| Biodiversity |
|
All living things on Earth (plants, animals and micro-organisms), and the differences that make each species unique. |
| BOO |
|
Build, operate, own |
| BOT |
|
Build, operate, transfer |
| ECA |
|
Export Credit Agency |
| Ecosystem |
|
An interconnected and symbiotic grouping of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. |
| EIA |
|
Environmental Impact Assessment |
| Eutrophication |
|
Natural eutrophication is the process by which lakes gradually age and become more productive. It normally takes thousands of years to progress. However, the creation of a dam and a reservoir can greatly accelerate this process. Eutrophication in these situations can be water pollution caused by the decomposition of excessive plant nutrients. |
| Flood plain |
|
Area bordering a river which is flooded when the river rises over its normal banks. |
| Fossil fuel |
|
A fuel, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, produced by the decomposition of ancient (fossilised) plants and animals. |
| Geomorphology |
|
The science concerned with the form of the land surface and the processes which create it. |
| Hydrology |
|
Science that deals with the transportation and distribution of water in the atmosphere, on and beneath the earth's surface. |
| ODA |
|
Overseas development assistance |
| Outfalls |
|
Channels or pipes designed to carry water released from a dam. |
| PPA |
|
Power purchasing agreement |
| Renewable energy |
|
Energy resources such as wind power or solar energy that can keep producing indefinitely without being depleted. |
| Resettlement |
|
The act of moving people and their animals to a new area of habitation. |
| River basin |
|
The area covered by the river, including its many tributaries, from its source to the sea. |
| Run-off |
|
Precipitation that the ground does not absorb and that ultimately reaches rivers, lakes or oceans. |
| Sediment |
|
Material deposited by water, wind or glaciers. |
| Watershed |
|
A region or area over which water flows into a particular lake, reservoir, stream, or river. |
| WCD |
|
World Commission on Dams |
| Wetlands |
|
Land (marshes or swamps) saturated with water constantly or recurrently. |
