Glossary definitions

Actions of mutual support between humans such as sharing, gender equity, social equity, honesty, humility, modesty. Some of these elements can be revealed as relevant through valuation methods and approaches, as well as by practices associated with them.

Indigenous and local knowledge systems are understood to be dynamic bodies of integrated, holistic, social and ecological understandings, know-hows, practices and beliefs pertaining to the relationship of living beings, including people, with one another and with their environment. Indigenous and local knowledge is grounded in territory, is highly diverse and is continuously evolving through the interaction of experiences, skills, innovations and different types of wisdom expressed in multiple ways (written, oral, visual, tacit, practical and scientific). Such knowledge can provide information, methods, theory and practice for sustainable ecosystem management. Indigenous and local knowledge systems have been, and continue to be, empirically tested, applied, contested and validated through different means in different contexts. Western Academic knowledge systems relate to often explicit knowledge that has been derived from applying formal methods in academic or technical institutions.

A body of propositions that are adhered to, whether formally or informally, and are routinely used to claim truth.

A body of propositions that are adhered to, whether formally or informally, and are routinely used to claim truth. They are organized structures and dynamic processes (a) generating and representing content, components, classes, or types of knowledge, that are (b) domain-specific or characterized by domain-relevant features as defined by the user or consumer, (c) reinforced by a set of logical relationships that connect the content of knowledge to its value (utility), (d) enhanced by a set of iterative processes that enable the evolution, revision, adaptation, and advances, and (e) subject to criteria of relevance, reliability, and quality.

Organized structures and dynamic processes (a) generating and representing content, components, classes, or types of knowledge, that are (b) domain-specific or characterized by domain-relevant features as defined by the user or consumer, (c) reinforced by a set of logical relationships that connect the content of knowledge to its value (utility), (d) enhanced by a set of iterative processes that enable the evolution, revision, adaptation, and advances, and (e) subject to criteria of relevance, reliability, and quality.

A body of propositions that are adhered to, whether formally or informally, and are routinely used to claim truth. They are organised structures and dynamic processes: generating and representing content, components, classes, or types of knowledge, that are, domain-specific or characterised by domain-relevant features as defined by the user or consumer,, reinforced by a set of logical relationships that connect the content of knowledge to its value (utility),, enhanced by a set of iterative processes that enable the evolution, revision, adaptation, and advances, and,, subject to criteria of relevance, reliability, and quality.

An international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.

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.

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.

The relationship, whether legally or customarily defined, among people, as individuals or groups, with respect to land.

A process whereby the biotic community of an area is substantially altered or substituted by another, along with the underlying ecological and human processes responsible for its persistence, often as a result of a deliberate decision to change the purpose for which the land is used.

Land use refers to the modification or management of natural environments into human dominated environments, such as settlements, semi-natural and agricultural areas.

See Land use.

Activities undertaken with the intention of enhancing the productivity or profitability per unit area of rural land use, including intensification of particular land uses as well as changes between land uses (Martin et al., 2018).

The human use of a specific area for a certain purpose (such as residential, agriculture, recreation, industrial, etc.). Influenced by, but not synonymous with, land cover. Land-use change refers to a change in the use or management of land by humans, which may lead to a change in land cover.

The human use of a specific area for a certain purpose (such as residential; agriculture; recreation; industrial, etc.). Influenced by, but not synonymous with, land cover. Land use change refers to a change in the use or management of land by humans, whi.

A breed that has largely developed through adaptation to the natural environment and traditional production system in which it has been raised (FAO, 2013).

The abundances of patch types represented within a landscape. Composition is not spatially explicit because it refers only to the variety and abundance of patch types, but not their placement or location (dispersion) in the landscape.

The distribution, size and abundances of patch types represented within a landscape. Configuration is spatially explicit because it refers not only to the variety and abundance of patch types, but also to their placement or location (dispersion) in the landscape.

The capacity or potential of landscapes to provide services (Bolliger & Kienast, 2010).

Landscape heterogeneity is a complex phenomenon involving the size, shape and composition of different landscape units and the spatial (and temporal) relations between them (G. Cale & J. Hobbs, 1994).

Landscape heterogeneity is a complex phenomenon involving the size, shape and composition of different landscape units and the spatial (and temporal) relations between them.

An activity concerned with reconciling competing land uses while protecting natural processes and significant cultural and natural resources.

The landscape scale approach incorporates the socio-ecological system, including natural and human-modified ecosystems, influenced by ecological, historical, economic, and socio-cultural processes. The landscape includes an array of stakeholders small enough to be manageable, but large enough to deliver multiple functions for stakeholders with differing interests.

A human-defined area ranging in size from c. 3 km2 to c. 3002 km. Landscape is spatially heterogeneous in at least one factor of interest and often consists of a mosaic of interacting ecosystems.

An area delineated by an actor for a specific set of objectives, constitutes an area in which entities, including humans, interact according to rules (physical, biological, and social) that determine their relationships; Place-based systems that result from interactions between people, land, institutions (laws, rules and regulations) and values. Interactive aspects that define a landscape are functional interactions, negotiated spaces and multiple scales.

An area of land that contains a mosaic of ecosystems, including human-dominated ecosystems.

The control (whether through ownership, lease, concession, contracts, quotas, or general power) of larger than locally-typical amounts of land by any persons or entities (public or private, foreign or domestic) via any means (‘legal’ or ‘illegal’) for purposes of speculation, extraction, resource control or commodification at the expense of agroecology, land stewardship, food sovereignty and human rights. It is sometimes also called land grabbing.

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

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in force since 1994, defines the rights and obligations of nations (167 at present) with regard to the use of the world's oceans and their resources, and the protection of the marine and coastal environment. The UNCLOS also defines national marine jurisdiction on maritime territories and provides guidelines related to the use and management of marine environment and resources.

The dissolution and movement of dissolved substances by water.

The total area of green leaves per unit area of ground covered (FAO, 2018a).

An environmentally damaging activity that is relocated elsewhere after being stopped locally.

Phenomena whereby the reduction in emissions (relative to a baseline) in a jurisdiction/sector associated with the implementation of mitigation policy is offset to some degree by an increase outside the jurisdiction/sector through induced changes in consumption, production, prices, land use and/or trade across the jurisdictions/sectors. Leakage can occur at a number of levels, be it a project, state, province, nation or world region.

Learning refers to the process of knowledge and skills acquisition. Studies on learning have payed attention to the different ways people acquire knowledge, practices, and beliefs (i.e. imitation, copying, trial-and-error), but also to the dynamics of kn.

Learning refers to the process of knowledge and skills acquisition. Studies on learning have payed attention to the different ways people acquire knowledge, practices, and beliefs (i.e. imitation, copying, trial-and-error), but also to the dynamics of knowledge transmission, or the different sources from which knowledge, practices, and beliefs are passed from one individual to another (i.e. from parents, peers, teachers, prestigious peoples, media, etc.). Social learning is defined as the acquisition of new information by copying others, and it is a key human strategy that allows for the accumulation of culturally transmitted knowledge.