Cold environments

• biodiversity: variety of life in the world or particular habitat
• fragile environment: An environment that is both easily disturbed and difficult to restore if disturbed
• plant communities in harsh environments have evolved in highly specialised ways to deal with challenging conditions. As a result, they cannot tolerate environmental changes
• infrastrucure: basic equipment and structures that are needed for a country or region to function properly.
• mineral extraction: process of extracting commercially viable minerals from the Earth
• Permafrost: permanently frozen ground, found in polar and tundra regions. In some regions, the top layer thaws during summer months. This is called the active layer.
• polar: regions of earth surrounding the north and south poles.
• Tundra: the flat, treeless arctic regions of Europe, Asia and N America, where the ground is permanently frozen. Lichen, moss, grasses and shrubs can grow here
• wilderness area: a natural environment that has not been significantly modified by human activity.