Glossary definitions

A subfield of ecology that deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales, and involves characterizing and explaining statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity.

Mainstreaming means integrating actions related to conservation of biodiversity into strategies relating to production sectors.

Mainstreaming, in the context of biodiversity, means integrating actions or policies related to biodiversity into broader development processes or policies such as those aimed at poverty reduction, or tackling climate change.

A trait that is, or has become, more harmful than helpful, in contrast with an adaptation, which is more helpful than harmful (Barnett & O’Neill, 2010).

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. The term malnutrition covers 2 broad groups of conditions. One is ‘undernutrition’—which includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals). The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer).

A kind of pollinator that is maintained by human beings through husbandry (e.g. some honey bees, some leafcutting and orchard bees, some bumble bees). The terms can be broadened to include wild pollinators (q.v.) that flourish by human encouragement.

The management of wild species is the management process influencing interactions among and between wild species, its habitats and humans to achieve predefined impacts valued by stakeholders. It attempts to balance the needs of wild species and the preservation of the ecosystems they inhabit with the needs of humans, using the best available sources of knowledge.

Group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone. Mangrove forests only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures.

Land having limitations which in aggregate are severe for sustained application of a given use. On these lands, options are limited for diversification without the use of inputs; inappropriate management of lands may cause irreversible degradation.

Land having limitations which in aggregate are severe for sustained application of a given use. On these lands, options are limited for diversification without the use of inputs; inappropriate management of lands may cause irreversible degradation (CGIAR,.

Lands less suited for crop or livestock production.

Marginalization refers to the set of processes through which some individuals and groups face systematic disadvantages in their interactions with dominant social, political and economic institutions. The disadvantages arise from class status, social group identity (kinship, ethnicity, caste and race), political affiliation, gender, age and disability.

Marginalisation is a complex and multidimensional concept, which simply cannot be seen as a state of being ( a condition of low income or food insecurity) but needs to be considered a process over time with several inter-related elements interacting with social and economic conditions, political standing, and environmental health. A full understanding of the term marginalisation needs to be based on the view that the best judge of poverty and marginalisation are the people experiencing it.

Marginalized communities, peoples or populations are groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions (National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health.

A branch of aquaculture involving the culture of organisms in a medium or environment which may be completely marine (sea), or sea water mixed to various degrees with fresh water, including brackishwater areas (SIVALINGAM, 1981).

Refers to situations whereby the market fails to give efficient allocation of resources, due to non-fulfilment of free and competitive market structure.

Refer to economic factors affecting the price of, demand for, and availability of a commodity.

Comparison between input and output mass of materials to solve for losses such as oxidation.

The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for a given fish stock means the highest possible annual catch that can be sustained over time, by keeping the stock at the level producing maximum growth. The MSY refers to a hypothetical equilibrium state between the exploited population and the fishing activity.

An indicator of naturalness or biodiversity intactness. It is defined as the mean abundance of original species relative to their abundance in undisturbed ecosystems. An MSA (Mean Species Abundance) of 0% means a completely destructed ecosystem, with no original species remaining.

see process-based model.

A model with hypothesized relationship between the variables in the dataset where the nature of the relationship is specified in terms of the biological processes that are thought to have given rise to the data.

17 countries that harbor 70% of the species diversity of the planet. Seven such countries are in the Americas. In alphabetical order: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, USA, Venezuela.

Countries (17) which have been identified as the most biodiversity-rich countries of the world, with a particular focus on endemic biodiversity (UNEP-WCMC, 2014).

Countries (17) which have been identified as the most biodiversity- rich countries of the world, with a particular focus on endemic biodiversity.

Synonym for moist areas (IUCN, 2012a).

A quantitative statistical analysis of several separate but similar experiments or studies in order to test the pooled data for statistical significance.

Chemical transformations that sustain life at the cell level.

The small-scale physical requirements of a particular organism or population.

Plastic debris that are less than five millimeters in length (NOAA, 2018a).

A change in gene frequency within a population. Evolution at this scale can be observed over short periods of time - for example, between one generation and the next, the frequency of a gene for pesticide resistance in a population of crop pests increases. Such a change might come about because natural selection favored the gene, because the population received new immigrants carrying the gene, because some nonresistant genes mutated to the resistant version, or because of random genetic drift from one generation to the next.

Substances that are only needed in very small amounts but essential to organisms to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances fundamental for proper growth and development (WHO, 2015).

Substances that are only needed in very small amounts but essential to organisms to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances fundamental for proper growth and development.

Particles with dimensions between 0.1 and 100 micrometers, e.g. pollen, sand, dust (Vert et al., 2012).

Seasonal movement of animals from one region to another for food, breeding, etc.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is a major assessment of the human impact on the environment published in 2005.

A major assessment of the human impact on the environment published in 2005.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) is a major assessment of the human impact on the environment published in 2005.

The removal of a mineral resource in or on the Earth’s crust, which has appropriate form, quality and quantity to allow economic extraction.

Mineralization in soil science is the decomposition or oxidation of the chemical compounds in organic matter releasing the nutrients contained in those compounds into soluble inorganic forms that may be plant-accessible.

Minimum tillage systems are tillage systems in which the ground is worked very little before the seed is sown, and where crops can be sown almost immediately after the previous crop has been harvested (Rawson & Gómez Macpherson, 2000).

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually from an orebody, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer deposits. These deposits form a mineralized package that is of economic interest to the miner.

In the context of IPBES, an intervention to reduce negative or unsustainable uses of biodiversity and ecosystems.

A human intervention to reduce emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.

Lessening the force or intensity of something that can result in disbenefits.

Qualitative or quantitative representations of key components of a system and of relationships between these components. Benchmarking (of models) is the process of systematically comparing sets of model predictions against measured data in order to evaluate model performance. Validation (of models) typically refers to checking model outputs for consistency with observations. However, since models cannot be validated in the formal sense of the term (i.e. proven to be true), some scientists prefer to use the words benchmarking or evaluation. A dynamic model is a model that describes changes through time of a specific process. A process-based model (also known as mechanistic model) is a model in which relationships are described in terms of explicitly stated processes or mechanisms based on established scientific understanding, and model parameters therefore have clear ecological interpretation, defined beforehand. Hybrid models are models that combine correlative and process-based modelling approaches. A correlative model (also known as statistical model) is a model in which available empirical data are used to estimate values for parameters that do not have predefined ecological meaning, and for which processes are implicit rather than explicit. Integrated assessment models are interdisciplinary models that aim to describe the complex relationships between environmental, social, and economic drivers that determine current and future state of the ecosystem and the effects of global change, in order to derive policy-relevant insights. One of the essential characteristics of integrated assessments is the simultaneous consideration of the multiple dimensions of environmental problems.

Any system of agriculture that uses modern technology from conventional (q.v.) to organic (q.v.).

Altered or changed.

The contribution of local evaporation and evapotranspiration to local precipitation (Trenberth & Trenberth, 1999).

The amount of value an item or a service has in relation to its acceptable cash price for a willing seller and buyer.