3. Battle for the Biosphere Flashcards
Biodiversity
The number and variety of living species found in a specific area
Biofuels
Fuel sources derived from agricultural crops
Biome
A plant and animal community covering a large area of the Earth’s surface
Biosphere
The living part – plants and animals – of the Earth
CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – an international agreement
Managing the environment in order to preserve, protect or restore it
Conservation
The chopping down and removal of trees to clear an area of forest
Deforestation
The social, economic and environmental decline of an area(often through de-industrialisation)
Degradation
Gene Pool
The genetic material contained by a specific population of plants or animals
Goods
Produced items and materials, tangible items you could hold (e.g. wood, fruit, nuts)
Hydrological Cycle
The global stores of water and linking processes that connect them
Ramsar
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands
Services
Things that are provided by the biosphere which are not tangible. For example, the rainforest provides oxygen through photosynthesis, this is a service.
Sustainability
The idea that the current generation of people should not damage the environment in ways that will threaten future generations environment whilst still meeting their own needs.
Unable to be kept going at the same rate or level
Unsustainable
