A soft, wet peatland plant community that develops on waterlogged land. …
See management information system, management indicator species. …
Capable of being mixed or blended together to form a homogeneous mixture, such as water and methanol. The opposite of miscible is immiscible. …
A small meandering river within a larger meandering valley which appears too big to have been formed by river erosion and may be glacial in origin. Also known as an underfit stream . …
A coordinated international plan, as part of the InternationalGeosphere‐Biosphere Programme (IGBP), to provide the satellite platforms and instruments, data and information systems, and related scientific research which are necessary to support the programme. It examines critical interactions between the Earth's physical, chemical, biological, and social systems. …
A suspension of fine water droplets in the atmosphere. Contrast fog. …
A strong, cold, dry, northerly, katabatic wind which blows offshore along the north coast of the Mediterranean in winter. …
A tiny arthropod that may be a parasite on plants and animals, and feeds on plants, other mites, or small insects. …
To make less severe, or to lessen the seriousness or extent of. …
Any actions that are taken to avoid or minimize negative environmental impacts. This can take various forms, including avoiding the impact by not taking a certain action; minimizing impacts by limiting the scale of the action; rectifying the impact by repairing or restoring the affected environment; reducing the impact by taking protective steps; and compensating for the impact by replacing or pro…
A site where habitats (such as wetlands) are restored, created, or preserved to serve as compensation for habitats that are going to be lost to development elsewhere in a region. …
A part of a cell (organelle) that is responsible for carrying out aerobic respiration in cells. The plural is mitochondria. …
A cloud that contains both water drops and ice crystals. …
A cropping system in which two or more crops are grown on the same area of land at the same time, or with only a short interval between. See also intercropping, multiple cropping, relay cropping. …
Growing crops and feed and livestock on the same farm at the same time. …
A North American native prairiegrassland that is dominated by short and tall grass (including needle grasses and wheat grasses), with some tall shrubs and trees in moist areas and river valleys. …
1 The upper part of a waterbody, that is mixed by wind and wave action. 2 The layer of the atmosphere that lies immediately above the ground, in which air pollutants are well mixed by turbulence. …
A stand that contains two or more species of tree. …
A mixture of radioactive waste and hazardous waste. …
The pattern of seasonal variations in temperature conditions and mixing status in a large body of freshwater (such as a lake or reservoir), from spring (mixed), through summer (stratified) and autumn (mixed), to winter (stratified) pattern. See also monomictic, turnover. …
The depth in a waterbody, or height in the atmosphere, of the mixed layer, in which the water or air is evenly mixed by wind action. …
The mass of a particular gas (such as water vapour) in a parcel of air, divided by the mass of the dry air. …
An aggregate of two or more substances that are not chemically united. …
Capable of spontaneous movement, able to move freely. …
A coastal sand dune that is becoming stabilized by the growth of vegetation, but can still be affected by wind erosion. Contrast fixed dune. …
A hazardous wasteincinerator that can be transported from one site to another. …
A pollution source (usually of air pollutants) that moves. Mobile sources are divided into two groups: road vehicles, which includes cars, trucks, and buses, and non‐road vehicles, which includes trains, planes, and lawn mowers. …
The ability of a chemical element or pollutant to move through the environment, for example through a food chain, or from a waterbody into the sediment beneath it. …
Change through time in the relative sizes of the rural‐to‐urban and urban‐to‐urban migration flows during the course of urbanization within a country. Contrast demographic transition. …
A representation or description of a complex process or object, usually on a smaller scale and/or in a simplified form. …
The act of representing something, usually on a smaller scale, for example by use of statistical analysis, computer analysis, or a physical model. …
1 Not extreme. 2 To lessen the intensity of, or slow down. …
In terms of wave exposure along a coastline, coasts which face away from prevailing winds and do not have a long fetch, but where strong winds can be frequent. …
An estuary in which the seaward flow of low‐salinity water and moderate vertical mixing result in a modest vertical gradient of salinity. …
1 Material used to control the fission reaction in nuclear/thermal reactors. 2 A person who acts as a controlling influence during debates. …
The theory that less‐developed countries will follow the course of industrial development experienced by the developed countries. …
