A measure of the influence a factor (such as greenhouse gases) has on altering the balance of incoming and outgoing energy in the Earth–atmosphere system. Warming of climate is a response to positive radiative forcing, while cooling is a response to negative radiative forcing.
Influx of new members into a population or habitat by reproduction, immigration or settlement. In fisheries management, recruitment represents influx into the fishable part of the stock of a target species.
A point against which to compare past, present and future ecosystem condition for use as a standard, and to measure relative change over time.
A prescribed body corporate (PBC) nominated by native titleholders to represent them and manage their native title rights and interests once a determination that native title exists has been made. The PBC is entered onto the National Native Title Register as a registered native title body corporate.
Those ecosystem services resulting from the ability of ecosystems to regulate and maintain climate, hydrological and biochemical cycles, and a variety of biological processes in ranges that benefit individuals and society.
A method of obtaining information about properties of an object without coming into physical contact with that object (e.g. satellite and radar observations).
Resources that may be exploited indefinitely, provided the rate of exploitation does not exceed the rate of replacement, allowing stocks to rebuild (assuming no other significant disturbances). Renewable resources exploited faster than they can renew themselves may effectively become nonrenewable, such as when overharvesting drives species to extinction (UN 1997).
In environmental protection, comprehensiveness considered at a finer scale (i.e. Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, or IBRA, subregion). It recognises that the regional variability within ecosystems is sampled within the reserve system. One way to achieve this is to aim to represent each regional ecosystem within each IBRA subregion.
See also comprehensiveness.
Capacity of a system to experience shocks while retaining essentially the same function, structure and feedbacks, and therefore identity.
Related to riverbanks or lake shores.
Movement of water from the land into aquatic environments.