Glossary

Biodiversity

Short for biological diversity, this is the “variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” (Convention of Biological Diversity). Often used as a catch-all term for all living species.

Corridors (habitat or wildlife)

Areas of conserved, protected or high quality habitat that link larger wildlife areas together, allowing for the movement of wildlife between such areas and preventing fragmentation and isolation.

Ecosystem

Living and non-living things in an area make up an ecosystem. Plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms as well as rocks, soil and water are all part of an ecosystem. Unlike a habitat, an ecosystem isn’t a place - it’s a community of living and non-living things.

Example: A pond is a habitat for the fish and other organisms that live in it, but it’s also an ecosystem – a collection of complex relationships between the fish, plants, rocks and other things in the pond.

Ecosystem engineer

Species which significantly change habitats. These species can have a large impact on the biodiversity of an area. Because of this, they play an important role in maintaining their environment. The term tends to be limited to only keystone species, because all organisms affect the area where they live, even if this effect is minor.

Grazer

An animal that eats grasses and herbs.

Habitat

The place, environment or conditions where a plant or animal lives and grows.

Hectare

A hectare is a way of measuring land. It is about 10,000 square metres. You can walk across it in a couple of minutes.

Invasive species

A non-native species that spreads from the point of introduction and becomes abundant. The label is usually only applied to species whose impact upon introduction has had a negative effect on the ecology of an area.

Keystone species

A species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance or biomass. Classic examples include wolves, beavers, sea otters and elephants. Keystone species often create habitat for other species and without them, ecosystems may change dramatically or cease to exist altogether.

Landscape-scale conservation

A holistic land management approach that involves the pursuit of multiple benefits (e.g. water quality, biodiversity) across a defined area (e.g. a catchment, estuary or other recognisable landscape unit) through collaboration at a large scale.

Natural capital

The world’s stock of natural resources, including geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms, many of which provide valuable benefits to humans (ecosystem services). For example, a woodland can be a natural capital asset providing services such as flood risk reduction, carbon capture and clean air.

Natural processes

Interactions among plants, animals, and the non-living components of the environment like climate or rocks. Examples include photosynthesis, pollination, seed dispersal, grazing, and decomposition.

Natural regeneration

The regeneration of trees and woodland through natural processes (e.g. seed dispersal), rather than planting by people.

Naturalistic grazing

Grazing that replicates natural grazing patterns as closely as possible, allowing animal numbers to fluctuate naturally and reducing direct management intervention.

Organism

A single living thing, like a plant, animal or fungus.

Predator

An animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals.

Prey

An animal that is eaten by other animals.

Reintroduction

The human-mediated movement of living organisms into an area where the species was historically native but has become extinct.

Restoration

The process of repairing ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged or destroyed by human activities. Often compared with rewilding, but restoration has historically focused more on vegetation, soils and geomorphology as recovery agents towards a specified end-point.

Rewilding

The large-scale restoration of ecosystems where nature can take care of itself. It seeks to reinstate natural processes and, where appropriate, missing species.

SSSI

Site of Special Scientific Interest – a nationally designated protected area in the UK.

Designated or protected areas

Areas given special legal protection, such as Marine Protected Areas, National Nature Reserves and SSSIs in Scotland.

Succession

The sequence of ecological changes where one group of plant or animal species is replaced by another over time.

Translocation

The human-mediated movement of living organisms from one area to another.