Glossary definitions

The IPBES Units of Analysis result from subdividing the Earth’s surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The following have been identified as IPBES units of analysis globally: Terrestrial: Tropical and subtropical dry and humid forests Temperate and boreal forests and woodlands Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub Tundra and High Mountain habitats Tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands Temperate Grasslands Deserts and xeric shrublands Wetlands - peatlands, mires, bogs Urban/Semi-urban Cultivated areas (incl. cropping, intensive livestock farming etc.) Aquatic, including both marine and freshwater: Cryosphere Aquaculture areas Inland surface waters and water bodies/freshwater Shelf ecosystems (neritic and intertidal/littoral zone) Open ocean pelagic systems (euphotic zone) Deep-Sea Coastal areas intensively used for multiple purposes by humans These IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve as a framework for comparison within and across assessments and represent a pragmatic solution. The IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis are not intended to be prescriptive for other purposes than those of IPBES assessments. They are likely to evolve as the work of IPBES develops.

The IPBES Units of Analysis result from subdividing the Earth's surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The following have been identified as IPBES units of analysis globally: Terrestrial: Tropical and subtropical dry and humid forests, Temperate and boreal forests and woodlands, Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub, Tundra and High Mountain habitats, Tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands, Temperate Grasslands, Deserts and xeric shrublands, Wetlands - peatlands, mires, bogs, Urban/Semi-urban, Cultivated areas (incl. cropping, intensive livestock farming etc.).; Aquatic, including both marine and freshwater: Cryosphere, Aquaculture areas, Inland surface waters and water bodies/ freshwater, Shelf ecosystems (neritic and intertidal/ littoral zone), Open ocean pelagic systems (euphotic zone), Deep-Sea, Coastal areas intensively used for multiple purposes by humans.These IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve as a framework for comparison within and across assessments and represent a pragmatic solution. The IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis are not intended to be prescriptive for other purposes than those of IPBES assessments. They are likely to evolve as the work of IPBES develops.

The IPBES Units of Analysis result from subdividing the Earth's surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The following have been identified: IPBES units of analysis (terrestrial): Tropical and subtropical dry and humid forests; Temperate and boreal forests and woodlands; Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub; Tundra and High Mountain habitats; Tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands; Temperate Grasslands; Deserts and xeric shrublands; Wetlands - peatlands, mires, bogs; Urban/Semi-urban; Cultivated areas (incl. cropping, intensive livestock farming etc.).; IPBES units of analysis (aquatic, including both marine and freshwater units):; Cryosphere; Aquaculture areas; Inland surface waters and water bodies/ freshwater; Shelf ecosystems (neritic and intertidal/ littoral zone); Open ocean pelagic systems (euphotic zone); Deep-Sea; Coastal areas intensively used for multiple purposes by humans.; These IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve as a framework for comparison within and across assessments and represent a pragmatic solution, which may evolve as the work of IPBES develops. The IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve the purposes of IPBES, and are not intended to be prescriptive for other purposes.

Units of analysis result from subdividing the Earth's surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve as a framework for comparison within and across IPBES assessments and represent a pragmatic solution. The terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis used by IPBES are not intended to be prescriptive for purposes other than those of IPBES assessments. They are likely to evolve as the work of IPBES develops.

The IPBES Units of Analysis result from subdividing the Earth's surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The following have been identified: IPBES units of analysis (terrestrial): Tropical and subtropical dry and humid forests, Temperate and boreal forests and woodlands, Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub, Tundra and High Mountain habitats, Tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands, Temperate Grasslands, Deserts and xeric shrublands, Wetlands - peatlands, mires, bogs, Urban/Semi-urban, Cultivated areas (incl. cropping, intensive livestock farming etc.).; IPBES units of analysis (aquatic, including both marine and freshwater units): Cryosphere, Aquaculture areas, Inland surface waters and water bodies/ freshwater, Shelf ecosystems (neritic and intertidal/ littoral zone), Open ocean pelagic systems (euphotic zone), Deep-Sea, Coastal areas intensively used for multiple purposes by humans. These IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve as a framework for comparison within and across assessments and represent a pragmatic solution, which may evolve as the work of IPBES develops. The IPBES terrestrial and aquatic units of analysis serve the purposes of IPBES, and are not intended to be prescriptive for other purposes.

