Aquaculture
The farming of aquatic organisms like fish, shellfish, and seaweed in controlled water environments.
Glossary (including acronyms)
A (10)
Anoxic
Completely lacking oxygen.
Algal bloom
A rapid increase in the number of algae in a body of water, often making the water look green, red, or brown.
Aquaculture
The farming of fish, shellfish, or seaweed in the water.
Avermectins
Drugs used to treat animals for parasites such as worms and ticks.
Assemblage
A group of different species that are found together in one place.
Ancient tree
A tree that has reached a great age compared to others of the same species and has cultural, landscape or biodiversity value. Ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient.
Agroforestry
A way to manage land that combines trees and hedges with agriculture to provide environmental, economic and social benefits.
APIB
Area of particular importance for biodiversity
ACPIB
Area that could be of particular importance for biodiversity
B (15)
Biocides
A chemical substance or microorganism intended to destroy, deter, or control harmful organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, or other pests. They are commonly used in disinfectants, wood preservatives, and pest control products.
Bivalves
Aquatic molluscs defined by their soft bodies enclosed in a two-part hinged shell called valves.
Ballast water
Water that ships carry in internal tanks to provide stability and balance. Ships take on ballast water when they are empty of cargo and discharge it when they load cargo.
Biogenic
Produced by living organisms or biological processes.
Brackish
Water that’s a mix of fresh and salt water, often found where rivers meet the sea.
Bund
Artificial embankment along the riverbank to control the flow of water, prevent flooding, or facilitate irrigation.
Brash
Offcuts from hedge cutting and scrub management.
Biomass
The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.
Bycatch
Animals that are accidentally caught when people are fishing for something else.
Blue carbon
Carbon that is captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems.
C (7)
Crab tiling
A method used to catch and study shore crabs by placing flat tiles or stones on the beach.
Coastal squeeze
When coastal habitats, such as saltmarshes or mudflats, get trapped between rising sea levels and hard structures like sea walls or buildings.
Chitons
A chiton is a small sea creature that lives on rocks along the seashore.
Coppicing
A traditional way to manage woodland where trees are felled at their base from where new shoots will grow.
Carbon sequestration
The process of capturing and storing carbon.
Carbon residence time
(in years). The amount of time carbon is stored in rocks, the ocean, the atmosphere, plants, soil and fossil fuels.
CWS
County Wildlife Site
D (10)
Diatoms
A major group of unicellular algae found in oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Denitrification
Process where soil or water bacteria convert nitrates (a form of nitrogen) into nitrogen gas, which then returns to the atmosphere.
Dragonet
A small, brightly coloured fish that lives on the sea floor.
Domoic acid
A natural toxin made by certain types of algae in the ocean.
Diatom
A type of tiny algae that lives in water.
Desiccation
The drying out of plants, animals, or habitats, usually due to a lack of water or extreme heat.
Dune slack
Dips between sand dunes that often contain water.
DNPA
Dartmoor National Park Authority
DBRC
Devon Biodiversity Records Centre
Devon Special Species
Devon Species of Conservation Concern which have been ‘shortlisted’ as needing particular action or attention.
E (5)
Eutrophication
When too many nutrients (like those found in fertilisers or sewage) enter the water, causing lots of algae to grow.
Environmental Land Management
UK government schemes where farmers are paid to farm productively and in a way that benefits the environment.
Endemic
Describes a plant or animal that is native and restricted to a certain place.
ELM
Environmental land management
EA
Environment Agency
F (4)
Fouling algae
Types of algae that grow on surfaces like rocks, boats and fishing gear.
Fodder
Food, such as hay or silage, for cattle and other farm animals.
FiPL
Farming in Protected Landscapes
FSC
Forest Stewardship Council
G (2)
Ground truth
Factual, verified data collected through direct observation and measurement in the field.
Ghost netting
Fishing nets that have been lost or abandoned in the ocean.
H (4)
Haul-out
When seals leave the water and come onto land or rocks to rest, sleep or give birth.
