Unit 5 Flashcards
The tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted if it is not regulated in some way
Tragedy of the commons
The cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service or otherwise accounted for
Externality
The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource
Maximum sustainable yield (MSY)
The belief that people should maximize use of resources, based on the greatest good for everyone
Resource conservation ethic
A U.S. classification used to designate lands that may be used for recreation, grazing, timber harvesting, and mineral extraction
Multiple-use lands
A dry open grassland primarily used for grazing cattle
Rangeland
Land dominated by trees and other woody vegetation and sometimes used for commercial logging
Forest
A method of harvesting trees that involves removing all or almost all of the trees within an area
Clear-cutting
The method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from the larger forest
Selective cutting
An approach to removing trees from forests in ways that do not unduly affect the viability of other noncommercial tree species
Ecologically sustainable forestry
A large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species
Tree plantation
A fire deliberately set under controlled conditions in order to reduce the accumulation of dead biomass on a forest floor
Prescribed burn
A federal public land managed for the primary purpose of protecting wildlife
National wildlife refuge
An area set aside with the intent of preserving a large tract of intact ecosystem or landscape
National wilderness area
A 1969 U.S. federal act that mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money or federal permits
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
A document outlining the scope and purpose of a development project, describing the environmental context, suggesting alternate approaches to the project, and analyzing the environmental impact of each alternative
Environmental impact statement (EIS)
A plan that outlines how a developer will address concerns raised by a project’s impact on the environment
Environmental mitigation plan
A 1973 U.S. act designed to protect species from extinction
Endangered species act
An area surrounding a metropolitan center, with a comparatively low population density
Suburb
An area similar to a suburb, but unconnected to any central city or densely populated area
Exurb
Urbanized areas that spread into rural areas, removing clear boundaries between the two
Urban sprawl
The degradation of the built and social environments of the city that often accompanies and accelerates migration to the suburbs
Urban blight
A U.S. federal fund that pays for the construction and maintenance of roads and highways
Highway trust fund
The phenomenon in which an increase in the supply of a good causes demand to grow
Induced demand
A planning tool used to separate industry and business from residential neighborhoods
Zoning
A zoning classification that allows retail and high-density residential development to coexist in the same area
Multi-use zoning
A set of principles for community planning that focuses on strategies to encourage the development of sustainable, healthy communities
Smart growth
A person or organization with an interest in a particular place or issue
Stakeholder
The feeling that an area has a distinct and meaningful character
Sense of place
Development that attempts to focus dense residential and retail development around stops for public transportation, a component of smart growth
Transit-oriented development (TOD)
Development that fills in vacant lots within existing communities rather than expanding into new land outside the city
Infill
A restriction on development outside a designated area
Urban growth boundary
The condition in which not enough calories are ingested to maintain health
Undernutrition
Having a diet that lacks the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals
Malnourished
A condition in which people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life
Food security
A condition in which people do not have adequate access to food
Food insecurity
The condition in which food insecurity is so extreme that large numbers of deaths occur in a given area over a relatively short period
Famine
A deficiency of iron
Anemia
Ingestion of too many calories and a lack of balance of foods and nutrients
Overnutrition
Livestock or poultry consumed as food
Meat
Agriculture that applies the techniques of mechanization and standardization to the production of food
Industrial agriculture/agribusiness
The fossil fuel energy and human energy input per calorie of food produced
Energy subsidy
A shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that included new management techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop varieties, that resulted in increased food output
Green Revolution
The observation that average costs of production fall as output increases
Economies of scale
A form of soil degradation that occurs when soil remains under water for prolonged periods
Waterlogging
A form of soil degradation that occurs when the small amounts of soil in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation
Salinization
Fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals
Organic fertilizer
Fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels
Synthetic/inorganic fertilizer
An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety
Monocropping
A substance, either natural or synthetic, that kills or controls organisms that people consider pests
Pesticide
A pesticide that targets species of insects and other invertebrates that consume crops
Insecticide
A pesticide that targets plant species that compete with crops
Herbicide
A pesticide that kills many different types of pest
Broad-spectrum pesticide
A pesticide that targets a narrow range of organisms
Selective/narrow-spectrum pesticide
A pesticide that remains in the environment for a long time
Persistent pesticide
A pesticide that breaks down rapidly, usually in weeks or months
Nonpersistent pesticide
A trait possessed by certain individuals that are exposed to a pesticide and survive
Pesticide resistance
A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development
Pesticide treadmill
A large indoor or outdoor structure designed for maximum output
Concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)
Farming aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweeds
Aquaculture
A commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region
Fishery
The decline of a fish population by 90 percent or more
Fishery collapse
The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing
Bycatch
An agricultural method in which land is cleared and used for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients
Shifting agriculture
A process where repeated trampling by humans, machinery, or animals causes a compaction of soil and a reduction in pore space
Soil compaction
The transformation of arable, productive land to desert or unproductive land due to climate change or destructive land use
Desertification
The feeding of herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances
Nomadic grazing
Agriculture that fulfills the need for food and fiber while enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing economic viability for the farmer
Sustainable agriculture
An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction
Intercropping
An agricultural technique in which crop species in a field are rotated from season to season
Crop rotation
An agricultural technique in which trees and vegetables are intercropped
Agroforestry
An agricultural technique in which plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land
Contour plowing
A plant that lives multiple years
Perennial plan
A plant that lives only one season
Annual
An agricultural; method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons as a means of reducing topsoil erosion
No-till agriculture
An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs
Integrated pest management (IPM)
