The State of Canada's Environment — 1996

Glossary of Selected Terms - I

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Sources for definitions

ice age: A cooling of the global temperature by about 5°C below present values can maintain ice sheets over mid- to high-latitude continental surfaces. This has occurred on several occasions over the past 2 million years. Ice ages are separated by interglacial periods, such as the present Holocene period, which has lasted 10 000 years (Environment Canada 1995).

ice core: In climate change detection studies, cores are extracted from deep drill holes in Kalaallit Nunaat (formerly Greenland) and Antarctic ice sheets and include ice layers up to 200 000 years old, as dated by radiocarbon techniques. Included in the ice are traces of metals and atmospheric gases that have been analyzed to show historic temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations over time (Environment Canada 1995).

imports of goods and services: Current payments for imports of merchandise, travel expenditures of Canadians abroad, freight and shipping charges incurred by Canada on foreign accounts, and other payments for services rendered by nonresidents (Statistics Canada 1994). See also exports of goods and services and balance of trade in goods and services.

indicator: A statistic or parameter measure that, tracked over time, provides information on trends in the condition of a phenomenon and has significance extending beyond that associated with the properties of the statistic itself (Kerr 1995). See also environmental indicator.

indicator species: An organism whose presence or absence suggests that certain ecological conditions prevail. An indicator species can be used to monitor how much of a factor is present and how an ecosystem is responding to stresses and changes (Natural Resources Canada 1994).

indigenous ecological and environmental knowledge: Through a traditional way of life over many generations, Indigenous people in Canada and elsewhere have developed an in-depth knowledge of the ecosystems in which they live. As hunters, they occupy the same ecosystems as their prey, and accurate observations and interpretations about wildlife behaviour and the land can make the difference between hunting success and failure or between life and death. Aside from hunting, Indigenous people have traditionally spent hours observing and then discussing animals, plants, weather, and other aspects of the ecosystems that they share with wildlife. Lessons were learned, and the knowledge base became fine-tuned through direct experience of a subsistence lifestyle (Environment Canada 1994). See also traditional ecological knowledge.

industrial ecology: The network of all industrial processes as they may interact and live off each other, not only in the economic sense, but also in the sense of direct use of each other's material and energy wastes (Ausubel 1992). As in the more traditional use of the term ecology, this term recognizes that there is a constant flow of energy and recycling of matter. There is in reality no such thing as waste - one industry's by-product becomes the raw material for another. Industrial ecology is an attempt to mimic the structure and function of ecosystems in the organization of industrial production. Putting this another way, the premise of industrial ecology is that the industrial economy - which includes raw materials extraction, manufacturing processes, product use, and waste disposal - should, as far as possible, imitate the cycling of materials and energy as it occurs in a natural ecosystem.

infrastructure: Physical structures that form the foundation for development (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs 1994). Infrastructure includes sewage and water works; waste management systems; electric power, communications, transit, and transportation corridors and facilities; and oil and gas pipelines and associated facilities.

inorganic compounds: Compounds not containing a combination of carbon/hydrogen/oxygen as in living things. See also organic compounds.

inorganic matter: Matter other than plant or animal. See also organic matter.

in situ conditions: Conditions where genetic resources exist within ecosystems and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties (adapted from Federal-Provincial-Territorial Biodiversity Working Group 1995).

in situ conservation: The conservation of ecosystems and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their typical surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive characteristics (adapted from Federal-Provincial-Territorial Biodiversity Working Group 1995). See also ex situ conservation.

integrated pest management: A broadly based method that uses all suitable control measures to reduce pest-related losses to an acceptable level with the goal of respecting biodiversity and reducing risks to ecosystems and human health (adapted from Pest Management Alternatives Office 1995). The ingredients of an integrated pest management program include:

integrated resource management: The use of an ecosystem approach to the management of two or more resources in the same general area; commonly includes water, soil, timber, range, fish and other wildlife, and recreation (Forestry Canada 1989).

intergovernmental panel on climate change (ipcc): A global climate change study group organized jointly by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988 to bring together leading scientists from over 30 countries (Environment Canada 1995).

intrinsic value: The worth of an entity independent from external circumstances or its value to humans; value judged on inherent qualities of an entity rather than value to other entities (Meffe et al. 1994).

introduced: See alien.

invasive: Refers to a species that has moved into an area and reproduced so aggressively that it has replaced some of the original species (Environment Canada 1993). Examples include Purple Loosestrife and European Starling.