The most widely used form of the Mercalli scale, devised by American seismologists in 1932 , for describing the intensity of earthquakes in a qualitative way, based on the relative amount of damage that structures undergo during an earthquake, using a scale from I to XII. The scale is given in Appendix 7. …
A ten‐point scale for measuring the hardness of minerals, based on the ability of a specimen to scratch another specimen on the scale. The full scale is: talc 1 (softest), gypsum 2, calcite 3, fluorite 4, apatite 5, orthoclase 6, quartz 7, topaz 8, corundum 9, and diamond 10 (hardest). …
The boundary between the Earth's mantle and the crust, named after the Yugoslav geophysicist who first suspected its presence in 1909 . It follows variations in the thickness of the crust, and is found roughly 32 kilometres below the continents and about 10 kilometres below the oceans. Seismic waves speed up noticeably when they reach this junction. Also known as the Moho . …
Wetness, for example as water vapour in the atmosphere or as a condensed liquid on the surface of an object. …
1 The amount of water that is present in the air, or in a material such as wood or soil, where it is usually expressed as a percentage of the oven dry weight of that material. 2 The water equivalent of snow on the ground. …
A North American hot desert that occupies a significant portion of southern California and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, and has scattered creosote bushes, Joshua trees, and sagebrush. …
The study of the structure, function, and composition of biological molecules within cells. …
A collection of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. …
A soil order in the Comprehensive Soil Classification System. These soils are dark coloured, have upper horizons that are rich in organic matter, and form mainly under grassland. …
A soft‐bodied, aquatic invertebrate animal, that is often protected by a shell. Examples include the snail, clam, mussel, squid, and octopus. …
A naturally occurring silvery‐grey metallic trace element, one of eight micronutrients that are essential to plant health, and mined for use in hardening steel and cast iron. …
The product of the mass and velocity of a moving body. …
An isolated hill or mountain that rises above a flat landscape or peneplain. …
In taxonomy, the kingdom of prokaryotes (organisms without a distinct nucleus). …
The collection and analysis of information on a regular basis in order to check performance against objectives, or compliance with a predetermined standard. Contrast surveillance. …
A well that is used to measure groundwater levels or to collect samples of water quality, for example at a hazardous waste management facility or a Superfund site. …
Popular name for environmental sabotage, involving such activities as driving large spikes in trees to protect them from loggers, vandalizing construction equipment, pulling up survey stakes for unwanted developments, and destroying billboards. See also eco‐activism, eco‐extremism, ecotage, ecoterrorism. …
A one‐sided fold in stratified rocks, caused by relatively weak compression pressure, usually found on the outer edges of tightly folded areas like fold mountains. …
A flowering plant which has a seed with a single seed‐leaf (cotyledon), flower parts arranged in threes, and leaves with parallel veins. Examples include grasses, lilies, and palms. …
Crop cultivation in which a single variety of plant is grown in a field. Contrast polyculture. …
A pollinator which collects pollen from only one species of plant. Contrast oligolectic, polylectic. …
A relatively deep lake or reservoir which does not freeze over during winter, and undergoes a single stratification and mixing cycle during the year. …
An animal that feeds on or uses a single species of host plant or animal. Contrast polyphagous. …
A group of organisms originating from a single ancestor. A monophyletic group is called a clade. …
A parasite that lives within a single host during its whole life cycle. Contrast oligoxenous. …
A large‐scale seasonal reversal of winds and air pressure systems that occurs in some tropical areas (particularly southern Asia, but also in Africa) and is caused by the different rates at which the oceans and continents heat and cool. The wind blows from land to sea in the winter and from sea to land in the summer. Monsoon circulations are associated with the movement of pressure cells and the…
A tropical climate zone, dominated by a winter?summer reversal of air flow (monsoon) in the tropics, and best developed in South Asia. Precipitation is less than 60 millimetres during at least one month in the year, temperatures remain fairly high throughout the year, and there is pronounced seasonality (stormy, cloudy, wet summers, and dry winters). …
A type of forest that grows in the tropics, adjacent to the tropical rainforests. Most are in South East Asia, including northeastern India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Many species are found in both the monsoon forest and the tropical rainforest, but in the monsoon forest they have adapted by natural selection to cope with drought during the dry season. Adaptations include a per…
The rainy season in southern Asia and India, from about April to October, when the southwest monsoon blows moisture‐laden air from over the Indian Ocean, which brings heavy rains. …
