Glossary definitions

Non-lethal harvest is defined as the temporary or permanent capture of live animals from their habitat without mortality, such as for the aquarium trade, pet trade or zoos, tag and release activities. Non-lethal harvest of animals also includes the parts or products of animals that do not lead to the mortality of the host, such as vicuna fiber, swift nests or wild honey.

Not arranged in a straight line, not sequential or straightforward.

The value attributable to an item or a service without relation to any acceptable cash price and for which a fixed or determinable amount of currency is absent (e.g. many ecosystem services, interpersonal good-will, health, etc.).

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are useful substances, materials and/or commodities obtained from forests which do not require harvesting (logging) trees. They include game animals, fur-bearers, nuts, seeds, berries, mushrooms, oils, foliage, pollarding, medicinal plants, peat, mast, fuelwood, fish, spices and forage.

Any biological resources found in forests other than timber, including fuel wood and small wood, nuts, seeds, oils, foliage, game animals, berries, medicinal plants, fish, spices, barks, and mushrooms, among others (Prasad, 1993).

A multitude of natural products (excluding timber) selectively harvested from the terrestrial environment for subsistence and commercial purposes.

see target- seeking scenarios.

Norms are rules about what is accepted behaviour. They are supporting underlying values as defined by a society. They are therefore ‘ought to’ statements defining what one may or may not do. Examples are rules about care for nature and what is just treatment of others.

A generic term for the nitrogen oxides most relevant for air pollution (NO and NO2) (Omidvarborna et al., 2015).

Nutrients that can be extracted by plant roots, generally from the soil (Silver, 1994).

A repeated pathway of a particular nutrient or element from the environment through one or more organisms and back to the environment. Examples include the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the phosphorus cycle.

The processes by which elements are extracted from their mineral, aquatic, or atmospheric sources or recycled from their organic forms, converting them to the ionic form in which biotic uptake occurs and ultimately returning them to the atmosphere, water, or soil.

Articulation of narratives describing plausible futures based on or relating to measures of the quality of key compnents rather than their quantity (c.f. Quantitative approaches).

Within the context of the IPBES Conceptual Framework - good quality of life refers to the achievement of a fulfilled life, a notion which may vary significantly across societies and cultures. There is a common understanding that quality of life is composed of both shared common aspects across cultures (food security) and contextual aspects (e.g. self-determination), which can be assessed objectively (e.g. caloric intake) or subjectively (e.g. life satisfaction) applying quantitative and qualitative indicators. Good quality of life is generally portrayed through material conditions (e.g. level of food availability) as well as through individual aspirations (e.g. personal; professional; spiritual) and capabilities (e.g. education) for people to live in accordance to what they themselves consider to be “a good life”, which can differ across cultures, contexts and individuals. The role of nature in achieving a good quality of life is complex and heterogeneous, and depends on the social-ecological context, and on the way people portray themselves in relation to nature.

Statistical or other analytical descriptions of processes defined by quantities or metrics.