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Glossary definitions

The IPBES glossary terms definitions page provides definitions of terms used in IPBES assessments. Some definitions in this online glossary have been edited for consistency. Please refer to the specific assessment glossary for citations/authorities of definitions. 

We invite you to report any errors or omissions to [email protected].

Concept Definition Deliverable(s)
procedural justice

refers to fairness in the political processes that allocate resources and resolve disputes. It involves recognition, inclusion, representation and participation in decision-making.

Values assessment
process-based model

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.

Scenarios and models assessment
process-based model

See models.

Europe and Central Asia assessment
producer surplus

The amount that producers benefit by selling at a market price that is higher than the least that they would be willing to accept for that good or service. It is roughly equal to profit (q.v.): producers are not normally willing to sell at a loss, and are normally indifferent to selling at a break-even price.

Pollination assessment
production function

A mathematical equation or graph that shows the relationship between physical inputs and physical outputs for a business.

Pollination assessment
profit

The financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something.

Pollination assessment
projection

Any description of the future, and the pathway leading to it.

Scenarios and models assessment
propagule pressure

The quantity, quality and frequency of propagules (such as spores, eggs, larvae, or adults) released in a given location. This term can be seen as the introduction effort, i.e. the pool of individuals introduced in a new ecosystem/area/region and the number of times it is released.

Americas assessment
propagule pressure

a measure of introduction intensity, including release from captivity or cultivation, comprising both the number of individuals of a species introduced per introduction (propagule size) and the frequency of introductions

Invasive alien species assessment
protected area

A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

Asia-Pacific assessment, Europe and Central Asia assessment, Americas assessment, Africa assessment, Sustainable use assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme), Pollination assessment
protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement

Refers to legal changes that ease restrictions on the use of a protected area, shrink a protected area's boundaries or eliminate legal protections entirely (Mascia & Pailler, 2011).

Global assessment (1st work programme)
protected area

A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
provisioning service

The products people obtain from ecosystems; may include food, freshwater, timber, fibres, medicinal plants.

Africa assessment, Asia-Pacific assessment, Sustainable use assessment
public-private partnership

A long-term contract between a private party and a government entity, for providing a public asset or service, in which the private party bears significant risk and management responsibility and remuneration is linked to performance.

Land degradation and restoration assessment
purchasing power parity

An economic theory that estimates the amount of adjustment needed on the exchange rate between countries in order for the exchange to be equivalent to each currency’s purchasing power. It states that exchange rates between currencies are in equilibrium when their purchasing power is the same in each of the two countries. This means that the exchange rate between two countries should equal the ratio of the two countries’ price level of a fixed basket of goods and services.

Pollination assessment
uncertainty

Any situation in which the current state of knowledge is such that: the order or nature of things is unknown, the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned. Uncertainty can result from lack of information or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. Uncertainty can be represented by quantitative measures (e.g., a range of values calculated by various models) or by qualitative statements (e.g., reflecting the judgment of a team of experts).

Sustainable use assessment
uncertainty

Any situation in which the current state of knowledge is such that (1) the order or nature of things is unknown, (2) the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and (3) credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned.

Pollination assessment
uncertainty

Any situation in which the current state of knowledge is such that: 1. the order or nature of things is unknown, the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and 2. credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned. 3. Uncertainty can result from lack of information or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. Uncertainty can be represented by quantitative measures (e.g. a range of values calculated by various models) or by qualitative statements (e.g. reflecting the judgment of a team of experts).

Asia-Pacific assessment, Americas assessment
uncertainty

Any situation in which the current state of knowledge is such that: the order or nature of things is unknown, the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned. Uncertainty can result from lack of information or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. Uncertainty can be represented by quantitative measures (e.g. a range of values calculated by various models) or by qualitative statements (e.g. reflecting the judgment of a team of experts).

Africa assessment
uncertainty

see linguistic uncertainty, decision uncertainty, stochastic uncertainty, and scientific uncertainty.

Scenarios and models assessment
uncertainty

Any situation in which the current state of knowledge is such that: (i). the order or nature of things is unknown; (ii). the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable; and (iii). credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned. Uncertainty can result from lack of information or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. Uncertainty can be represented by quantitative measures (e.g. a range of values calculated by various models) or by qualitative statements (e.g. reflecting the judgment of a team of experts).

Land degradation and restoration assessment
units of analysis

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.

Sustainable use assessment
units of analysis

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.

Global assessment (1st work programme), Americas assessment
units of analysis

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.

Global assessment (1st work programme), Asia-Pacific assessment
units of analysis

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.

Europe and Central Asia assessment
units of analysis

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.

Africa assessment
units of analysis

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.

Global assessment (1st work programme)
unpredictability

Something difficult or impossible to foretell or foresee.

Scenarios and models assessment
unresolved (certainty term (q.v.))

Multiple independent studies exist but conclusions do not agree.

Pollination assessment
upanishad

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

Asia-Pacific assessment
upscaling

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

Land degradation and restoration assessment, Scenarios and models assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme), Asia-Pacific assessment
upwelling

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.

Sustainable use assessment, Global assessment (1st work programme)
urban

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

Pollination assessment
urban ecosystem

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).

Global assessment (1st work programme)
urban heat island effect

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

Land degradation and restoration assessment
urban metabolism

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.

Global assessment (1st work programme)
urbanization

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.

Sustainable use assessment
urbanization

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.

Americas assessment
urbanization

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

Global assessment (1st work programme), Pollination assessment
use of wild species

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.

Sustainable use assessment
users

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

Scenarios and models assessment
usufruct right

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.

Asia-Pacific assessment