A forest type of vegetation in which the principal trees are conifers (such as Ponderosa pine), which grows below the alpine zone on mountains. …
A measure of time based on how long it takes the Moon to circle around the Earth, which is roughly 30 days. A calendar month varies between 28 and 31 days. …
A very plastic clay; an aluminiumsilicate which is the principal constituent of bentonite. …
See Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. …
An international protocol that was drawn up in 1987 and came into force in 1989 to protect the ozone layer in the stratosphere from depletion. It built upon the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer ( 1985 ) and governs the phasing out of production and use of ozone‐depleting substances such as CFCS. The 39 signatory countries agreed to freeze production of CFCs at 1986 l…
A large body (natural satellite) that orbits around a planet. The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth. Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere or water. The Moon is much smaller than the Earth, barely a quarter of the size, with a diameter of 3476 kilometres. Its surface gravity is only about one‐sixth that of the Earth. The Moon orbits in a west?east direction, about 385?000 kilometre…
Unenclosed land in an upland area that supports upland heath, blanket bog, and upland grassland, with a moist peaty soil covered with heather, bracken, and moss. …
A layer of organic matter that develops beneath conifer forest and is associated with acidic soils. Contrast mull. …
The rocks, boulders, and debris that are carried and deposited by a glacier or ice sheet. The main types of moraines are lateral moraine, ground moraine, medial moraine, and terminal moraine. …
A recognized code of conduct or set of ethical principles that guide actions and relationships, based on the difference between right and wrong. …
The ethics, values, principles, and customs of a person or society. …
A temporary prohibition or suspension of a particular activity. …
The rate of incidence of a particular illness or disease within a given population. …
A highly industrialized country that has high per capita incomes, low birth rates and death rates, low population growth rates, and high levels of industrialization and urbanization. Examples include the USA, Canada, Japan, and many countries in Europe. Contrast less developed country. …
A distinct, readily observable type of a particular species. …
The evolution of form, such as the development of landforms in a landscape or the change in shape or structure of an organism as it grows. …
A region that has distinct landscape characteristics which have been produced by dominant geological processes which are determined by climatic conditions. …
A map of variations in the structure and form of the land surface, and of the landforms on it. …
The study of the structure and form of objects (such as organisms and landforms), without regard to function. …
The quantitative expression of morphology, for example by measuring the depth, surface area, and volume of a lake. …
The organization of rock or sediment strata into units based on their surface morphology (landforms). …
The death rate of a population, normally expressed as the number of deaths per thousand per year. Contrast natality. …
1 An interlocking group of habitats that cover a particular area. 2 A disease in plants, where patches of yellow develop on the leaves. …
1 Any of about 9500 species of small, simple, flowerless green plants (bryophytes) which grow in moist places such as moorland. 2 Another term for *mossland. …
A term used in northern Britain to describe a lowland raised bog habitat. Also known as moss . …
A general term that is widely used to refer to the Earth as our home planet, particularly by those who view it in a spiritual way. …
Able to move at will, self‐propelled. Contrast sessile. …
The marble‐like pattern that occurs in soils as a result of periodic fluctuations in the water table. …
1 The common name for a fungus that grows in a filamentous fashion and reproduces by means of spores. All moulds are fungi, but not all fungi are moulds. There are over 20?000 species of mould. 2 The impression of a fossil in a deposit. …
A wide, vertical shaft in a glacier, created by meltwater, by which the meltwater enters the ice. …
The seasonal or perodic shedding of old skin, feathers, or hair to allow new growth. …
A high area of land that rises steeply above its surroundings, usually has a sharply pointed top, and is larger than a hill. …
A glacier which forms in an area of mountains. Also known as alpine glacier or valley glacier. Contrast ice cap, ice sheet. …
The study of weather phenomena associated with mountains or topographically complex areas. …
A long chain of mountains connected together by continuous high ground. Also known as mountain chain. …
A book by John Muir which was published in 1894 and describes the geology, landscape, and natural history of the Sierra Nevada mountains. …
A US non‐profit anti‐environmental group public interest legal centre that is dedicated to individual liberty, the right to own and use property, and ethical government and the free enterprise system. …
