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Glossary definitions

The IPBES glossary terms definitions page provides definitions of terms used in IPBES assessments. Some definitions in this online glossary have been edited for consistency. Please refer to the specific assessment glossary for citations/authorities of definitions. 

We invite you to report any errors or omissions to [email protected].

Concept Definition Deliverable(s)
reclamation

The stabilization of the terrain, assurance of public safety, aesthetic improvement, and usually a return of the land to what, within the regional context, is considered to be a useful purpose.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
recognition

In social-environmental justice, recognition is about the respect for (community) ways of life, local knowledge, and cultural difference.

Values assessment
recreational uses (of wild species)

Recreational uses are defined as uses of wild species in which enjoyment is considered a primary value.

Sustainable use assessment
recreational values

Monetary or non-monetary worth given to the human recreational use of ecosystems, areas or other natural phenomena.

Asia-Pacific assessment
recruitment

The influx of new members into a population by reproduction or immigration (IUCN, 2012a).

Global assessment (1st work programme)
recruitment

The influx of new members into a population by reproduction or immigration.

Sustainable use assessment
reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

A global mechanism designed to offer positive incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and to promote the conservation, management and enhancement of forest stocks in developing countries (http://theredddesk. org/encyclopaedia/reducing-emissions- deforestation-and-forest-degradation-redd- and-role-conservation). REDD-plus stands for countries’ efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Asia-Pacific assessment
reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

Mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands.

reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Developing countries would receive results-based payments for results- based actions. REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Europe and Central Asia assessment, Land degradation and restoration assessment
reduced impact logging

The intensively planned and carefully controlled implementation of timber harvesting operations to minimize the environmental impact on forest stands and soils (FAO, 2018a).

Global assessment (1st work programme)
reduced impact logging

The intensively planned and carefully controlled implementation of timber harvesting operations to minimize the environmental impact on forest stands and soils.

Sustainable use assessment
reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

Mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Developing countries would receive results-based payments for results-based actions. REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Americas assessment, Sustainable use assessment
reforestation

Planting of forests on lands that have previously contained forests but that have been converted to some other use.

Sustainable use assessment
reforestation

Intentional replanting of trees and re- establishing a forest in areas that have been deforested.

Global assessment (1st work programme), Land degradation and restoration assessment
regime

A long-term qualitative behavior where the system’s dynamics tend to stabilize, at different spatial and temporal scales in marine, terrestrial and polar systems (Rocha et al., 2015).

Global assessment (1st work programme), Sustainable use assessment
regime shift

Substantial reorganization in system structure, functions and feedbacks that often occurs abruptly and persists over time.

Americas assessment, Sustainable use assessment, Land degradation and restoration assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment
regime shift

Persistent change in systems structure and function, which can be abrupt and difficult to reverse. Regime shifts in socio-ecological systems can have substantial impacts on ecosystem services.

Global assessment (1st work programme), Scenarios and models assessment
regional

adj. Pertaining to an area, especially part of a country or the world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries.

Pollination assessment
regional cooperation platform

Initiatives or other efforts to provide means by which organizations or individuals with a global region (such as the Asia-Pacific) can work together towards a common or mutual aim, or for common or mutual benefit. Examples include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Asia-Pacific assessment
rehabilitation

Rehabilitation refers to restoration activities that move a site towards a natural state baseline in a limited number of components (i.e. soil, water, and/or biodiversity), including natural regeneration, conservation agriculture, and emergent ecosystems.

Sustainable use assessment, Americas assessment, Asia-Pacific assessment
rehabilitation

Restoration activities that may fall short of fully restoring a biotic community to its pre-degradation state, including natural regeneration and emergent ecosystems.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
rehabilitation

Restoration activities that move a site towards a natural state baseline in a limited number of components (i.e. soil, water, and/or biodiversity), including natural regeneration, conservation agriculture, and emergent ecosystems.

Europe and Central Asia assessment
relational value

See “Values”.

Sustainable use assessment
relational value

The values that contribute to desirable relationships, such as those among people and between people and nature, as in Living in harmony with nature.

Asia-Pacific assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme), Land degradation and restoration assessment, Scenarios and models assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment
relational value

The values that contribute to desirable relationships, such as those among people or societies, and between people and nature, as in Living in harmony with nature.

Americas assessment, Africa assessment
relational value

See values.

Americas assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment
relational value

Relational values refer to the importance of desirable, meaningful, and often reciprocal relationships - beyond means to an end - between humans and nature, and among humans (including across generations) through nature (e.g. sense of place, spirituality, responsibility, care, reciprocity, stewardship) (section 2.2.4.3).

Values assessment
remediation

Any action taken to rehabilitate ecosystems.

Europe and Central Asia assessment, Americas assessment, Land degradation and restoration assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme), Global assessment (1st work programme)
remote sensing

Methods for gathering data on a large or landscape scale which do not involve on-the ground measurement, especially satellite photographs and aerial photographs; often used in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems.

