Conservation Science Glossary

An iterative decision-making process that monitors outcomes and adjusts strategies based on what is learned.

The total variety of life, encompassing genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

A biogeographic region with significant endemic species that has lost most of its original natural habitat.

The controlled reproduction of endangered species in facilities like zoos to increase population size for potential reintroduction.

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely given available resources.

Conservation approaches that engage local communities as partners and stakeholders in managing natural resources.

The application of genetics to preserve species as dynamic entities capable of coping with environmental change.

A strip of habitat connecting otherwise isolated patches, facilitating wildlife movement and gene flow.

A measure of the biologically productive area required to sustain a population's consumption and absorb its waste.

The direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems provide to humans, including clean water, pollination, and climate regulation.

Altered environmental conditions and species composition at the boundary between two different habitat types.

A species found exclusively in a particular geographic area and nowhere else in the world.

Genetic material released by organisms into the environment, used for non-invasive species detection.

The future extinction of species due to past habitat loss that has not yet fully manifested in current species counts.

A charismatic species used to raise public awareness and funding for broader conservation efforts.

The transfer of genetic material between populations through dispersal and reproduction, maintaining genetic diversity.

The division of continuous habitat into smaller, isolated patches by human activities.

Reduced biological fitness in a population due to mating between closely related individuals.

A non-native organism whose introduction causes ecological or economic harm in the new environment.

The global standard for assessing species extinction risk, maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

A species with a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem relative to its abundance.

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species connected by dispersal.

A clearly defined geographical space managed through legal or other effective means for long-term conservation of nature.

Restoring natural processes and reintroducing keystone species to enable ecosystems to self-regulate.

Indirect ecological effects that ripple through a food web following the addition or removal of top predators.