Glossary

Acid soils

soil with a pH <7 in a soil–water suspension; acid soils can occur as a consequence of both natural processes and management actions

Adaptive management

management approach using planning, action, monitoring and evaluation to provide a continuing source of knowledge about management actions and their effect

Algal bloom

a proliferation of microscopic algae in waterways, occurring when excessive amounts nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen enter waterways

Aquatic macroinvertebrates

aquatic animals that do not have a backbone but are large enough to be seen without magnification

Aquifer

porous underground rock layer that can store water (groundwater) and from which groundwater can be extracted

AUSRIVAS (Australian River Assessment System)

a rapid prediction system used to assess the biological health of Australian rivers from 1997 through to 2000

Baseline

the starting point from which to assess future measurements

Best practice

the most effective way to conduct an activity

Biodiversity

the variety of life – includes plants, animals and microorganisms, their genes and ecosystems

Bush

the forests, woodlands and grasslands that originally covered the ACT; includes soils, waterways and biodiversity

Canberra Plan (March 2004)

plan for the future of the ACT; includes spatial, social and economic aspects

Carbon economy

a way of gauging the amount of greenhouse gases produced by a community: a low carbon economy means that fewer gases are produced

Carbon sequestration

retaining and storing carbon in the landscape rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere (e.g. by retaining it in vegetation or the soil)

Carbon trading

a possible way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by creating a market for both the emissions and emissions reductions, through trading permits to emit greenhouse gases

Carp

large freshwater fish native to central Asia and considered a significant pest in Australian waters due to its invasive and destructive characteristics

Catchment

area of land that drains all rain falling on it to a single point; may be just one creek or river, or a larger catchment will consist of a number of subcatchments

Chlorophyll ‘a’

the green pigment found in plants; used as an indicator of abundance and biomass of phytoplankton in waterways and to measure water quality; levels vary with run-off, light and temperature

Climate change

change in long-term weather patterns probably caused by the increase in greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere; in the ACT is likely to manifest as increasing temperatures and frequency of heatwaves, decreased number of cold days and frosts, and altered rainfall patterns

Community (1)

a natural aggregate of different species living in the same environment that do not generally interact with species in other communities

Community (2)

the people who are part of the landscapes and who, even while they are the main source of pressure on other assets, also have capacity to reduce and repair damage

Conservation

protection, maintenance, management, sustainable use, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment

Conservation reserves

areas of land and water that have covenants placed on them to protect some or all aspects of their natural state

Decade of Landcare Program

Australian Government initiative (initially proposed by the National Farmers’ Federation and Australian Conservation Foundation and launched in 1989) to increase adoption of sustainable land management practices through self help and local community groups

Ecological community

all the interacting organisms living in a particular habitat

Ecological footprint

measure of resource use sustainability and pollution expressed as the total amount of land needed to support a community’s lifestyle (expressed in hectares per person/jurisdiction)

Ecosystem

system of organisms (including people) interacting with each other, the environment in which they live, and the physical, chemical and biological processes inherent in that interaction and the environment

Ecosystem health

desired ecosystem conditions; perception of health will vary depending on goals (e.g. production versus biodiversity)

Edge pressures

pressures that occur along the boundaries of developed areas – can include incursions of weeds, fire, damage from pets and vehicles

Endangered

a specific term adopted under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (ACT) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) for declaring that a species, population or ecological community is likely to become extinct or in immediate danger of extinction

Environmental flows

water released from dams to mimic the natural flow of a river; volumes generally consist of a base flow, smaller and larger floods, and special purpose flows; quality has comparable temperature and chemical characteristics to a natural flow

Erosion

loss of soil and other material from the landscape through natural or artificial processes

Fragmentation

division of remaining ‘bush’ into smaller areas often to the extent that they are not viable

Geology

structure and composition of the Earth

Grasslands

native vegetation dominated by grasses and herbs, and with less than 2% crown cover density; naturally include a huge variety of species; in natural grassland tree establishment is constrained by environmental factors such as temperature; derived grasslands occur when tree cover is removed; grasslands of the ACT and region have been cleared and replaced with exotic species or subject to intense grazing and weed invasion

Greenfield developments

new urban development on land that is either bush or farmland

Greenhouse gas

gases (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide) that potentially increase the temperature of the atmosphere (and Earth) by preventing loss of excess heat to space; greenhouse gases are emitted from some land uses and clearing, the energy sector, agricultural activities and forestry

Greenhouse gas (or carbon) offsets

a way to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions by paying others to undertake emission reduction programs

Greywater

waste water from washing machine, shower, bath or basin Gross pollutant traps traps placed across or in waterways to catchlarger rubbish particles (e.g. trash racks and concrete-lined pits into which water and rubbish flow)

Herbicides

chemicals used to kill plants

Hydrocarbon

oil-based product (e.g. oil, petrol, diesel) that forms a part of the pollutant load in rivers and streams

Hydrological connectivity

movement of water, plants and animals, and other material up or down a river, or across the floodplain; reservoirs and dams disrupt the natural flow

Hydrologic regime

water movement in a given area – includes rainfall, surface and groundwater flows, evaporation and transpiration