Sustainable use assessment
remote sensing

Methods for gathering data on a large or landscape scale which do not involve on-the ground measurement, especially satellite photographs and aerial photographs; often used in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems (IUCN, 2012a).

remote sensing

Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance from the targeted area. Special cameras collect remotely sensed imagesof the Earth, which help researchers sense things about the Earth.

Americas assessment
renewable energy

Energy derived from natural processes (e.g. sunlight and wind) that are replenished at a faster rate than they are consumed. Solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and some forms of biomass are common sources of renewable energy.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
replexity

Rapid and complex change.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
report

Reports shall mean the main deliverables of the Platform, including assessment reports and synthesis reports, their summaries for policymakers and technical summaries, technical papers and technical guidelines.

Asia-Pacific assessment, Americas assessment
representation concentration pathway

Scenarios that include time series of emissions and concentrations of the full suite of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols and chemically active gases, as well as land use/land cover. (IPCC, 2014).

Global assessment (1st work programme)
representation concentration pathway

Scenarios that include time series of emissions and concentrations of the full suite of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols and chemically active gases, as well as land use/land cover. The word representative signifies that each RCP provides only one of many possible scenarios that would lead to the specific radiative forcing characteristics. The term pathway emphasizes that not only the long-term concentration levels are of interest, but also the trajectory taken over time to reach that outcome. RCPs usually refer to the portion of the concentration pathway extending up to 2100, for which Integrated Assessment Models produced corresponding emission scenarios.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
resilience (of socio-ecological systems)

The capacity of a socio- ecological system to absorb or withstand perturbations and other stressors such that the system remains within the same regime, essentially maintaining its structure and functions.

Scenarios and models assessment
resilience

The level of disturbance that an ecosystem or society can undergo without crossing a threshold to a situation with different structure or outputs. Resilience depends on factors such as ecological dynamics as well as the organizational and institutional capacity to understand, manage and respond to these dynamics.

Land degradation and restoration assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme)
resilience

The level of disturbance that an ecosystem or society can undergo without crossing a threshold to a situation with different structure or outputs. Resilience depends on factors such as ecological dynamics as well as the organizational and institutional ca.

Global assessment (1st work programme)
resilience

The level of disturbance that an ecosystem or society can undergo without crossing a threshold to a situation with different structure or outputs. Resilience depends on factors such as ecological dynamics as well as the organizational and institutional capacity to understand, manage, and respond to these dynamics.

Americas assessment, Asia-Pacific assessment, Africa assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment
resilience

for the purpose of this assessment, the ability of an ecosystem to adapt, withstand and respond to alien species invasions, recover rapidly from their impacts and continue to develop

Invasive alien species assessment
resolution (spatial or temporal)

See “scales”.

Sustainable use assessment
resolution (spatial or temporal)

see spatial scale and temporal scale.

Scenarios and models assessment
resolution (spatial or temporal)

See scale.

Asia-Pacific assessment, Americas assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment
respect (towards nature)

This respect is expressed in/identified through ceremonies, rituals, actions in sacred sites whose purpose is to renew a sense of thankfulness and reverence/deep respect to the land or the sea (terrestrial or marine landscape) or to their components.

Values assessment
responsibility

This is about integrity of ancestral territory leadership in caring for nature. Actions and behaviours that minimize or prohibit exploitative use of materials, no waste resources philosophies, awareness about sustainability for the future generations; and preservation of cultural knowledge (ancestor heritage). IPLCs and cultural identities are strongly connected to their lands (and seascapes). Their values often emerge in relation to their context and can become visible through issues related to the integrity of ancestral territory, leadership in caring for nature, actions and behaviours that minimize or prohibit exploitative use of materials within their lands or in other geographical terrains. A philosophy of zero waste of resources is enacted while thinking about the health and the future of the land (and sea), awareness about sustainability of the land (and sea) for the future generations; and preservation of cultural knowledge (ancestral heritage).

Values assessment
restoration

Any intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem from a degraded state. Active restoration includes a range of human interventions aimed at influencing and accelerating natural successional processes to recover biodiversity ecosystem service provision. Passive restoration includes reliance primarily on natural process of ecological succession to restore degraded ecosystems, but may include measures to protect a site from processes that currently prevent natural recovery (e.g. protection of degraded forests from overgrazing by livestock or unintentional human-induced fire).

Land degradation and restoration assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme)
restoration

Any intentional activities that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem from a degraded state.

Africa assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment, Asia-Pacific assessment
restoration

any intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem from a degraded state (IPBES glossary). More specifically, in the context of invasive alien species management, it refers to the process of assisting the recovery of a degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystem, as a consequence of biological invasions, to reflect values regarded as inherent in the ecosystem and to provide goods and services that people value

Invasive alien species assessment
restore

vb. To put back into the previous condition.

Pollination assessment