Glossary
Biodiversity
The variety and essential interdependence of all living things; it
includes the variety of living organisms, the genetic differences among
them, the communities and ecosystems in which they occur, and the ecological
and evolutionary processes that keep them functioning.
Biomass
The weight or quantity of living material within a specified area or
category. Carrying Capacity The number of individuals of a species that
the resources of a given habitat can support.
Corridor
A route that allows movement of individuals or taxa from one region
or place to another.
Disturbance
An event ‹ such as fire, flood, storms, or human-habitat alteration
such as plowing or logging ‹ that causes a significant change from the
normal pattern in an ecological system.
Disturbance Regime
The intensity, frequency and type of disturbances (such as fire, drought
or flood) that characterize an ecosystem. The pattern of natural disturbance
determines in part the biological diversity of a region.
Ecosystem
A community of organisms and their physical environment interacting
as an ecological unit.
Endangered
Species or other taxa that are in danger of extinction. It also is
a category that denotes protection under federal law (Endangered Species
Act).
Extinction
The disappearance of a species or other taxon from the world.
Extirpation
The loss of a species from a particular region or locality.
Fragmentation
The subdivision of a habitat into isolated patches.
Guild
A group of species with similar ecological resource requirements and
foraging strategies and therefore similar roles in the community.
Habitat
The natural home of an animal or plant.
Landscape
A heterogeneous land area composed of a cluster of interacting ecosystem
types (e.g. an agricultural landscape could include fields, hedgerows,
woods, ponds, and farmyards). Landscapes are usually larger than several
square kilometers in size.
Natural Resource
The organic (living) and inorganic (nonliving) elements of an ecosystem
available for use.
New Urbanism
A movement promoting the development of livable communities. It is
characterized by "compact, walkable neighborhoods and/or districts"
in which a diverse mix of activities residences, shops, schools, workplaces
and parks, etc. occurs.
Non-renewable Natural Resource
A resource of which there is a fixed supply (such as oil or copper).
Open Space
Used to describe undeveloped land or land that is used for recreation.
Farmland as well as all natural habitats (forests, fields, wetlands
etc.) are lumped in this category.
Population
All of the individuals of a species living in the same place at the
same time.
Renewable Natural Resource
A resource that cannot be depleted (e.g. energy from wind powered turbines;
water).
Riparian
The area around a stream, river, creek, or any other waterway.
Smart Growth Planned
Growth that is more town-centered, transit and pedestrian oriented,
and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also
works to preserve open space.
Species
A group of organisms, capable of interbreeding with one another, that
shares common traits and common descent. Species are the fundamental
units of biodiversity.
Sprawl
Dispersed development outside compact urban and village centers along
highways and in rural countryside. It is characterized by commercial-strip
development; low-density residential developments; and scattered, isolated
developments that leapfrog over the landscape.
Threatened
Refers to species that are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable
future.
Viable
Refers to populations of plants or animals that contain an adequate
number of individuals appropriately distributed to ensure a high probability
of long term survival without significant human intervention.
Watershed
The area drained by a river or stream and its tributaries.
Bibliography
Bibliography Arendt, R. 1999. Growing Greener: Putting
Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances. Washington, D.C.:
Island Press.
American Farmland Trust. 1997. Saving American Farmland:
What Works. Northampton: AFT
Beaumont, Constance E., editor. 1999. Challenging
Sprawl: Organizational Responses to a National Problem. Washington
D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Benfield, F. Kaid, Matthew D. Raimi, and Donald D.T.
Chen. 1999. Once There Were Greenfields: How Urban Sprawl Is Undermining
America¹s Environment, Economy and Social Fabric. Washington, D.C.:
Natural Resources Defense Council.
Bollier, David. 1998. How Smart Growth Can Stop Sprawl:
A Fledgling Citizen Movement Expands. Washington, D.C.: Essential
Books.
Cowan, Stuart, and Sim Van Der Ryn. 1996. Ecological
Design. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Daniels, Tom. 1999. When City and Country Collide:
Managing Growth in the Metropolitan Fringe. Washington, D.C.: Island
Press.
Fodor, E.V. 1999. Better, Not Bigger: How to Take
Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community. New Society
Publications.
Forbes, Stephen, and Tony Kendle. 1997. Urban Nature
Conservation: Landscape Management in the Urban Countryside. London:
E & FN Spon.
Hourdequin, M. ed. "Special Section: Ecological Effects
of Roads," Conservation Biology. Vol, 14, 2000.
Kunstler, James Howard. 1993. The Geography of Nowhere:
the Rise and Decline of America¹s Man-Made Landscape. New York:
Simon and Schuster.
Kunstler, James Howard. 1996. Home from Nowhere:
Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century. New York: Simon
and Schuster.
Lassila, Kathrin Day. "The New Suburbanites," The
Amicus Journal. New York: Natural Resources Defense Council. Vol.
21, no. 2: Summer 1999.
Life. Nature. The Public. Making the Connection:
A Biodiversity Communications Handbook. 1999. Madison, Wisconsin:
The Biodiversity Project.
McHarg, I.L. 1969. Design with Nature. Garden
City: Garden City Press.
Peck, Sheila. 1998. Planning for Biodiversity: Issues
and Examples. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Platt, Rutherford H., Rowan A. Rowntree, and Pamela
C. Muick, editors. 1994. The Ecological City: Preserving and Restoring
Urban Biodiversity. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.
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Who Pays for Sprawl? The Economic, Social and Environmental
Impacts of Sprawl Development. April 1998. Prepared by Redman/Johnson
Associates, Ltd. On behalf of The Chesapeake Bay Program. Printed by
the US EPA.
Links To On-Line Resources
American Planning Association ‹ Growing Smart Initiative
http://www.planning.org/plnginfo/GROWSMAR/gsindex.html
Environmental Protection Agency's Antidotes to Sprawl
http://www.epa.gov/region5/sprawl/
Institute for Ecological Economics
http://iee.umces.edu/
Rocky Mountain Institute (for information about green
development and sustainable development)
http://www.rmi.org/
Sierra Club Sprawl Index
http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/
Smart Growth Network
http://www.smartgrowth.org
Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse
http://www.sprawlwatch.org
Sustainable Communities Network
http://www.sustainable.org
The Biodiversity Project
http://www.biodiversityproject.org/
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