National Parks Glossary

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
Abiotic
The non-living components of the global ecosphere, including insolation (solar radiation), geosphere (rocks), hydrosphere (water), and atmosphere (air).

Adaptive management
A common-sense approach to the management of ecological integrity that supports "learning while doing" and serves the dual goals of achieving management objectives and gaining reliable knowledge. It implies the development of a hypothesis (theory), and the implementation of monitoring, periodic review, and where required, changes in management actions. Where actions are changed, new predictions should be formed, and the process repeated.

Alien species
See Non-native species.

Anthropogenic stressors
Events and actions (often the results of human activities) that have direct or indirect effects on biodiversity through changes to the ecosystem processes that maintain it. Refer to the examples of anthropogenic stressors in the Ecosystem Processes and Stressors Fact Sheet and Glossary.

B
Biodiversity
The total genetic, species, and landscape variation within a given ecosystem. In a broader sense, biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, including all the different plants, animals and other living organisms, and landscapes.

Biome
The largest vegetation units around the world. They correspond roughly to major global ecosystems and represent biodiversity on the broadest scale. Canada is home to major portions of the world’s tundra, temperate forest and lake system (aquatic) biomes, and to smaller expanses of grassland and cold-winter desert biomes.

Biotic
The living components of the global ecosphere, including plants, animals and other organisms.

Boreal 
Cool, temperate regions of the northern part of the earth in which are found vast forests of evergreen trees such as black spruce and balsam fir.

C
Carnivore
An animal that feeds on other animals.

Carrying capacity
Maximum population of a particular species that a given area of habitat can support over a given period of time.

Clearcutting
Harvesting of all trees in a large area, leaving extensive cutovers.

Community
Interacting populations of various species in an area.

Competition
An ecological process by which two organisms strive to obtain the same limited resource. The resource could be food, water, mates, habitat, den sites, soil, light and many others. This competition may be between members of the same species or between different species.

Coniferous trees
Cone-bearing trees, mostly evergreens, that have needle-shaped or scale-like leaves. They produce wood known commercially as "softwood".

Conservation 
Careful preservation and protection of the ecological processes and biodiversity of the environment.

Consumer
Organism that cannot produce its own food and must get it by eating or decomposing other organisms. These are generally divided into primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores) and microconsumers (decomposers).

COSEWIC
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

Cumulative impacts
Impacts of anthropogenic stressors that are greater than the sum of their individual impacts due to their interaction.

D
Deciduous trees
Trees such as oak, maple, poplar and birch that lose their leaves every fall.

Decline
The decrease in the number of organisms in an ecosystem in response to natural or human-induced causes.

Decomposers
The living organisms that feed off dead plants, animals and other organisms, reducing their remains to minerals and gases. Examples include mushrooms and bacteria.

Decomposition
The process through which dead organic material is returned to the soil as inorganic material.

Dispersal
The process by which organisms leave their place of origin for another area.

E
Ecodistricts
Subdivisions of ecoregions that are characterized as distinctive arrangements of landforms, relief, surficial geologic material, soil, water bodies, vegetation, wildlife and land uses.

Ecological integrity
With respect to a national park, a condition that is determined to be characteristic of its natural region and likely to persist, including abiotic components, the composition and abundance of native species and biological communities, rates of change, and processes.

National parks are managed so as to protect ecological integrity, ensuring that all plant and animal species native to the area can continue to live in their natural habitats over their natural ranges, without threats to their long-term survival.

Ecological succession
The process through which communities of plants, animals and other living organisms in a particular area are replaced over time by a series of different communities.

Ecology
The study of the relationships between living organisms (microorganisms, plants and animals, including humans), and the relationships between the organisms and their physical environment.

Ecoregions
Subdivisions of an ecozone characterized by distinctive large-order landforms, micro-climates, vegetation, soils, water, wildlife and regional human activity patterns or use. Ecoregions are the bridge between the subcontinental-scale ecozones and the more localized ecodistricts.