A method of mining which involves removing all of the overburden covering a coal seam, to allow all of the mineral to be recovered. The spoil is transported to a nearby hollow to create a valley fill. A form of open cast mining. …
The system of diurnal winds that forms in an area of complex terrain, consisting of mountain?plain, along‐valley, cross‐valley and slope wind systems. …
A volcano within the Cascade volcanic group in southern Washington State, USA, which had been dormant since 1875 but erupted violently on 18 May 1980 . Before the eruption magma was pushed upwards beneath Mount St Helens, causing the mountain to bulge and the ground surface to tilt. The explosive eruption released pressure on the magma, causing a massive landslide and a powerful lateral blast w…
1 The general term (particularly in North America) for a highly decomposed layer of organic material in a wet organic soil. 2 Manure. …
A flat area along the coast or in an estuary, that is covered with a thick layer of mud or sand, and is usually under water at high tide. …
A rapid mass movement process in which fine‐grainedsediment (clays) is saturated with water and moves downhill by gravity. Common after prolonged or unusually heavy rain in areas with little or no protective vegetation cover. …
A landslide of mud. Faster, more sudden, and more damaging than a mudflow. …
A fine‐grained clasticsedimentary rock composed of compacted and hardened clay, similar to shale but with less developed lamination. …
US naturalist, traveller, and writer ( 1838 ? 1914 ) who was born in England and became America's most famous and most influential conservationist. He lived in the Yosemite Valley in California and studied it in great detail and was the author of the book The Mountains of California. He played a key role in the formation of Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks and was one of the founders of…
A protective covering for soil; any natural or artificial substance that is spread or allowed to remain on the soil surface in order to conserve soil moisture, shield soil particles from erosion, prevent freezing of plant roots, and control the growth of weeds. …
The process of spreading a mulch over a soil surface. …
A type of humus or layer of dark organic matter that forms in freely drained, neutral to alkalinesoils with good aeration, mainly because of earthworm activity. See also mor …
A form of mimicry in which two species, both of which are unpalatable and have some form of defence mechanism (such as poisonous stingers), evolve to resemble each other. Contrast Batesian mimicry. …
The coordinated application of several academic disciplines or subjects, in order to achieve a common goal. See also interdisciplinary. …
An approach to environmental management that is based on monitoring and managing several environmental media (such as air, water, and land) at the same time. …
A company that operates, produces, and sells products in many countries, and is not wholly subject to the laws of any one nation. Contrast transnational corporation. …
The process where by a host is subjected to parasitism by more than one type of parasite. …
Growing more than one crop on the same piece of land. See also intercropping, mixed cropping, sequential cropping. …
The management and use of a natural resource for more than one purpose. For example, using an area of land for the grazing of livestock, protection of watersheds, conservation of wildlife, recreation, and timber production, or using a body of water for recreation, fishing, and water supply. …
US legislation that declares that the purposes of the National Forest System include outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and fish and wildlife. The act directs the Secretary of Agriculture to administer national forest renewable surface resources for multiple use and sustained yield. …
Any forestry activity that is designed to meet two or more management objectives, including providing products, services, or other benefits. Also known as multipurpose forestry . …
An IUCN Management Category (VIII) for protected areas, designed ?to provide for the sustained production of water, timber, wildlife, pasture, and outdoor recreation, with the conservation of nature primarily oriented to the support of economic activities (although specific zones may also be designed within these areas to achieve specific conservation objectives)?. …
A radiation sensor system that is often carried in aeroplanes or satellites (such as Landsat), and records information about the same location in several wavelength bands at the same time. This information shows the amount of energy reflected in particular wavelengths from specific ground locations, which can be decoded to indicate such things as land use, vegetation cover, crop growth, and health…
The growing together of a number of different plant species (annuals and perennials) which are of different heights, so that several canopy layers are formed. See also multiple cropping. …
Having many broods and generations in a year or season. See also voltinism. Contrast bivoltine, univoltine. …
Belonging to or characteristic of a municipality. …
The discharge of effluent from wastewater treatment plants which receive wastewater from households, commercial establishments, and industries. …