The IPBES Units of Analysis result from subdividing the Earth?s surface into units solely for the purposes of analysis. The following have been identified as IPBES units of analysis globally:Terrestrial:Tropical and subtropical dry and humid forestsTem.

Something difficult or impossible to foretell or foresee.

Multiple independent studies exist but conclusions do not agree.

Each of a series of Hindu sacred treatises written in Sanskrit c.800-200 BC, expounding the Vedas in predominantly mystical and monistic terms.

The process of scaling information from local, fine-grained resolution to global, coarse-grained resolution.

A process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface replacing warmer water pushed away by winds. Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder and rich in nutrients, which “fertilize” surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity.

adj. Pertaining to the built-up, human- inhabited environment (cities, towns, villages, etc.).

Any ecological system located within a city or other densely settled area or, in a broader sense, the greater ecological system that makes up an entire metropolitan area (Pickett, 2018).

The term heat island describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.

A method to evaluate the flows of energy and materials within an urban system, which can provide insights into the system's sustainability and the severity of urban problems such as excessive social, community, and household metabolism at scales ranging from global to local.

The increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas; the process by which a large number of people becomes permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.

Increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas; process by which a large number of people becomes permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.

The process by which villages, towns, cities and other built-up areas grow or by which societies become more urban.

The wild species uses are defined through the practices of fishing, gathering, terrestrial animal harvesting, logging, and non-extractive practices. For the purposes of this assessment, the use of wild species have been divided into different categories, which are not mutually exclusive: ceremony and ritual expression, decorative and aesthetic, energy, food and feed, learning and education, materials and construction, medicine and hygiene, recreation and other: companionship.

Stakeholders who use the products of an assessment, such as decision-makers.

A legal right accorded to a person or party that confers the temporary right to use and derive income or benefit from someone else’s property.

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.

See models.

It is the process of documenting the existence of values, identifying when and where and by whom they are expressed, that in turn allows characterizing values. Valuation of nature can inform decision-making about numerous human-nature relationships; it can support decision processes about alternative projects or policies, inform the design of policy tools and instruments, for conservation and sustainable management of nature or to improve justice. Outside the formal policy space, valuation is also undertaken by academia, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and by indigenous and local communities (IPLC). IPLC undertake valuation not only to make decisions about nature, but also to assess their relationships with nature, to plan collectively, resolve conflicts, defend their territories, and as a means for strengthening and reciprocating their connections with nature.

Valuation approaches are higher level assumptions, ideas or beliefs that underpin methods. They translate key decisions on how a method is to be applied or how the information generated by methods is to be interpreted. For each approach there are often multiple accepted methods that adhere to the basic assumptions and ideas of the given approach. Valuation approaches can also be manifested as “traditions” or widely accepted and expected protocols for undertaking valuation. Valuation traditions are heavily informed and influenced by the cultural context and/or epistemological worldviews.

Are the specific techniques and accepted formal procedures that are applied to gather and analyse information from nature and society in order to and understand or make explicit the state of nature and its importance to people a) quantity, quality and status of nature including its spatial and temporal variations; b) the relevance or importance of nature to people and societies; and c) the nature of human-nature and nature-human relations in terms of how people and societies embed and live out their values of nature (as actions, principles, worldviews or philosophies).

A value can be the importance of something for itself or for others, now or in the future, close by or at a distance. This importance can be considered in three broad classes. 1. The importance that something has subjectively, and may be based on experience. 2. The importance that something has in meeting objective needs. 3. The intrinsic value of something.

A value can be the importance of something for itself or for others, now or in the future, close by or at a distance. This importance can be considered in three broad classes: The importance that something has subjectively, and may be based on experience. The importance that something has in meeting objective needs. The intrinsic value of something.

A value can be a measure. In the biophysical sciences, any quantified measure can be seen as a value.

A value can be the preference someone has for something or for a particular state of the world. Preference involves the act of making comparisons, either explicitly or implicitly. Preference refers to the importance attributed to one entity relative to another one.