Ecosystem processes
The engines that "drive" ecosystems.  They are usually associated with "natural" events that are needed to sustain ecosystems. Solar, geothermal, and chemical energy inputs drive the ecosystem and circulate abiotic and biotic materials. Biological diversity, landscape patterns and changes in the state of an ecosystem are the result of ecosystem processes. See the Ecosystem Processes Fact Sheet and Glossary for more information.

Ecozone
An area of the earth’s surface representative of large and very generalized units characterized by interactive and adjusting abiotic and biotic factors. In Canada, there are 20 ecozones: 15 terrestrial ecozones, and 5 marine ecozones. See the Ecozone Fact Sheets for descriptions of the terrestrial ecozones.

Endangered species
A species of plant or animal threatened with extinction or imminent extirpation.

Environment
Circumstances, objects or conditions by which organisms or communities survive.

Environmental impact
Effects on any natural or cultural resource that result from human use.

Erosion
The removal and transport of material from the surface of the earth via wind, water or ice.

Evolution
The process by which species change over time.

Exotic species
See Non-native species.

Extinct species
A species that no longer exists anywhere, such as the dinosaur.

Extinction
The disappearance of a species from all or part of its geographic range.

Extirpated species
A local species of plant or animal that no longer exists in its natural region but still exists elsewhere.

F
Food chain
A sequence of organisms, each of which uses the next, lower member of the sequence as a food source.

Food web
A complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding interactions.

G
Genetic diversity
The total genetic variation within a species population.

H
Habitat
The area in which an animal, plant or microorganism lives and finds food, water, shelter, living space and the other essentials it needs to survive.

Herbivore
A plant-eating organism.

I
Invasive species
Non-native species that enter an ecosystem and alter it by out-competing native species for food and space.

K
Keystone species
Species that, by virtue of their nature or behavior, have an effect on an ecosystem function that is disproportionate to their abundance within the ecosystem. A species, such as the beaver, that affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its community.

L
Landscape diversity
The total variation in habitat types within a given area, including abiotic and biotic components.

Local ecological knowledge
See Naturalized knowledge.

M
Migration
The periodic movement from one region to another, usually for purposes of feeding or breeding.

N
National park
A relatively large area containing representative examples of major natural regions, features, or scenery of national or international significance. National park ecosystems are not heavily altered by humans and are protected by the federal government.

National Park Management Plan
A plan containing a statement of park purpose and objectives that reflects the role of the specific park in the national parks system, and in the natural region in which it is located. The plan provides the framework for further detailed sub-plans concerning ecosystem management, interpretation, human use and visitor risk management.

Native species
Species that naturally occur in a local ecosystem. They have been present in that ecosystem for many decades and originally arrived by normal processes of dispersal and colonization.

Natural resources
Any part of the environment on which species depend for their survival.

Natural selection
The process by which some genes and gene combinations in a species population are reproduced more than others when the population is exposed to an environmental change or stress.

Naturalized knowledge
Knowledge that is based on the traditional uses, cultures, values, and experiences of Aboriginal people and others who have strong attachments to local places. Also known as local ecological knowledge.

Naturalized species
A non-native species that has become so well-established in a local ecosystem that it would be impossible to eliminate.

Niche
Within a habitat, a special area with special conditions that supplies a species with factors necessary for its survival. A beaver dam is one example.

Non-native (exotic) species
Species that did not occur naturally within the local ecosystem until relatively modern times. Their arrival within the ecosystem was facilitated by modern human activities and/or development.

Nutrient cycles
The processes by which nutrients are transferred from one organism to another.

O
Old-growth forest
Uncut, virgin forest containing massive trees that are often hundreds of years old.

Omnivore
An animal organism that can use both plants and animals as food sources. 

Organism
Any form of life.

P
Photosynthesis
A complex process that takes place in the cells of green plants. Radiant energy from the sun is used to combine carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O) to produce oxygen and carbohydrates.

