UNCCD Terminology

Keywords

Sustainable production

Glossary source
PRAIS

Sustainable production is production that is economically viable and does not degrade the environment over the long run.
See also: ‘Sustainable consumption’.
(Source: http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/)

Target

Glossary source
PRAIS

A quantitative value usually referring to international policy objectives. Often, the target has a time deadline that should be met. Targets express ‘desired situations’. Targets refer to various geographical levels: targets at country level (i.e. national targets) contribute to achieving the overall targets set at the global level.

Taxonomic group

Glossary source
PRAIS

A taxon with all its subordinate taxa and their individuals, for example the taxonomic group insect consists of all insects and their taxa.

Technical backstopping

Glossary source
PRAIS

Backstopping is used as a technical tool for project and programme consultancy, whereby it supports the development and transfer of new evidences and innovations. Based on research and practice it provides critical technical advisory support for process development, testing and implementation as well as their documentation and evaluation.

Temporal Resolution

Glossary source
PRAIS

The precision of a measurement with respect to time. Often there is a trade-off between temporal resolution of a measurement and its spatial resolution.

Tenure

Glossary source
PRAIS

Property rights. The right to specific uses of ecosystems and their services.
(Source: adapted from Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Current State & Trends Assessment Report. http://www.maweb.org/en/Condition.aspx)

The Adaption Fund

Glossary source
PRAIS

The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable and are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Fund is to be financed with a share of proceeds from clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities and receive funds from other sources. It is operated by the Adaptation Fund Board.

Time series

Glossary source
PRAIS

Data which facilitates analysis at more than one time (e.g. Daily, monthly, seasonal or annual time scales). The advantage of time series analysis is the increased amount of information that is obtainable compared with single date data acquisition.

UNCCD National Action Programmes (NAPs)

Glossary source
PRAIS

National action programmes (NAPs) are the key instruments to implement the Convention. They are often supported by action programmes at sub-regional (SRAP) and regional (RAP) levels. The NAPs are developed through a participatory approach involving various stakeholders, including relevant governmental offices, scientific institutions and local communities. They spell out the practical steps and measures to be taken to combat desertification in specific ecosystems.

Type of funding

Glossary source
PRAIS

The type of funding provided in support of a project, programme or initiative within the reporting period. Examples of funding types include grants, concessional loans, commercial loans, basket funding, sectoral support, debt swap, equity, etc.

UNCCD comprehensive communication strategy (CCS)

Glossary source
PRAIS

A coordinated plan of action aimed at supporting the implementation of the Convention by according land/soils the attention and priority they deserve in political and economic decisions at the local, national and international levels, in order to support the optimal deployment of The Strategy. It identifies communication goals, target audiences and planned activities.
http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/convention/css.pdf

Vector data

Glossary source
PRAIS

A representation of the world using points, lines and polygons. Vector models are useful for storing data that has discrete boundaries, such as country borders, land parcels and streets.
(Source: https://support.esri.com/en/other-resources/gis-dictionary/term/vector%…)

Vegetation Index

Glossary source
PRAIS

A mathematical combination or transformation of spectral bands that accentuates the spectral properties of green plants so that they appear distinct from other image features. Such as NDVI, EVI or FAPAR.

Venture philanthropy

Glossary source
PRAIS

A set of activities that includes collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, prevention of waste production, and modification and reuse/ recycling of waste.

Vulnerability

Glossary source
PRAIS

Vulnerability refers to conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards, such as drought. Hence, vulnerability is an inherent property of a system that exists independently of the external hazard, i.e. the same level of hazard may impose different consequences in different systems (communities, individuals, countries, regions) due to the distinct underlying vulnerabilities of the systems. In turn, vulnerability to the hazard and its impacts can be altered by the actions of society, such as land and water management practices, among others. For UNCCD reporting, three components of vulnerability are considered: social vulnerability, economic vulnerability and infrastructural vulnerability. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)’

Waste (water) management

Glossary source
PRAIS

A set of activities that includes collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, prevention of waste production, and modification and reuse/ recycling of waste.

Water bodies

Glossary source
PRAIS

For the purpose of UNCCD reporting, this land cover class includes any geographic area covered by inland water bodies with a water persistence of 12 months per year. In some cases the water can be frozen for part of the year (less than 10 months). This class refers to areas that are naturally or artificially covered by water, such as lakes and/or rivers. It includes areas that are covered by water due to the construction of artefacts such as reservoirs, canals, artificial lakes, etc. Without these, the area would not be covered by water. The class also includes coastal water bodies composed on the basis of geographical features in relation to the sea (lagoons and estuaries). Because the geographic extent of water bodies can change, boundaries must be set consistently with this class 7 according to the dominant situation during the year and/or across multiple years. It includes: i) Lakes, rivers and streams (natural/artificial, standing/flowing, inland/sea); ii) Artificial reservoirs; iii) Coastal lagoons; and iv) Estuaries.

Water harvesting

Glossary source
PRAIS

The collection and management of floodwater or rainwater run-off to increase water availability for domestic and agricultural use as well as ecosystem sustenance.

Watershed

Glossary source
PRAIS

A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel. The word watershed is sometimes used interchangeably with drainage basin or catchment. Ridges and hills that separate two watersheds are called the drainage divide. The watershed consists of surface water--lakes, streams, reservoirs, and wetlands--and all the underlying ground water

Wetland

Glossary source
PRAIS

For the purpose of UNCCD reporting, this land cover class includes any geographic areas that are transitional between pure terrestrial and aquatic systems, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. The vegetative cover is significantly influenced by water and dependent on flooding (e.g. marshes, swamps and aquatic beds). The class includes any area dominated by trees, shrubs or herbaceous vegetation (cover of 10% or more) that is seasonally or permanently flooded with inland fresh water or by salt and/or brackish water located in the coastal areas or in the deltas of rivers. It includes coastal mangroves. Flooding must persist for at least 2 months per year to be considered regular (water persistence from 2 to 12 months per year). Occasionally-flooded vegetation within a terrestrial environment is not included in this class. It includes: i) Inland marshes, ii) Peat bogs, and iii) Intertidal flats.