A value can be a principle or core belief underpinning rules and moral judgments. Values as principles vary from one culture to another and also between individuals and groups.

a contact network, which provides opportunities for the transmission of contagious diseases within and between sectors. It follows that these chains (networks) can be understood and taken into account in planning risk management strategies for disease prevention and control” especially in relation with “risky parts of the value chain”

Value change refers to the modification of people’s values or of the prioritization of their values in particular contexts. Value change processes occur at different social scales, from large-scale cultural shifts (e.g. intergenerational shifts due to changing demography or changes to shared values) to small-scale personal shifts (e.g. values formation and change over an individual’s lifetime). Individual, social and social-ecological experiences and interactions influence value change; examples include formal and informal education, social practices, group conformation processes, personal experiences and shocks, and social-ecological events (e.g. natural disasters, pandemics).

Values can be expressed explicitly through language and implicitly through actions like choices, decisions made, everyday practices or rituals. Valuation methods are used to undertake explicit valuation. Methods and approaches to integrate and bridge values, provide knowledge about nature’s values as input to decision-making.

'Value formation' refers to how values develop in the first place. It can occur in individual-focused processes, trough socially-oriented processes or in social-ecological processes that do not separate humans and nature.

Indicators of value are quantitative and qualitative measures of the importance of nature to people. Indicators used to express the value of nature can be biophysical, economic and socio-cultural.

Derives from a utilitarian perspective on human-nature relationships which privileges some values of nature over others (usually monetary values).

Value pluralism is the idea that there are several values which may be equally correct and fundamental, and yet in conflict with each other. It is the opposite of value monism. More broadly speaking, value pluralism may also refer to different people having different worldviews and hence different values. In addition, these plural values may be incommensurable (i.e. they do not share a single unit of measurement, a single metric, and that there is no objective way of comparing them or weighting them against each other).

Sets of values according to which people, societies and organizations regulate their behaviour.

Set of values according to which people, societies and organizations regulate their behaviour. Value systems can be identified in both individuals and social groups.

Methods for valuation of nature and NCPs may be termed value articulating institutions since they are based on a set of rules concerning the valuing process: Participation: who participates; in what capacity; and how. What counts as data and what form it should take (prices, weights, arguments, physical measures etc.). The kind of data handling procedures involved: how data is produced; and how data are compared, weighed or aggregated.

Value systems: Set of values according to which people, societies and organizations regulate their behavior. Value systems can be identified in both individuals and social groups (Pascual et al., 2017). Value (as principle): A value can be a principle or core belief underpinning rules and moral judgments. Values as principles vary from one culture to another and also between individuals and groups (IPBES, 2015). Value (as preference): A value can be the preference someone has for something or for a particular state of the world. Preference involves the act of making comparisons, either explicitly or implicitly. Preference refers to the importance attributed to one entity relative to another one (IPBES, 2015). Value (as importance): A value can be the importance of something for itself or for others, now or in the future, close by or at a distance. This importance can be considered in three broad classes. 1. The importance that something has subjectively, and may be based on experience. 2. The importance that something has in meeting objective needs. 3. The intrinsic Please do not cite, quote or circulate 1733 value of something (IPBES, 2015). Value (as measure): A value can be a measure. In the biophysical sciences, any quantified measure can be seen as a value (IPBES, 2015). Non-anthropocentric value: A non-anthropocentric value is a value centered on something other than human beings. These values can be non-instrumental or instrumental to non-human ends (IPBES, 2015). Intrinsic value: This concept refers to inherent value, that is the value something has independent of any human experience or evaluation. Such a value is viewed as an inherent property of the entity and not ascribed or generated by external valuing agents (Pascual et al., 2017). Anthropocentric value: The value that something has for human beings and human purposes (Pascual et al., 2017). Instrumental value: The value attributed to something as a means to achieving a particular end (Pascual et al., 2017). Non-instrumental value: The value attributed to something as an end in itself, regardless of its utility for other ends. 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” (IPBES, 2015). Integrated valuation: The process of collecting, synthesizing, and communicating knowledge about the ways in which people ascribe importance and meaning of Nature’s contributions to people, to facilitate deliberation and agreement for decision making and planning.

The values of nature encompass the different layers of the values typology, including worldviews (and underpinning knowledge systems, languages and cultures), broad values, specific values, indicators and preferences.  In addition to instrumental values, the values of nature include reciprocal values and perspectives of nature where nature and people are not seen as separate, and where intrinsic values are acknowledged on a par with values of nature’s benefits to people.