A city, town, or village that enjoys self‐government in local matters. …
Sewage that originates from households, commercial establishments, and industries. …
Urban refuse, including residential, industrial, and commercial wastes, that is collected for landfill. It does not include agricultural and wood wastes or residues. …
A facility in which recovered municipal solid waste is converted into a usable form of energy, usually via combustion. Also known as a waste‐to‐energy facility . …
A substance that can induce mutation. See also carcinogen, teratogen. …
Capable of causing mutations in an organism. Mutagenic substances may also be carcinogenic. …
A variant organism that differs from its parent because of a change in its genetic material, caused by mutation. …
Any change in the genotype of an organism that is permanent and can be inherited by future generations, which occurs either by chance or a result of an external influence. Contrast immutability. …
A mutually beneficial relationship (symbiosis) between two different species, such as the pollination of flowers by honey bees. …
Mutualism between a fungus and a plant, in which the fungus facilitates the uptake of nutrients and water by the plant. …
The infestation of the living tissue of humans or animals by fly larvae. …
A type of cloud that has a soft, pearly lustre and forms at altitudes of about 25 to 30 kilometres above the Earth's surface. Also known as mother‐of‐pearl cloud . …
A millionth of a millimetre (10?9 metres). See also Angstrom. …
On the scale of large molecules, measured in nanometres. …
Any technology that is applied at the nanoscale, particularly the development of new materials and processes (such as thin films, fine particles, or miniature machines) by manipulating molecular and atomic particles. …
A complex type of fold in rock, in which an overturned fold is detached and broken. …
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which was created in 1958 , and whose mission is to advance and communicate scientific knowledge and understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe and use the environment of space for research. …
The movement of organisms away from the places where they were born. See also dispersal. …
The birth rate of a population, normally expressed as the number of births per thousand per year. Contrast mortality. …
US air quality standards, established by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act, that apply for outdoor air throughout the country. …
An initiative to set up a network of local record centres across Britain to collect and collate biological and geological observations and information from both amateur and professional naturalists, biologists, and ecologists. …
A federally funded research and development centre in the US, based in Boulder, Colorado, whose mission is to improve our understanding of atmospheric systems. …
A plan that highlights country‐level environmental priorities and opportunities for the sustainable management of natural resources, following the example of the World Conservation Strategy published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1980 . …
See National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan. …
One or more officials who are empowered to represent and negotiate on behalf of their government in international discussions and at the drafting of international conventions. …
The US emissions standard, defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, for an air pollutant that is not covered by NAAQS but may cause an increase in fatalities or in serious, irreversible, or incapacitating illness. Primary standards are designed to protect human health, secondary standards to protect public welfare (including buildings, visibility, crops, and domestic animals). …
US legislation that requires that environmental considerations be incorporated into all federal policies and activities, and requires all federal agencies to prepare environmental impact statements for any actions significantly affecting the environment. It led to the setting up of the Council on Environmental Quality. …
A method of measuring the environmental actions of members of the US Congress that was developed in 1970 by the League of Conservation Voters, and is based on the environmental voting records, based on a consensus of experts from 19 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which Members of Congress should be graded. …
A national programme that was established under the US Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 in order to develop and implement conservation and management plans to protect estuaries, restore and maintain their chemical, physical, and biological integrity, and control pollution from point sources and non‐point sources. …
A system for rating fire danger in the USA, based on the environmental factors that affect the moisture content of fuels. Fire danger is rated daily over large administrative areas, such as National Forests. …
A non‐profit charitable organization in the USA which is dedicated to the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats on which they depend. …