Hybrid
A hybrid is created when a plant or animal is mixed (hybridised) with a plant or animal of a different variety or species.
Hatchling
A newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile or bird.
ha
Hectare: an area of 10,000 square metres, or 2.47 acres
I (5)
Intertidal
The area of the shore that is covered by water at high tide and exposed to air at low tide.
Invertebrate
An animal that doesn’t have a backbone, such as insects, spiders, worms, crabs and slugs.
Infiltration
The natural passage of rain into the soil where it falls.
Irreplaceable habitat
Irreplaceable habitat, if destroyed, is very difficult (or takes a significant time) to restore, recreate or replace because of its age, uniqueness, species diversity or rarity.
IUCN
International Union for Conservation of Nature
J (1)
JNCC
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
K (0)
L (2)
Levee
An embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river.
LUF
Land Use Framework
M (4)
MMO
Marine Management Organisation
Mean low water
The average height of the low tides at a particular place, measured over a long period of time.
Mixed woodland
Mixed woodlands include both conifers and broadleaved trees.
Microorganisms
An organism that can be seen only through a microscope.
N (5)
Nutrient cycling
The process of nutrients being moved around and reused in the sand by animals and other organisms.
Nutrient cycle
A continuous process where nutrients move from the physical environment to living organisms and back to the physical environment.
Newtake
A moorland field that has recently been cultivated.
Near threatened
A species likely to qualify for threatened category in the future, perhaps very quickly.
NERC
National Environment Research Council
O (1)
Ocean acidification
When the ocean becomes more acidic because it absorbs extra carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air.
P (8)
Photobiont
The photosynthetic partner in a lichen. This is usually a green alga or a cyanobacterium that produces food for the entire organism through photosynthesis (using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide).
Public goods
A commodity, product or service that’s available to all and that everyone can use repeatedly without reducing its availability to others, typically provided by a government and funded through taxes.
Priority habitats inventory
A dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of habitats designated under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006) as being of principal importance.
Pollarding
A way to prune trees and shrubs back to a trunk to keep them smaller than they would naturally grow and form a head of branches.
PTES
People’s Trust for Endangered Species
PHI
Priority Habitats Inventory
PAWS
Plantation on ancient woodland sites
PAS
Planning Advisory Service
Q (0)
R (3)
Relict
A survivor or remnant of something that was once widespread.
Riffle
A shallow part of a river where water flows quickly over rocks and stones.
Red book
(Also known as the red list). A list of the global conservation status and extinction risk of animal, fungus and plant species, managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
S (13)
Stools
The living stump or base of a tree or shrub that has been cut down to near ground level.
Scree
A mass of small or loose stones lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.
Sublittoral
The area of the sea just below the low tide mark.
Sediment
Small pieces of rock, sand, mud, or organic material that settle at the bottom of rivers, lakes, or the sea.
Sandeel
A small, slender fish that looks a bit like an eel.
Sediment turnover
The mixing and movement of sand by animals as they burrow and feed.
Stag headed oaks
An oak tree with dead branches protruding from the top of the tree. This gives the appearance of antlers, similar to those of a stag.
Substrate
A surface or material than an organism lives, grows or feeds on.
State of Nature Report
A report on the UK’s current biodiversity.
Silvopasture
A system that combines trees with grazing land.
T (4)
Turbidity
The amount of suspended particles carried in the water.
Tetrad
An area of land 2km x 2km square.
Temperate rainforest
Very damp, often ancient woodlands where mosses, lichens, liverworts and ferns grow in abundance, including on trees. Temperate rainforests are threatened and globally rare.
TCPA
Town and Country Planning Act
U (0)
V (3)
Volatilization
When a liquid or solid turns into a gas or vapour.
Veteran tree
A tree that has ancient features but is not as old as an ancient tree. Ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient.
Veterinisation
The process of damaging younger trees to give them the features of veteran trees and create habitats for a range of wildlife.
W (1)
Windthrow
Trees uprooted by wind.