VALU 191 The Environment & Society Unit 4 Vocabulary

1. Invasive alien species- any non-native flora or fauna in an ecosystem being considered. 2. Habitat-region or area where a plant naturally grows or lives 3. Stewardship-supervision and entrusting a natural resource 4. Bioprospecting-searching for, collecting, and deriving genetic material from samples of biodiversity that can be used in commercialized pharmaceutical, agricultural, industrial, or chemical processing end products. 5. Ecosystem- a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment 6. Risk assessment- determination of risk related to a situation and a recognized threat. 7. Biodiversity-degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. 8. Biosecurity-set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive alien species
9. Eutrophication-slow aging process during which a lake, estuary, or bay evolves into a

bog or marsh and eventually disappears. 10. Convention on Biological Diversity 11. Ballast water-sea water pumped into a ships hold to steady it. May contain pests when dumped into other areas of water. 12. Coral reef- a reef consisting of coral consolidated into limestone 13. Endemic species-Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, habitat type, nation or other defined zone. To be endemic to a place or area means that it is found only in that part of the world and nowhere else. 14. Biosphere-area where life occurs from soil to atmosphere 15. Biological control-The control of a pest by the introduction of a natural enemy or predator 16. Extinction-no longer present, removed, deceased 17. Ecotourism-Tourism in exotic, often threatened, natural environments, esp. to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife

18. Sustainable agriculture-integrates three main goals: environmental stewardship, farm profitability, and prosperous farming communities 19. Natural resource- resources supplied by nature 20. Conservation banking- land containing natural resource value is conserved and managed through a conservation easement held by someone responsible for enforcing terms of easement and protecting it.