Public land (mostly forest, range, or wildland) in the USA which is administered by the Forest Service of the US Department of Agriculture, under a programme of multiple use and sustained yield for timber harvesting, grazing, conservation of wildlife, watershed protection, and outdoor recreation purposes. Mining is also allowed within National Forests. …
A plan that guides the management of a particular National Forest and establishes management standards and guidelines for all lands of that National Forest. Also known as a forest plan . …
US legislation that reorganized, expanded, and amended the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act ( 1974 ) and is the primary statute relating to the management of renewable resources on National Forest lands. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to assess forest lands, develop a management programme based on multiple‐use, sustained‐yield principles, and implement a resource…
The national system of forest land management in the USA, which includes all National Forest lands reserved or withdrawn from the public domain or acquired through purchase, exchange, donation, or other means, as well other land that is administered by the Forest Service. The system includes state and private forestry programmes. …
An area or region of grassland in the USA that has been designated for conservation by the government. …
US legislation that provides for managing cultural resources on federal lands and that established procedures for determining relative significance among cultural resources. …
An area in the USA that is owned by the federal government and administered by the National Park Service, for the purpose of preserving and making available to the public objects of scientific and historical interest that are located on federal lands. …
A site in the United Kingdom that has been declared as a nature reserve by English Nature (or its predecessors or national equivalents) and is either owned or controlled by English Nature or held and managed by approved bodies such as wildlife trusts. The US equivalent is the national wildlife refuge. …
A branch of the US Department of Commerce, established in 1970 . NOAA is the parent organization of the National Weather Service. …
The policy directive in the USA that guides the selection of sites to be cleaned up under the Superfund Programme and the programme to prevent or control spills into surface waters or elsewhere. Also known as the National Contingency Plan . See also Hazard Ranking System. …
An IUCN Management Category (II) for protected areas, designed ?to protect natural and scenic areas of national or international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use?. According to the IUCN, a national park is ?a relatively large area? . …
The national legislation under which Britain's first National Parks were established. …
The agency of the US Department of the Interior which is responsible for the administration of National Parks, National Monuments, and historic sites. …
A formal list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the USA that pose a serious threat to human health and/or the environment, which are candidates for long‐term cleanup using money from the Superfund trust fund. The list is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, is updated at least once a year, and contains about 1200 hazardous waste sites. …
A term used by Conservation Data Centers in the USA, and by NatureServe, to refer to the national conservation status rank of a species or ecological community. …
An area of federal land in the USA that has been set aside by Congress for recreational use by members of the public. …
A national list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture in the USA. …
A register of areas in the USA that possess such exceptional values or qualities for illustrating or interpreting the natural heritage of the nation that they are considered to be of national significance. …
The federal operations centre in the USA that receives notifications of all releases into the environment of oil and hazardous substances. It is operated by the US Coast Guard, which evaluates all reports and notifies the appropriate agency. …
The right of individual nations to look after their own interests and to manage resources within their territorial borders to suit their own purposes. …
The maximum allowable levels of contamination in the USA for a range of chemicals, metals, and bacteria, as defined by the US Safe Drinking Water Act. …
The branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is responsible for providing weather, hydrological, and climate forecasts and warnings for the USA and its territories. …
A US non‐profit anti‐environmentalfront group that advocates a balanced federal policy for conserving and regulating the nation's wetlands. Members of the coalition own or manage wetlands; they include local governments, ports, water agencies, developers, agriculture groups, electric utilities, oil and gas developers, producers, the mining industry, banks, environmental and engineering consult…
A series of wild rivers and scenic rivers in the USA that ?possess outstanding remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values? and are protected ?for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations? under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. …
