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The background extinction rate is the rate at which species naturally go extinct over time. It's significant for conservationists as it provides a baseline for detecting the influence of human activities on species loss.

A flagship species is a species chosen to represent an environmental cause, such as an endangered species that is emblematic of an ecological region or a biodiversity conservation issue, often used to gain public support for conservation efforts.

Ecosystem services are benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, which include provisioning services like food and water; regulating services such as climate regulation; support services like nutrient cycling; and cultural services like recreation.

A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

Habitat fragmentation is the process by which habitat loss results in the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, more isolated remnants.

The minimum viable population (MVP) principle is the smallest possible size at which a biological species can exist without facing extinction from natural disasters or demographic, environmental, or genetic stochasticity over a given time frame.

Conservation genetics is the study of genetic variations that are relevant to the conservation of species, using the principles of genetics to preserve species diversity at the gene level.

Captive breeding is the process of breeding animals in controlled environments within well-defined settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, or other conservation facilities, often to replenish populations in the wild.

In situ conservation is the protection of species in their natural habitats, as opposed to ex situ conservation techniques. In situ methods include the establishment of reserves and protected areas.

The precautionary principle is the concept that precautionary measures should be taken when an activity raises threats of harm to the environment, wildlife, or human health, even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.

The 10% Rule in trophic efficiency indicates that during energy transfer in ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level, the rest being lost largely through metabolic processes as heat.

A wildlife corridor is a link of wildlife habitat, generally native vegetation, which joins two or more larger areas of similar wildlife habitat, allowing for migration, movement, and genetic exchange between populations.

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened with destruction. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must have at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics and it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat.

Invasive species are non-native organisms that spread widely in a new habitat, often outcompeting or displacing native species and disrupting ecosystem functions.

CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement aimed at ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Biomagnification is the process whereby certain harmful substances such as pesticides or heavy metals move up the food chain, work their way into rivers or lakes, and are absorbed by aquatic organisms, becoming more concentrated in the tissues of organisms at each level of the food chain.

Ecological restoration is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action.

A keystone species is one that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, often playing a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community.

An endemic species is a species that is found in a certain area and nowhere else in the world, often due to geographical isolation or specific habitat requirements.

The IUCN Red List is a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species, which uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies.

An ecological niche is the role and position an organism has in its environment; how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces.

Sustainable use is the exploitation of an organism, or a set of organisms, such that the activity does not lead to the long-term decline of the species, thereby maintaining the species' potential for meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

Ex situ conservation is the conservation of plant and animal species outside their natural habitats, as in zoos, botanical gardens, or seed banks, often employed when in situ conservation is insufficient or impossible.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it.

Rewilding is a conservation strategy focused on restoring and protecting natural processes and wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species.

A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. This often includes fishing restrictions to conserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

A conservation biologist works to understand the effects of biodiversity loss and find scientific methods to prevent species extinction, conserve habitats, and restore ecological communities.

The EDGE of Existence programme is an initiative that focuses on conservation of species with a high Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) status, which have a significant amount of unique evolutionary history.

Bycatch refers to the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species, which is a significant issue for the conservation of marine biodiversity.