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GLOSSARY Included here are brief definitions of a few terms, mostly ecological or legal, that are not defined each time they occur in the text. Definitions of many other terms can be located by use of the Index. Abiotic. Non-living. Bargain sale. A purchase by a nonprofit at less than fair market value. Biomass. Quantity or weight of living material. Biosphere. The layer of the globe containing living organisms, also the Earth as an ecosystem. Biota. The species of plants, animals, and other organisms of an area. Build out. The situation in which development has occurred on all property where legally permissible. Said of a governmental unit. Building envelope. A designated portion of easement-protected property on which construction of a structure is permitted. Community. The organisms of a particular area, linked by interactions such as competition and mutualism. Conservation easement. A contract between a landowner and a conservation organization or agency by which the land’s conservation values are protected. Development. The conversion of open space to residential, commercial, or industrial use. Ecoregion. A large area of land or water showing some unity of landform, climate, and landscapes. Ecosystem. The organisms and physical features of an area considered as an integrated unit. Ecosystem services. Natural processes (of ecosystems) that benefit humans. Endemic. Occurring in a particular area and nowhere else. Exotic. Non-native; in the United States, said of an organism introduced since the beginning of European exploration. Fair market value. The price at which a willing buyer and a willing seller will do business. Fee simple. The type of land ownership in which the owner is entitled to enjoy the property for life and pass it without limitation to his heirs. Hydrology. The study of water on and below the surface of the Earth. In fee. Equivalent to “in fee simple.” Land trust. A nonprofit organization that as its primary or sole mission conserves land by direct land transactions. Land Trust Alliance (LTA). The national umbrella organization for land trusts. Landscape. In ecological terminology, a substantial piece of terrain, usually a few to thousands of square miles and comprising a mosaic of ecosystems. Mesic. Said of habitats of medium moisture relations, neither wet (hydric) nor dry (xeric). Mesophytic. Pertaining to situations where plants of medium moisture requirements occur. Neotropical. Occurring in or pertaining to the New World Tropics. New Urbanism. Planning that emphasizes walkable communities containing a mix of residential and commercial land uses. Nonprofit. An organization not seeking a profit and generally dedicated to good works; also used as an adjective. Preacquisition. Referring to land deals in which a land trust buys land with the expectation of reselling to a government agency. Preserve. Land owned by an organization or agency and maintained in a natural state protected from development. Private benefit. Action (prohibited for nonprofits) that transfers assets at less than fair market value to an individual or for-profit corporation. Real property. Land, including the surface, buildings, soil, vegetation, minerals, etc. Riparian. Pertaining to the banks of rivers. Smart Growth. Development that discourages sprawl by shifting public incentives to urban redevelopment and alternative transportation. Standing. The right of an individual or group to challenge in court the conduct of another person, group, or government agency. Succession. The natural process of replacement of one community by another. Taking. Government appropriation of private property without just compensation. Title. Ownership (usually of real property). 324 Glossary ...

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