A Synthesis of the Biodiversity/Resilience/ Stability Relationship in Forest Ecosystems FOREST RESILIENCE, BIODIVERSITY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE A Synthesis of the Biodiversity/Resilience/Stability Relationship in Forest Ecosystems

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the copyright holders concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This publication may be reproduced for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holders, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. Glossary Term Definition Source Adaptation Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. UNFCCC Adaptive capacity The ultimate source of adaptive capacity in an ecosystem is the genetic diversity within the populations of its component Biodiversity or biological diversity The variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial , marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, among species, and of ecosystems. Biome A regional ecosystem with a distinct assemblage of vegetation, animals, microbes, and physical environment often reflecting a certain climate and soil Helms 1998 Carbon se-questration The process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoir. UNFCCC Deforestation The direct human-induced conversion of forested land to non-forested land. UNFCCC-Marrakech Accords Ecological resilience The ability of a system to absorb impacts before a threshold is reached where the system changes into a different state. Gunderson 2000 Ecosystem A community of all plants and animals and their physical environment, functioning together as an interdependent unit. Helms 1998 Ecosystem A dynamic complex of plant, animal and microorganism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. CBD Ecosystem Services (also ecosystem goods and services) The benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provision-Engineering resilience The capacity of a system to return to its pre-disturbance state Gunderson 2000 Forest Degradation Changes within the forest which negatively affect the structure or function of the stand or site, and thereby lower the capacity to supply products and/or services FAO 2001 Forest Degradation A degraded forest is a secondary forest that has lost, through human activities, the structure, function, species composition or productivity normally associated with a natural forest type expected on that site. Hence, a degraded forest delivers a reduced supply of goods and services from the given site and maintains only limited biological diversity. Biological …