Feedback refers “to the result of any behaviour which may reinforce (positive feedback) or modify (negative feedback) subsequent behaviour” (Berkes and Folke 1998:6). References cited: Berkes, Fikret and Carl Folke. 1998. Linking Social and Ecological Systems for Resilience and Sustainability. In Linking Social and Ecological Systems, F. Berkes, C. Folke, and J. Colding, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-25. [GEW]

Floristic composition refers to assessing the presence and absence of plant species in a given site. Plot surveys and voucher specimens may be used to establish floristic composition. The floristic composition of multiple sites may be compared to assess the effects of environmental change, spatial variation, etc. [DF]

Folk taxonomic ranks or ethnobiological ranks are hierarchically arranged in levels of inclusion, from most general to most specific, in the following order: kingdom or unique beginner, life-form, intermediate, generic, specific, and variety. According to Brown (2000:66), “biological classes of the same rank exhibit nomenclatural, biological, taxonomic, and psychological characteristics that distinguish them from classes affiliated with other ranks.” Unique beginner, life-form and generic members are usually labeled by primary lexemes, whereas specific and varietal rank members are usually labeled by secondary lexemes. Reference cited: Brown, Cecil H. 2000. Folk Classification: An Introduction. In Ethnobotany: A Reader, P. E. Minnis, ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 65-68. [GEW]

Folk taxonomy according to Brown (2000:65) is “how members of a language community name and categorize plants and animals.” Brent Berlin, who initially formulated the principles of folk taxonomic classification, has hypothesized that in all languages we may isolate linguistically recognized hierarchical groupings of organisms in the six universal ethnobiological categories or ranks of (from most to least inclusive): kingdom or unique beginner, life-form, intermediate, generic, specific, and variety. [GEW]

Folkecology, as defined by Atran et al. (1999:7598), is “how people understand and utilize interactions between plants, animals, and humans”, and how they “cognitively model species relationships in ways relevant to environmental behavior.” Different cultural groups in the same habitat may have different cognitive models of local ecology, with implications for how common resources are exploited or conserved. [FH]

Forest structure refers to the horizontal and vertical distribution of layers in a forest, including height, diameter, and species present. [DF]