GLOSSARY

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It refers to the use by humans of timber and non-timber resources derived from wild flora and forest plantations.

It refers to the harvesting of forest products and encompasses the entire process from harvesting through to processing.

The area in which the significant environmental impacts caused by the implementation of a project, construction, or activity are objectively manifested and, to the extent possible, quantifiable, affecting the abiotic, biotic, and socioeconomic environments, across each of the components of those environments. Because the areas of impact may vary depending on the component being analyzed, the area of influence may correspond to several distinct polygons that intersect with one another.

A geographically defined area that has been designated, regulated, and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives.

Sub-springs and those hidden beneath the ground or seabed that flow naturally, such as springs and water sources tapped at the point of emergence, or those that require infrastructure such as wells, filtration tunnels, or similar structures to be brought to the surface.

A latent risk that a physical event—whether of natural origin or caused or induced by human action, whether accidental or intentional—will occur with sufficient severity to result in loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, as well as damage to and loss of property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service delivery, and environmental resources.

It is the fluid that makes up Earth's atmosphere, consisting of a gaseous mixture containing, at a minimum, twenty percent (20%) oxygen, seventy-seven percent (77%) nitrogen, and varying proportions of inert gases and water vapor, by volume.

It refers to the use by humans of timber and non-timber resources derived from wild flora and forest plantations

A watershed is defined as the area of surface or groundwater that flows into a natural hydrological system comprising one or more natural watercourses—with either continuous or intermittent flow—that converge into a larger watercourse, which in turn may flow into a major river, a natural body of water, a reservoir, or directly into the sea.

It is the product of the average mass concentration of a substance and the average volumetric flow rate of the liquid containing it, as determined at the same location; in the case of a spill, it is expressed in kilograms per day (kg/d).

A natural or artificial system located on the Earth's surface, consisting of physical and biotic elements and bodies or volumes of water, whether standing or flowing.

It is the phenomenon of the accumulation or concentration of pollutants in the air.

These are physical phenomena, substances, or elements in solid, liquid, or gaseous form that cause adverse effects on the environment, renewable natural resources, and human health; they are emitted into the air—either alone, in combination, or as reaction products—as a result of human activities, natural causes, or a combination of both.

A level of biodiversity that refers to a group of populations whose individuals currently or potentially interbreed to produce fertile offspring and that are reproductively isolated from other groups.

A level of biodiversity that refers to a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and their non-living environment, which interact as a functional unit.

It is the release of a substance or element into the air, in a solid, liquid, or gaseous state, or in some combination thereof, from a stationary or mobile source.

It is the social process of planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating ongoing policies and actions aimed at understanding risks and promoting greater awareness of them; preventing or avoiding their occurrence; reducing or controlling them when they do occur; and preparing for and managing disaster situations, as well as facilitating subsequent recovery, including rehabilitation and reconstruction. These actions have the explicit purpose of contributing to people’s safety, well-being, and quality of life, as well as to sustainable development.

Any person whose activities generate hazardous waste. If the person is unknown, the person in possession of such waste shall be deemed the generator. For the purposes of this decree, the manufacturer or importer of a product or chemical substance with hazardous properties shall be treated as a generator with respect to liability for the management of the packaging and waste from the product or substance.

Any change in the biotic, abiotic, or socioeconomic environment—whether adverse or beneficial, total or partial—that can be attributed to the development of a project, construction project, or activity.

It refers to the adoption of all necessary measures in the prevention, reduction, and separation at the source, collection, storage, transportation, reuse and/or recovery, treatment and/or final disposal, import, and export of hazardous waste, whether carried out individually or in an appropriate combination, to protect human health and the environment from the temporary and/or permanent harmful effects that may result from such waste.

It is an odor caused by industrial, commercial, or service-related substances or activities that is unpleasant, even if it does not pose a health risk.

It is a forest created by direct human intervention.

A study based on the set of technical forestry standards that govern the actions to be carried out in a forest plantation, with the aim of establishing, developing, improving, conserving, and utilizing cultivated forests in accordance with the principles of rational use and sustainable management of renewable natural resources and the environment.

A measure of biodiversity that reflects the interaction of the factors (biophysical and anthropogenic) that shape a given area.

A variable that, within a set of elements, is used to identify each element by its numerical value.

It is a detailed set of measures and activities that, based on an environmental assessment, are designed to prevent, mitigate, correct, or offset the duly identified environmental impacts and effects caused by the implementation of a project, construction project, or activity. It includes plans for follow-up, monitoring, contingency, and site restoration, depending on the nature of the project, construction project, or activity.

This document outlines and describes the silvicultural systems and practices to be applied in the forest designated for harvesting, with the aim of ensuring its sustainability; it must be submitted by the party interested in conducting ongoing forest harvesting operations.

This document describes the systems, methods, and equipment to be used in forest harvesting and the extraction of forest products, and is submitted by the party interested in conducting one-time forest harvesting operations.

It is the planting of trees to create forests, carried out by humans.

Partially or fully restore the composition, structure, and function of biodiversity that has been altered or degraded.

It is any object, material, substance, element, or product that is in a solid or semisolid state, or is a liquid or gas contained in containers or storage tanks, which the generator discards, rejects, or disposes of because its properties prevent it from being reused in the activity that generated it, or because current laws or regulations require it.

Hazardous waste is any waste that, due to its corrosive, reactive, explosive, toxic, flammable, infectious, or radioactive properties, may pose risks or cause direct or indirect harm or undesirable effects to human health and the environment. Likewise, packaging and containers that have come into contact with such waste shall be considered hazardous waste.

The likelihood or possibility that the handling, release into the environment, and exposure to a material or waste will cause adverse effects on human health and/or the environment.

It refers to the felling or cutting down of trees.

This is the document that sets out the general guidelines and through which the Ministry of the Environment or other agencies establish the requirements for conducting and submitting specific studies.

Any individual or legal entity, whether public or private, that utilizes forest resources or wild plant products in accordance with applicable regulations.

To use the components of biodiversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to its long-term decline or degradation by altering its fundamental attributes of composition, structure, and function, thereby ensuring that it remains capable of meeting the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

The physical, economic, social, environmental, or institutional vulnerability or fragility of a community to being affected or suffering adverse effects in the event of a hazardous natural event. It refers to the susceptibility of people and their livelihoods, as well as their physical, social, economic, and support systems, to suffering losses or damage that may result from hazardous natural events.

A variable that, within a set of elements, is used to identify each element by its numerical value.

A subdivision established for the purpose of managing the various areas that make up the National Natural Parks System, which is planned and determined in accordance with the objectives and natural characteristics of the respective area, to ensure its proper administration and the fulfillment of the stated objectives. Zoning does not imply that different parts of the area receive varying degrees of protection, but rather that each part must be managed in a specific way to ensure its long-term preservation.