Glossary definitions

“online ordering, sale, communication and payment, in particular, business to consumer and consumer to consumer transactions but can also be applicable to business-to-business transactions”

An emerging field of law that seeks to develop a philosophy and practice of law that gives greater consideration to nature, by recognizing the interconnectedness of Earth's natural systems, the inherent rights and value of nature, and the dependence of humanity and all living beings on a healthy Earth.

Programmes designed to accredit goods and services that meet defined process standards designed to improve environmental performance and, in some cases, also to improve social welfare in places of production.

Shorthand for ecological communalism, an environmental philosophy based on simple living, self-sufficiency, sustainability, and local economies.

reciprocal interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes. Ecological and evolutionary time-scales can be so similar that evolutionary change might be rapid enough to influence ecological dynamics

A discipline which envisions building ecological data sets in the context of a data life cycle that encompasses all facets of data generation to knowledge creation, including planning, collection and organization of data, quality assurance and quality control, metadata creation, preservation, discovery, integration, and analysis and visualization.

Is only one type of environmental labelling, and refers specifically to the provision of information to consumers about the relative environmental quality of a product.

A concept that nature and natural things have a value in and of themselves, independent of any benefits they may have for human beings. See also Anthropocentrism and Reality”.

Ecolabelling is defined as a voluntary approach to environmental certification practiced around the world. Ecolabel is defined as a product that meets a wide range of environmental performance criteria or standards.

The point at which a relatively small change in external conditions causes a rapid change in an ecosystem. When an ecological threshold has been passed, the ecosystem may no longer be able to return to its state by means of its inherent resilience.

An assemblage or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area and in a particular time.

See 'Habitat connectivity'.

See Ecosystem degradation.

An event that can disrupt any ecological level, environmental component as well as the organizational status of a biological cycle of organisms. Disturbances are an important aspect in the natural selection and the whole biological evolution, as they modify the environment in which every living being performs its vital functions.

Ecological footprint has a variety of definitions, but is defined by the Global Footprint Network the as a measure of how much area of biologically productive land and water an individual, population or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates, using prevailing technology and resource management practices. The ecological footprint indicator used in this report is based on the Global Footprint Network unless otherwise specified.[ [0[

A measure of the amount of biologically productive land and water required to support the demands of a population or productive activity. Ecological footprints can be calculated at any scale: for an activity, a person, a community, a city, a region, a nation or humanity as a whole.

Ecological infrastructure refers to the natural or semi-natural structural elements of ecosystems and landscapes that are important in delivering ecosystem services. It is similar to ‘green infrastructure', a term sometimes applied in a more urban context. The ecological infrastructure needed to support pollinators and improve pollination services includes patches of semi-natural habitats, including hedgerows, grassland and forest, distributed throughout productive agricultural landscapes, providing nesting and floral resources. Larger areas of natural habitat are also ecological infrastructure, although these do not directly support agricultural pollination in areas more than a few kilometers away from pollinator- dependent crops.

Ecological infrastructure refers to the natural or semi-natural structural elements of ecosystems and landscapes that are important in delivering ecosystem services. It is similar to ‘green infrastructure', or ‘green and blue infrastructure' a term sometimes applied in a more urban context. The ecological infrastructure needed to support pollinators and improve pollination services includes patches of semi-natural habitats, including hedgerows, grassland and forest, distributed throughout productive agricultural landscapes, providing nesting and floral resources. Larger areas of natural habitat are also ecological infrastructure, although these do not directly support agricultural pollination in areas more than a few kilometers away from pollinator-dependent crops.

Ecological infrastructure refers to the natural or semi-natural structural elements of ecosystems and landscapes that are important in delivering ecosystem services. It is similar to 'green infrastructure', a term sometimes applied in a more urban context. The ecological infrastructure needed to support pollinators and improve pollination services includes patches of semi-natural habitats, including hedgerows, grassland and forest, distributed throughout productive agricultural landscapes, providing nesting and floral resources. Larger areas of natural habitat are also ecological infrastructure, although these do not directly support agricultural pollination in areas more than a few kilometers away from pollinator-dependent crops.

