260
Glossary of terms
Conservation biology: The area of applied
research designed to inform management decisions
concerning the conservation of biodiversity. The
roots of conservation biology lie largely within
the mid - 20th century, although it was not until the
1970s and early 1980s that it was formally identifi ed as an academic sub - discipline with dedicated
journals and textbooks.
Conservation values: Beliefs and ideas about
nature and wildlife that inform assessments of worth.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): The
CBD was signed on 5 June 1992 at the United
Nations Conference on the Environment and
Development in Rio de Janeiro. The Convention has
three main aims: the conservation of biodiversity;
the sustainable use of its components; and sharing
the benefi ts from the commercial and other utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.
At the heart of the CBD is the acknowledgement that
biodiversity is essential for human existence and
that the utilitarian (use) value is the key to effective
conservation.
Cultural landscape: A landscape dominated by
anthropogenic habitats, within which may be
embedded fragments of less impacted land with
higher conservation value.
Decision support tools: Computer - based information systems intended to help decision - makers
compile and analyse data to help solve conservation
problems.
Earth Summit: An informal term for the United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
on 3 – 14 June 1992.
Ecological extinction: Species that are extinct in
the wild but which have an extant captive bred population, or are present in the wild but at such low
densities that they no longer interact to a meaningful degree with other species in the community.
Ecological relict: ‘ A community or fragment of
one that has survived some important change, often
to become in appearance an integral part of the
existing vegetation ’ (Clements, 1934 , p. 42).
Ecoregions: ‘ Regions of relative homogeneity in
ecological systems or in relationships between
organisms and their environments ’ Omernik ( 1987 ,
p. 123).
Ecosystem resilience: The capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbance; and their ability to reorganize when a critical threshold is exceeded.
Ecosystem services: The processes or products
of natural ecosystems and species that provide a
utilitarian value, e.g. natural processes such as pollination and watershed protection which, if removed,
would have economic consequences.
Edge effects: The ecological infl uence of the
altered physical and biotic properties that typically
characterize the edge of a habitat type, and which
extend towards the core of the habitat patch. The
term is most frequently applied within applied island
biogeography when discussing characteristics of
habitat islands.
Endemism: A species (or other taxonomic entity)
is endemic when it is naturally confi ned to a
defi ned geographical area. Some authors have
sought to delimit the term as applying at a particular
scale, or with particular physical units of analysis;
herein we do not so delimit it. See Range restricted
species .
Environmental surrogate: A physical or climatic
variable used as a proxy to derive ecological classifi -
cations. Environmental surrogates can incorporate
some biotic variables such as vegetation.
Extinction: Used to refer to the disappearance of a
species from an area (also termed extirpation) or globally. Various ways the term can be used are described
in Table 4.2.
Extinction debt: The anticipated eventual species
loss from an area due to habitat loss and
fragmentation.
Fortress conservation: The practice of completely excluding local people from protected
areas. The term is often used more broadly to apply
to any conservation practice that excludes local
people from access to, or exploitation of, natural
resources.
Habitat island: Areas isolated from other reserves
by anthropogenically transformed habitats (sometimes named the ‘ matrix ’ ) that are generally unsuitable for the species of conservation concern.
Historical (phylogenetic) biogeography: The
broad branch of biogeography that concerns itself
with historical interpretations of biogeographical
patterns. The term can have quite specifi c meanings,
e.g. the derivation of cladograms for areas based on
the phylogenies of the organisms inhabiting these
areas.
Homology/homologous: Characters that are
similar in different taxa because they are shared
through a common ancestor.
Glossary of terms
Conservation biology: The area of applied
research designed to inform management decisions
concerning the conservation of biodiversity. The
roots of conservation biology lie largely within
the mid - 20th century, although it was not until the
1970s and early 1980s that it was formally identifi ed as an academic sub - discipline with dedicated
journals and textbooks.
Conservation values: Beliefs and ideas about
nature and wildlife that inform assessments of worth.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): The
CBD was signed on 5 June 1992 at the United
Nations Conference on the Environment and
Development in Rio de Janeiro. The Convention has
three main aims: the conservation of biodiversity;
the sustainable use of its components; and sharing
the benefi ts from the commercial and other utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.
At the heart of the CBD is the acknowledgement that
biodiversity is essential for human existence and
that the utilitarian (use) value is the key to effective
conservation.
Cultural landscape: A landscape dominated by
anthropogenic habitats, within which may be
embedded fragments of less impacted land with
higher conservation value.
Decision support tools: Computer - based information systems intended to help decision - makers
compile and analyse data to help solve conservation
problems.
Earth Summit: An informal term for the United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
on 3 – 14 June 1992.
Ecological extinction: Species that are extinct in
the wild but which have an extant captive bred population, or are present in the wild but at such low
densities that they no longer interact to a meaningful degree with other species in the community.
Ecological relict: ‘ A community or fragment of
one that has survived some important change, often
to become in appearance an integral part of the
existing vegetation ’ (Clements, 1934 , p. 42).
Ecoregions: ‘ Regions of relative homogeneity in
ecological systems or in relationships between
organisms and their environments ’ Omernik ( 1987 ,
p. 123).
Ecosystem resilience: The capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbance; and their ability to reorganize when a critical threshold is exceeded.
Ecosystem services: The processes or products
of natural ecosystems and species that provide a
utilitarian value, e.g. natural processes such as pollination and watershed protection which, if removed,
would have economic consequences.
Edge effects: The ecological infl uence of the
altered physical and biotic properties that typically
characterize the edge of a habitat type, and which
extend towards the core of the habitat patch. The
term is most frequently applied within applied island
biogeography when discussing characteristics of
habitat islands.
Endemism: A species (or other taxonomic entity)
is endemic when it is naturally confi ned to a
defi ned geographical area. Some authors have
sought to delimit the term as applying at a particular
scale, or with particular physical units of analysis;
herein we do not so delimit it. See Range restricted
species .
Environmental surrogate: A physical or climatic
variable used as a proxy to derive ecological classifi -
cations. Environmental surrogates can incorporate
some biotic variables such as vegetation.
Extinction: Used to refer to the disappearance of a
species from an area (also termed extirpation) or globally. Various ways the term can be used are described
in Table 4.2.
Extinction debt: The anticipated eventual species
loss from an area due to habitat loss and
fragmentation.
Fortress conservation: The practice of completely excluding local people from protected
areas. The term is often used more broadly to apply
to any conservation practice that excludes local
people from access to, or exploitation of, natural
resources.
Habitat island: Areas isolated from other reserves
by anthropogenically transformed habitats (sometimes named the ‘ matrix ’ ) that are generally unsuitable for the species of conservation concern.
Historical (phylogenetic) biogeography: The
broad branch of biogeography that concerns itself
with historical interpretations of biogeographical
patterns. The term can have quite specifi c meanings,
e.g. the derivation of cladograms for areas based on
the phylogenies of the organisms inhabiting these
areas.
Homology/homologous: Characters that are
similar in different taxa because they are shared
through a common ancestor.