A system of wild federal land and National Forest land in the USA that was established by the Wilderness Act ( 1964 ), which was to be managed ?for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness??. …
The largest and oldest protector of wildlife in the USA, founded in 1936 as an environmental advocacy and educational group. …
The US equivalent to a National Nature Reserve in the United Kingdom. …
A national system of nature reserves in the USA, which is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and has the mission ?to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the USA for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans?. …
Naturally occurring in a particular place; belonging there by birth or origin. Also known as indigenous . …
A tribe, people, or culture that is native to the USA. …
An element (such as gold) that occurs by itself in rocks, uncombined. …
A natural deposit of a metallic element in pure metallic form, which is neither oxidized nor combined with sulphur or other elements. …
Land that is used for grazing, on which the climax plant community is forest, but which is used and managed primarily to produce native or naturalized plants for forage. …
A species that is within its known natural range, and occurs naturally in a given area or habitat, as opposed to an introduced species or invasive species. Also known as endemic species, indigenous species . Contrast non‐native species. …
A network of areas within the European Community that is designed to conserve natural habitats and species of plants and animals which are rare, endangered, or vulnerable. See also Habitats Directive. …
Occurring in nature; caused by natural processes. Contrast synthetic. …
Any of a variety of substances that are released from natural sources or processes, and which can locally overload the atmospheric system. These include dust, gases, and aerosols from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and sea spray. …
An area identified as having significant or unique natural heritage features, with boundaries based upon the distribution of wildlife and of natural features rather than administrative borders. The term is used in the UK, the USA, and Canada. …
An area of land in the USA that is designated by a public or private agency specifically to preserve a representative sample of an ecological community, primarily for scientific and educational purposes, in which commercial exploitation is generally not allowed and general public use is discouraged. Also known as Natural Reserve . See also Research Natural Area. …
A natural feature, such as a dense stand of trees, that will restrict the free movement of animals. …
An IUCN Management Category (VII) for protected areas, designed ?to allow the way of life of societies living in harmony with the environment to continue undisturbed by modern technology?. …
The stock of natural resources and environmental assets within an area, country, or the world, which includes water, soil, air, plants, animals, and minerals. Also known as environmental capital . …
A disaster that is caused by a natural hazard. Contrast technological disaster. …
The historic patterns (frequency and extent) of natural processes such as fire, insects, wind, and mass movement that affect the ecosystems and landscapes in a particular area. See also disturbance. …
The gradual erosion of the land surface under natural conditions, without any human activity or impact. Also known as geological erosion . …
The flow of a river as it would be under natural conditions, unaltered by upstream diversion, storage, import, export, or consumptive use. …
A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons (fossil fuel), chiefly methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane (C4H10), which is trapped in porous rocks beneath the ground and is often found in association with reserves of oil. It is a clean fuel which burns without smoke or soot and has a high heat value, and is used as a fuel. It is now one of the world's three main fossil fuels, along with c…
As defined by the EU Habitats Directive ?natural habitats means terrestrial or aquatic areas distinguished by geographic, abiotic, and biotic features, whether entirely natural or semi‐natural?. …
A process or event in the physical environment that is not caused by humans, is usually not entirely predictable, but can injure or kill people and damage property. Examples include natural processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, violent storms (including hurricanes and tornadoes), river flooding, storm surges, droughts, avalanches and landslides, and sea level rise. Three trends have increased …
All of the living organisms, ecological communities, ecosystems, and natural areas that we inherit and leave to future generations. …
The network of Conservation Data Centers and Natural Heritage Programs throughout the Americas, which use the same methodology and database to monitor changes in biodiversity in their jurisdictions. …
The systematic study of nature, including animals, plants, minerals, and other natural objects. …
