Definitions

• Abiotic: non-living things, e.g. water, soil, air, light & minerals.
• Biodiversity: a wide variety of different species.
• Biome: a global-scale ecosystem.
• Biotic: Living things, e.g. plants, animals, bacteria, fungus & protists.
• Deforestation: the cutting down of trees, often on a very large scale.
• Sustainability: meets the needs of the current population without compromising the needs of future generations.
• Ecosystem: a natural system made up of plants, animals & the environment.
• Decidious: Trees that loose their leaves, during the winter.
• Evergreen: Trees that keep their leaves, during the winter.
• Producer: provides energy for the consumer(s).
• Interdependant: reliant on eachother.
• Infrastructure: the needs of the country.
• Indigenous: have always been there.
• Leaching: nutrients being washed out of the soil.
• Agriculture: a cause of deforestation.
• Buttress: the roots that stabilise tall trees.
• Distribution: the spread of things.
• Opportunity: a chance.
• Challenge: something that requires effort.
• Wilderness environment: unspoilt & remote regions that haven't been significantly changed by people.
• Business park: an area of land full of many different businesses.
• De-industrialisation: the closing down of factories.
• Globalisation: making products in other countries.
• Post-industrial economy: an economy that replaces manufacturing with service industries (also known as tertiary industries).
• Primary industries: Involves extracting raw materials from the natural environment.
• Quaternary industries: consists of those industries providing information services, such as computing, ICT, & research/development.
• Science park: A group of scientific & technical knowledge companies in an area.
• Tertiary industries: involves the selling of services & skills.
• Secondary industries: those that take the raw material produced by the primary sector, processing them into manufactured goods.
• Footloose: a business that can locate anywhere.
• Brown field: a site that has been built on before.
• Green field: a site that has never been built on before.
• Balance of trade: the difference between exports & imports.
• Mechanisation: machines & technology replacing people in factories, e.g. car production.
• Globalisation: other countries producing cheaper goods, as labour costs are cheaper.
• Sustainability: using natural resources responsibly, meaning they can support both present & future generations.
• Rural: the country side/sparsely populated.
• Infrastructure: the countries needs, e.g. education, health & transport.
• Urban: built up.
• Green belt: protected land around cities where planning & building is restricted by planning law.