restored, remaining agricultural land. (From Rey Benayas & Bullock, 2012). See also Conservation agriculture in this Glossary.