Population
A group of individual organisms of the same species living within a particular area.

Precautionary approach
A cost-effective and prudent measure, incorporating future courses of action, to reduce or avoid risk to the ecosystem and to people’s interests that explicitly takes into account existing uncertainties (i.e., lack of full scientific certainty) and the potential consequences of being wrong.

Precautionary principle
Where there is a threat of reduction or loss of biological diversity or other irreversible environmental impacts, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid such threats. The precautionary principle can also apply where there is a threat of reduction or loss in the socio-economic domain. See the Precautionary Principle Fact Sheet for more information.

Predation
A type of interaction between organisms in which one organism hunts another for food.

Preservation
The act of protecting a natural or cultural resource against eventual damage by means of controlling human activity or natural phenomena.

Prey
The food source for predators.

Producer
An organism that uses solar energy (green plant or microbe) or chemical energy (some bacteria) to manufacture its own food from inorganic nutrients.

R
Rare species
A native species of plant or animal that exists in low numbers or in isolated areas.

Resilience
The ability of an ecosystem or organism to recover its integrity after being affected by a change to its natural rhythm or equilibrium.

S
Scavengers
Species, such as crows or seagulls, that feed on dead or decaying organisms.

Species
Plants, animals or microorganisms that are so similar that they can have offspring together.

Species diversity
Variations in the types of species and the number of individuals within each species in a particular ecosystem or landscape.

Steward
Individuals or organizations that are custodians of the environment and are knowledgeable and committed to conserving biodiversity, to wisely using natural resources and to maintaining or improving soil, water and air quality. Simply stated, stewards use environmental resources without limiting the opportunities for future generations.

Stewardship
Stewardship refers to the wide range of actions and activities of individuals, communities, groups and organizations, acting alone or in partnership, to promote, monitor and conserve biodiversity, to develop and use all natural resources in a sustainable manner, and to maintain the ecosystems on which life depends. In the Canadian context, it can be defined as: "An ethic by which Canadians care for our land, water and air as parts of a natural life-support system and act to sustain and enhance it for generations to come."

Sustainable development
The concept and practice of development that ensures that use of a resource or environment does not degrade its usefulness for future generations.

Other definitions (for National Parks Odyssey lesson):
"The subset of tourism, which maintains tourism in a destination while preserving the assets on which the tourism is based. Sustainability is usually considered to contain ecological, socio-cultural, and economic components." (Consulting and Audit Canada, 2003).

Sustainable tourism is a concept that has developed in part due to two international documents: “Our Common Future” (also known as Brundtland Report, published by the World Commission on Environment and Development, in 1987) and “Agenda 21” (a plan of action for the travel and tourism industry adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit). The Brundtland Report specifies that sustainable development must meet today's needs without compromising the needs of future generations, while Agenda 21 cites tourism as a means to diversify the economy and generate employment.

Agenda 21 defines sustainable tourism products as "products which operate in harmony with local environment, community, and cultures, so that these become permanent beneficiaries." (United Nations, 1995)

Sustainable use
Using a natural resource responsibly, so that it will still be available in the future. For example, making sure that new trees grow in areas where older ones have been cut down.

Symbiosis
The relationship between two different species of organisms that are interdependent.

T
Threatened species
A native species of plant, animal or other organism that is likely to become endangered in its natural region if steps are not taken to protect it.

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)
TEK is a cumulative body of knowledge that is handed down through generations. Like science, TEK is based on observation and views nature as a system of relationships between organisms and their environment. In the Parks Canada context, TEK refers to Aboriginal knowledge. ( Outside of Parks Canada , it can also refer, for example, to the knowledge of local fishers who have fished in an area for generations). Examples of TEK include: knowledge of the location and timing of wildlife migration routes and habitat, ice conditions and berry patches.

W
Weathering
The process by which rock is broken down into smaller, more movable pieces.

Wildlife
Plants or animals not cultivated or domesticated by humans.

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