Glossary definitions

The endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability in ecology and sociology includes the co-functioning and evolution of four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture.

A characteristic or state whereby the needs of the present and local population can be met without compromising the ability of future generations or populations in other locations to meet their needs.

Forestry management strategies and practices designed to meet present needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

Development that meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet those of future generations (Hesselink et al., 2007).

A set of goals adopted by the United Nations on September 25, 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.

Also, the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected; often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.

A set of goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Development that meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet those of future generations.

Can mean many things to many people - yet a common thread is the production of forest goods and services for the present and future generations. The concept provides guidance on how to manage forests to provide for today’s needs (as best as possible) and not compromise (i.e. reduce) the options of future generations.

A process or system where agricultural yields are increased without adverse environmental impact and without the conversion of additional non- agricultural land.

The goal of sustainable intensification is to increase food production from existing farmland while minimizing pressure on the environment. It is a response to the challenges of increasing demand for food from a growing global population, in a world where land, water, energy and other inputs are in short supply, overexploited and used unsustainably.

Process or system where agricultural yields are increased without adverse environmental impact and without the conversion of additional non-agricultural land.

The use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants for the production of goods to meet changing human needs while ensuring the long- term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions.

The land use that serves the needs (for food, energy, housing, recreation etc.) of all human beings living on Earth today and in the future, respecting the boundaries and the resilience of ecological systems.

Sustainable livelihoods is defined as the ability of the users to cope with and respond to the stresses and shocks related to fluctuations in the Nature’s contribution to people that adversely impact their material, relational and subjective dimensions of life and create vulnerabilities, develop their capabilities to strengthen access and entitlements to the variety of livelihood resources, without unnecessarily undermining the natural resource base (the wild species and its natural environment), so as to achieve a desirable standard of living that befits them as humans and also approved by the measures of wellbeing and human development.

Sets of activities that maintain or enhance the supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural services provided by soils without significantly impairing either the soil functions that enable those services or biodiversity.

The use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations (CBD, 1992).

The use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

Sustainable use is defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity since 1992 as “the use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.” This assessment notes that sustainable use is also an outcome of social-ecological systems that aim to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the long term, while contributing to human well-being. It is a dynamic process as wild species, the ecosystems that support them and the social systems within which uses occur, change over time and space. This assessment notes the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability as identified by the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Any system that is designed to produce high yields but with careful management and selection of inputs to reduce harm to the environment. It includes development and use of crop and animal varieties better suited to their environment, use of new technology for pest and disease control and for input management.

See Shifting cultivation.

See 'Shifting cultivation'.

Swidden farming, also known as shifting cultivation or milpa in Latin America, is conventionally defined as an agricultural system in which temporary clearings are cropped for fewer years than they are allowed to remain fallow.

A long-term interaction between two species that can often have mutual benefit for both species (IUCN, 2012a).

See trade-off.

The interaction or cooperation of two or more organisms, organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Synthesis reports further distil and integrate materials drawing from assessment reports, are written in a non‑technical style suitable for policymakers and address a broad range of policy-relevant questions. They are to be composed of two sections: a summary for policymakers, and a full report.

Synthesis reports further distil and integrate materials drawing from assessment reports, are written in a nontechnical style suitable for policymakers and address a broad range of policy-relevant questions. They are to be composed of two sections: a summary for policymakers, and a full report.

Adopted as a working definition definition by the Convention on Biological Diversity AHTEG on Synthetic Biology, Synthetic biology was defined as “a further development and new dimension of modern biotechnology that combines science, technology, and engineering to facilitate and accelerate the understanding, design, redesign, manufacture and/or modification of genetic materials, living organisms and biological systems”.

Collation and critical analysis of multiple research studies or papers, using a structured methodology.

The complex, integrated interactions of living beings (including humans), such as the cultural attributes of communities, socio-economic conditions and biophysical variables.

A social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or behavior.

A choice by people of a desired contemporary or future outcome.

A condition that maximizes the desired mix of ecosystem services.

Scenarios that start with the definition of a clear objective, or a set of objectives, specified either in terms of achievable targets, or as an objective function to be optimized, and then identify different pathways to achieving this outcome (e.g. through backcasting).

See “scenarios”.

A category applied to a group in a formal system of nomenclature, e.g. species, genus, family etc. (plural: taxa).

Variety of species or other taxonomic categories (IUCN, 2012a).

Technical papers are based on the material contained in the assessment reports and are prepared on topics deemed important by the Plenary.

A Technical Summary is a longer detailed and specialized version of the material contained in the summary for policymakers.

Tele-coupling refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances. It involves distant exchanges of information, energy and matter (e.g. people, goods, products, capital) at multiple spatial, temporal and organizational scales.

Transboundary acquisition of land.

Relates to the environmental interactions between climatic systems over considerable distances.

A statistical association between climate variables at widely separated, geographically-fixed spatial locations. Teleconnections are caused by large spatial structures such as basin-wide coupled modes of ocean-atmosphere variability, Rossby wave-trains, mid-latitude jets and storm tracks, etc.

Socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances. It involves distant exchanges of information, energy and matter (e.g. people, goods, products, capital) at multiple spatial, temporal and organizational scales.

Refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances. It involves distant exchanges of information, energy and matter (e.g. people, goods, products, capital) at multiple spatial, temporal and organizational scales.

Telecoupling refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances. It involves distant exchanges of information, energy and matter (e.g. people, goods, products, capital) at multiple spatial, temporal and organizational scales.

Telecoupling refers to the phenomenon that natural or anthropogenic processes in one part of the globe have an effect on a distant part of the world (Friis et al., 2016). This concept thus enables the description of flows and impacts between globally distant places in a common language. Synonym in the literature is global inter-regional connectedness.

Comprised of two properties: 1) temporal extent - the total length of the time period of interest for a particular study (e.g. 10 years, 50 years, or 100 years); and 2) temporal grain (or resolution) - the temporal frequency with which data are observed or projected within this total period (e.g. at 1-year, 5-year or 10-year intervals).

Measurements or other observations reported along a time series.