This glossary defines the main terms used in the report.
It includes a number of the specialist technical terms used by the
conservation agencies. The glossary is not, however,
exhaustive. A selection of commonly used acronyms and
abbreviations are also included.
- ASSI:
- Area of Special Scientific Interest – the equivalent to SSSI in
Northern Ireland. http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/natural/designated/science_survey.shtml
http://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/
- A/SSSI:
- A generic term refering to either SSSI or ASSI sites.
- Attribute:
- A characteristic of a habitat, biotope, community or population
of a species which most economically provides an indication of the
condition of the interest feature to which it applies.
- Biodiversity broad habitats:
- A framework classification of habitats contained in
Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report (as amended by
the Targets Group) which can be used to describe the whole land
surface of the UK, and the surrounding sea to the edge of the
continental shelf in the Atlantic ocean.
- Condition categories:
- The generic term describing the categories used for judging and
reporting on the condition of an interest feature.
- Condition monitoring:
- Monitoring to determine the conservation state of interest
features on statutory sites and to determine whether the
conservation objectives for particular sites are being met.
- Conservation objective:
- A statement of the nature conservation aspirations for the
features of interest on a site, expressed in terms of the condition
that we wish to attain for each interest feature.
- Destroyed:
- Recording of the condition of an interest feature as destroyed
indicates that an entire interest feature has been affected to such
an extent that there is no hope of recovery, perhaps because its
supporting habitat or processes have been removed or irretrievably
altered.
- Favourable-maintained:
- An interest feature is recorded under the condition category
favourable-maintained when its conservation objectives were being
met at the previous assessment, and are still being met.
- Favourable-recovered:
- An interest feature can be recorded in the condition category
favourable recovered if it has regained 'favourable condition',
having been recorded as 'unfavourable' on the previous
assessment.
- Favourable condition:
- The target condition for an interest feature in terms of the
abundance, distribution and/or quality of that feature within a
site, that we aim the feature to attain, i.e. the conservation
objective for the feature is being met.
- Interest feature:
- A habitat, habitat matrix, geomorphological or geological
exposure, a species or species community or assemblage which is the
reason for notification of the site under the appropriate selection
guidelines or, in the case of Natura 2000 and Ramsar areas, the
features for which the site has been designated.
- Monitoring:
- Surveillance undertaken to ensure that formulated standards are
being achieved. The term is also applied to compliance
monitoring against accepted standards to ensure that agreed or
required measures are being followed.
- Monitoring Cycle:
- The period within which all designated sites and their interest
features will be monitored. Set as 6 years.
- Partially-destroyed:
- Where sections or areas of certain interest features are
destroyed or parts of sites are destroyed with no hope of
reinstatement because the interest feature itself, or habitat or
processes essential to support it, have been removed or
irretrievably altered. Such cases would be recorded under the
condition category partially-destroyed.
- Ramsar:
- Sites designated under the Convention for Wetlands of
International Importance, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971.
http://www.ramsar.org/
- Reporting categories:
- The generic term which refers to the categories that will be
used to report the results of common standards monitoring at the
GB/UK level.
- SAC:
- Special Area of Conservation. Sites designated for
species and habitats listed under the EU Habitats
Directive (92/43/EEC).
- SPA:
- Special Protection Area. Sites designated for birds
listed under the EU Birds Directive
(79/409/EEC).
- SSSI:
- Site of Special Scientific Interest – sites designated under
the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as
amended 1985, and superseded by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and the
Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act
(2004).
- Target:
- Statement to describe the state required from all of the
attributes of an interest feature under prevailing
conditions. Because all features are subject to some change
the targets may express how much change we would accept whilst
still considering the feature to be in favourable condition.
These will serve as a trigger mechanism so that when changes that
fall outside the thresholds expressed are observed or measured some
further investigation or remedial action is taken.
- Unfavourable-declining:
- Decline is another possible consequence of a damaging
activity. In this case, recovery is possible and may occur
either spontaneously or if suitable management input is made.
This condition category can be recorded more than once for a
particular interest feature in relation to a single damaging
activity.
- Unfavourable-no-change:
- An interest feature may be retained in a more-or-less steady
state by repeated or continuing damage; it is unfavourable but
neither declining or recovering. In rare cases, an interest
feature might not be able to regain its original condition
following a damaging activity, but a new, stable state might be
achieved.
- Unfavourable-recovering:
- An interest feature can be recorded under the condition
category recovering after damage if it has begun to show, or is
continuing to show, a trend towards favourable condition.
This category can be recorded more than once for a particular
feature in relation to a single damaging activity.