The natural or semi-natural structural elements of ecosystems and landscapes that are important in delivering ecosystem services. It is similar to green infrastructure, a term sometimes applied in a more urban context. The ecological infrastructure needed to support pollinators and improve pollination services includes patches of semi-natural habitats, including hedgerows, grassland and forest, distributed throughout productive agricultural landscapes, providing nesting and floral resources. Larger areas of natural habitat are also ecological infrastructure, although these do not directly support agricultural pollination in areas more than a few kilometres away from pollinator- dependent crops.

The ability of an ecosystem to support and maintain ecological processes and a diverse community of organisms.

Non-human entities as subjects of justice (rights-holders). Rights of nature vs. rights to nature.

The take-over of local natural resources by private and/or state interests, and the gradual or immediate disorganization of the ecosystem via withdrawals and additions.

The physical and biological actions or events that link organisms and their environment.

As explained by Thompson et al. (2011): From ecology based on interactions to solidarity based on links between individuals united around a common goal and conscious of their common interests and their moral obligation and responsibility to help others, we define ecological solidarity as the reciprocal interdependence of living organisms amongst each other and with spatial and temporal variation in their physical environment.

Any system that maintains efficient production by optimal management of naturally occurring ecological functions and biodiversity. To be put in place, understandings are required of the relations between land use at different scales and the community composition of ecosystem service-providing organisms above- and below-ground, and the flow, stability, contribution to yield, and management costs of the multiple services delivered by these organisms.

The study of interrelations of the diversity (q.v.) of life, the abundance (q.v.) of life forms, and the interplay of their activities within and between life forms and the physical environment.

Economic and financial instruments can be used to change people's behavior towards desired policy objectives. Instruments typically encompass a wide range of designs and implementation approaches. They include traditional fiscal instruments, including for example subsidies, taxes, charges and fiscal transfers. Additionally, instruments such as tradable pollution permits or tradable land development rights rely on the creation of new markets. Further instruments represent conditional and voluntary incentive schemes such as payments for ecosystem services. All these can in principle be used to correct for policy or/and market failures and reinstate full-cost pricing. They aim at reflecting social costs or benefits of the conservation and use of biodiversity and ecosystem services of a public good nature (getting the price right). Financial instruments, in contrast, are often extra-budgetary and can be financed from domestic sources or foreign aid, external borrowing, debt for nature swaps, etc. It should be noted that economic instruments do not necessarily imply that commodification of environmental functions is promoted. Generally, they are meant to change behavior of individuals (e.g. consumers and producers) and public actors (e.g. local and regional governments).

Economic and financial instruments can be used to change people's behavior towards desired policy objectives. Instruments typically encompass a wide range of designs and implementation approaches. They include traditional fiscal instruments, including for example subsidies, taxes, charges and fiscal transfers. Additionally, instruments such as tradable pollution permits or tradable land development rights rely on the creation of new markets. Further instruments represent conditional and voluntary incentive schemes such as payments for ecosystem services. All these can in principle be used to correct for policy or/and market failures and reinstate full-cost pricing. They aim at reflecting social costs or benefits of the conservation and use of biodiversity and ecosystem services of a public good nature (getting the price right). Financial instruments, in contrast, are often extra-budgetary and can be financed from domestic sources or foreign aid, external borrowing, debt for nature swaps, etc. Economic instruments do not necessarily imply that commodification of environmental functions is promoted. Generally, they are meant to change behavior of individuals (e.g. consumers and producers) and public actors (e.g. local and regional governments).

Economic and financial instruments can be used to change people's behaviour towards desired policy objectives. Instruments typically encompass a wide range of designs and implementation approaches. They include traditional fiscal instruments, including for example subsidies, taxes, charges and fiscal transfers. Additionally, instruments such as tradable pollution permits or tradable land development rights rely on the creation of new markets. Further instruments represent conditional and voluntary incentive schemes such as payments for ecosystem services. All these can in principle be used to correct for policy or/and market failures and reinstate full-cost pricing. They aim at reflecting social costs or benefits of the conservation and use of biodiversity and ecosystem services of a public good nature (getting the price right). Financial instruments, in contrast, are often extra-budgetary and can be financed from domestic sources or foreign aid, external borrowing, debt for nature swaps and so on. It should be noted that economic instruments do not necessarily imply that commodification of environmental functions is promoted. Generally, they are meant to change behaviour of individuals (e.g. consumers and producers) and public actors (e.g. local and regional governments).