When referring to values of ‘nature’, we expand on the concept proposed by Díaz et al. (2015) by recognizing that individual and group understandings of nature are socially constructed, and that different social groups have different conceptualizations of the relationship between the human and non-human world. For IPBES, nature refers loosely to the non-human living world including the scientific categories of biodiversity, ecosystem structure and functioning, evolution, the biosphere, humankind’s shared evolutionary heritage and biocultural diversity. In addition, IPBES recognises other worldviews, including those from IPLCs, in which people recognize the diverse entities and elements of nature such as rivers, mountains, plants, animal species, existing within the planet denoted by categories like Mother Earth and systems of life . Among many IPLCs, nature is often viewed as inextricably linked to humans, not as a separate entity. By recognizing this wide understanding of the concept ‘nature’, we are then able to recognize the diversity of values that emerges within these different ways of seeing the world.

see Value systems, Value (as principles), Value (as preference), Value (as importance), Value (as measure), Non-anthropocentric value, Intrinsic value, Anthropocentric value, Instrumental value, Relational value, Integrated valuation.

Those actions, processes, entities or objects that are worthy or important. Values can be of the following types: Anthropocentic value, Anthropogenic value, Bequest value, Biophysical value, Economic value, Existence value, Insurance value, Intrinsic value, Instrumental value, Non-instrumental value, Option value, Relational value, Socio-cultural value.

Value systems: Set of values according to which people, societies and organizations regulate their behaviour. Value systems can be identified in both individuals and social groups (Pascual et al., 2017). Value (as principle): A value can be a principle or core belief underpinning rules and moral judgments. Values as principles vary from one culture to another and also between individuals and groups (IPBES/4/INF/13).Value (as preference): A value can be the preference someone has for something or for a particular state of the world. Preference involves the act of making comparisons, either explicitly or implicitly. Preference refers to the importance attributed to one entity relative to another one (IPBES/4/INF/13). Value (as importance): A value can be the importance of something for itself or for others, now or in the future, close by or at a distance. This importance can be considered in three broad classes. 1. The importance that something has subjectively, and may be based on experience. 2. The importance that something has in meeting objective needs. 3. The intrinsic value of something (IPBES/4/INF/13).Value (as measure): A value can be a measure. In the biophysical sciences, any quantified measure can be seen as a value (IPBES/4/INF/13).Non-anthropocentric value: A non-anthropocentric value is a value centered on something other than human beings. These values can be non-instrumental or instrumental to non-human ends (IPBES/4/INF/13).Intrinsic value: This concept refers to inherent value, that is the value something has independent of any human experience or evaluation. Such a value is viewed as an inherent property of the entity and not ascribed or generated by external valuing agents (Pascual et al., 2017).Anthropocentric value: The value that something has for human beings and human purposes (Pascual et al., 2017).Instrumental value: The value attributed to something as a means to achieving a particular end (Pascual et al., 2017).Non-instrumental value: The value attributed to something as an end in itself, regardless of its utility for other ends.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 (IPBES/4/INF/13).Integrated valuation: The process of collecting, synthesizing, and communicating knowledge about the ways in which people ascribe importance and meaning of NCP to humans, to facilitate deliberation and agreement for decision making and planning (Pascual et al., 2017).

Those actions, processes, entities or objects that are worthy or important to a particular human population (sometimes values may also refer to moral principles).

Values reflect life goals, beliefs and general guiding principles. They also reflect the opinions or judgements of the importance of specific things in particular situations and contexts. When considering the values of nature, values can refer to nature itself, how nature contributes to people’s quality of life, in addition to the way people express the value of life-supporting processes, functions, and systems - interrelating biophysical, spiritual, or symbolic aspects. Within the assessment we refer to broad, specific values and value indicators; as well as to instrumental, intrinsic and relational values.

Is the more implicit act of assigning a value to something, which, in contrast to valuation, does not necessarily follow an explicit and formal process. Thus, while we all go through the process of ‘valuing’ on a daily basis for our day-to-day decisions, valuation is most often an exercise that is undertaken by 'experts' or a specifically designed team systematically applying a specific method.