Ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
Ecosystem services
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment distinguished supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural services that contribute to human wellbeing (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005a, b). These services are defined as:
Provisioning services
Goods obtained directly from ecosystems (e.g. food, medicine, timber, fibre, biofuel)
Regulating services
Benefits obtained from the regulation of natural processes (e.g. water filtration, waste decomposition, climate regulation, crop pollination, regulation of some human diseases)
Supporting services
Regulation of basic ecological functions and processes that are necessary for the provision of all other ecosystem services (e.g. nutrient cycling, photosynthesis and soil formation).
Cultural services
Psychological and emotional benefits gained from human relations with ecosystems (e.g. enriching recreational, aesthetic and spiritual experiences).
Global hectare (gha)
A productivity weighted area used to report both the biocapacity of the earth, and the demand on biocapacity (the Ecological Footprint). The global hectare is normalized to the area-weighted average productivity of biologically productive land and water in a given year. Because different land types have different productivity, a global hectare of, for example, cropland, would occupy a smaller physical area than the much less biologically productive pasture land, as more pasture would be needed to provide the same biocapacity as one hectare of cropland. Because world bioproductivity varies slightly from year to year, the value of a gha may change slightly from year to year (GFN 2012).
Human Development
Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. Enlarging people’s choices is achieved by expanding human capabilities and functioning. At all levels of development the three essential capabilities for human development are for people to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable and to have a decent standard of living. If these basic capabilities are not achieved, many choices are simply not available and many opportunities remain inaccessible. But the realm of human development goes further: essential areas of choice, highly valued by people, range from political, economic and social opportunities for being creative and productive to enjoying self-respect, empowerment and a sense of belonging to a community. The concept of human development is a holistic one putting people at the centre of all aspects of the development process. It has often been misconstrued and confused with the following concepts and approaches to development This definition is taken from the Human Development Report webpage and the latest report can be found here.
Campo Grande Ecological Footprint 2012 p.
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