Integration

looking at the whole rather than the component parts

Intergenerational benefits

benefits that endure for succeeding generations of people

Key threatening process

a process that threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community

Land tenure

terms under which land is held (e.g. freehold, leasehold)

Land

the substrate on which communities (natural and built) are supported

Landscape function

ability of a landscape to use and conserve water and nutrients

Leasehold

land tenure where land is occupied under a lease agreement with a state or territory government – all land in the ACT is leasehold

Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and implementation (MERI)

a logical way of approaching assessment of natural resources using program logic

Murray–Darling Basin

one of Australia’s largest catchments; important for its biodiversity, rural production and water

Murrumbidgee catchment

land and waterways draining into the Murrumbidgee River (occupies 84 000 square kilometres)

NAIDOC week

a celebration of history culture and achievements of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

National Capital Plan (1990)

sets out land-use policies for special areas in the ACT, including open spaces such as Lake Burley Griffin and river corridors, and the hills, ridges and bushland; also provides an overall planning framework

National Reserve System

a network of protected areas across Australia that conserves examples of natural landscapes, and native plants and animals for future generations; includes national parks, Indigenous lands, reserves run by not-for-profit conservation organisations, and ecosystems protected by landowners on private properties

Natural Heritage Trust (terminated in 2008)

Australian Government organisation set up to help restore and conserve Australia’s environment and natural resources; provided funding for environmental activities at community, regional, state/territory and national levels

Natural resources management

management of land, water and biodiversity

Naturalised (plants and animals)

plants and animals not naturally found in an area but now accepted as part of the natural environment

Non-renewable energy

energy (gas/electricity) that comes from nonrenewable sources such as oil, gas or coal rather than renewable sources such as the sun or wind

Permeability of soil

ability of soil to allow moisture to enter

Pesticides

chemicals used to kill animals (usually invertebrates) and plants

pH

measure of acidity and alkalinity using a scale of 1 to 14 (7 is neutral; <7 indicates acidity; >7 indicates alkalinity); soil pH occurs typically between 3.5 and 8.5

Point source pollution

pollution that originates from a single defined point (e.g. a building site) rather than from a larger area (e.g. run-off from roads)

Pollutants

material that would not normally be found in a particular place – in waterways pollutants can be gross, fine or nutrient

Pressures

in state of environment reporting, causes of decline arising from human activity

Program logic

systematic, visual way to present a planned program with its underlying assumptions and theoretical framework

Recharge

rainfall that drains through the soil, beyond the roots of plants into the groundwater; recharge areas where water can enter and move downward to the groundwater are usually permeable in the upper slopes and are often on shallow soils

Resilience

ability to maintain a healthy state under adverse conditions, or to recover from these conditions

Revegetation

planting of native plants in areas that have been cleared or highly modified

Riparian zone

area between land and water along waterways; plants growing in the riparian zone provide a range of ecosystem services including filtering pollutants, stabilising stream banks and providing animal habitat

Run-off

rainfall not immediately absorbed by the soil and thus able to flow across the surface to waterways; also water flowing into waterways after evaporation and transpiration have occurred; includes water that soaks into the earth and is available as groundwater. Surface run-off does not include groundwater

Salinisation

process that causes soluble salts to accumulate in the soil due to a change in the water balance; may be natural or anthropogenic; salinity caused by people generally occurs
when rising watertables mobilise salt in the soil

Sediment

small particles mainly of sand, silt, rock and plant material that have been transported by water and deposited or settled out of suspension

Sedimentary rocks

rock formed by compaction of sediments

SMART (targets)

natural resource planning targets developed to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound to maximise success rates

Soil fertility

ability of a soil to supply the nutrients essential to plant growth

Soil organic matter

organic content of the soil; does not include undecayed plant and animal residues

Species

group of organisms that are biologically capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring

Territory Plan

provides the policy framework for administrative planning, and directs management of land-use change and development so that it is consistent with strategic directions set by the government and community of the ACT

Threatening processes

limiting factors that threaten, or may threaten, the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community

Triple bottom line

a way of measuring or reporting success using social, economic and environmental indicators

Urban footprint

area of land that the urban infrastructure occupies (distinct from the ecological footprint)

Utility easements

area to be kept free of obstructions on either side of above or below ground infrastructure (e.g. power lines, waste water pipes)

Vulnerable

a specific term adopted under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (ACT) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) for declaration of species, population or ecological community that is likely to become endangered

Water-sensitive urban design

development of urban areas so that changes imposed on the natural water cycle are minimised

Waterway

any flowing or dry stream, river or watercourse (includes artificial canals and channels)

Weathering

decomposition of rocks that eventually results in formation of soil

Weeds

plants that require some action to reduce their economic, environmental or social impact; many are invasive; can be native or non-native

Weed of national significance

weeds identified because of their invasiveness, socioeconomic and environmental impact, and their potential to spread

Woodlands

scattered trees with 10 – 30 % projective foliage cover (crown density of 20 – 50%); open woodland has less than 10% projective foliage

Y Plan

plan for general layout of freeway-linked town centres based on the shape of the letter ‘Y’ – Tuggeranong is located at its base, Belconnen and Gungahlin are at the ends of its arms