See values.

A measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent (e.g. buyer or seller). It is not necessarily the same as market value. It is generally measured by units of currency, and can be interpreted to mean the maximum amount of money a specific actor is willing and able to accept or pay for the good or service.

Economists group values in terms of their use or non-use. Use values can be both direct and indirect, and can relate to current or future (option) uses.

Degree to which people, property, resources, systems, and cultural, economic, environmental, and social activity are susceptible to harm, degradation, or destruction on being exposed to an economic or environmental hostile agent or factor.

A large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities that: (a). Share a large majority of their species and ecological dynamics; (b). Share similar environmental conditions, and; (c). Interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence. In contrast to biomes, an ecoregion is generally geographically specific, at a much finer scale. For example, the East African Montane Forest ecoregion of Kenya (WWF ecoregion classification) is a geographically specific and coherent example of the globally occurring tropical and subtropical forest biome.

A large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities that: Share a large majority of their species and ecological dynamics; Share similar environmental conditions, and; Interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence (source: WWF). In contrast to biomes, an ecoregion is generally geographically specific, is at a much finer scale, and contains ecologically interacting biota. For example, the “East African Montane Forest” eco- region of Kenya (WWF eco-region classification) is a geographically specific and coherent example of the globally occurring “tropical and subtropical forest” biome.

The process of constructing formal accounts for ecosystems.

See 'Ecosystem-based approach'.

A long-term reduction in an ecosystem’s structure, functionality, or capacity to provide benefits to people.

A long-term reduction in an ecosystem's structure, functionality, or capacity to provide benefits to people.

A persistent (long-time) reduction in the capacity to provide ecosystem services.

The integrated study of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines physical and biological structures and examines how these ecosystem characteristics interact with each other.

Organism that changes the abiotic environment by physically altering structure, which often have effects on other biota and their interactions, and on ecosystem processes.

The flow of energy and materials through the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. It includes many processes such as biomass production, trophic transfer through plants and animals, nutrient cycling, water dynamics and heat transfer.

The flow of energy and materials through the arrangement of biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. It includes many processes such as biomass production, trophic transfer through plants and animals, nutrient cycling, water dynamics and heat transfer. The concept is used here in the broad sense and it can thus be taken as being synonymous with ecosystem properties or ecosystem structure and function.

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, they are included in the general definition of ecosystem services. According to other approaches, they are objects from ecosystems that people value through experience, use or consumption. The use of this term in the context of this document goes well beyond a narrow definition of goods simply as physical items that are bought and sold in markets, and includes objects that have no market price.

Ecosystem health is a metaphor used to describe the condition of an ecosystem, by analogy with human health. Note that there is no universally accepted benchmark for a healthy ecosystem. Rather, the apparent health status of an ecosystem can vary, depending upon which metrics are employed in judging it, and which societal aspirations are driving the assessment.

A state or condition of an ecosystem that expresses attributes of biodiversity within normal ranges, relative to its ecological stage of development. Ecosystem health depends inter alia on ecosystem resilience and resistance.

A state or condition of an ecosystem that expresses attributes of biodiversity within normal ranges, relative to its ecological stage of development. Ecosystem health depends inter alia on ecosystem resilience and resistance. Note that there is no universally accepted benchmark for a healthy ecosystem. Rather, the apparent health status of an ecosystem can vary, depending upon which metrics are employed in judging it, and which societal aspirations are driving the assessment.

Ecosystem health is a metaphor used to describe the condition of an ecosystem,by analogy with human health. Note that there is no universally accepted benchmark for a healthy ecosystem. Rather, the apparent health status of an ecosystem can vary, depending upon which metrics are employed in judging it, and which societal aspirations are driving the assessment.