Panarchy is the hierarchy of adaptive cycles that form the basis of ecosystems and social-ecological systems across time/space scales. [GEW]

Panel survey data refers to information collected from a diverse group of informants (of variable age, gender, occupation and geographical location) who are surveyed at periodic intervals within a given time frame. Using repeated observations with the same group of informants, or panel, this approach facilitates longitudinal studies and enables documentation of the dynamics of change. Panel data is two dimensional: it contributes both a spatial and temporal dimension to regression and other types of analysis. The spatial dimension pertains to a set of synchronic observations (e.g. across countries, states, counties, firms, commodities, groups of people, and individuals). The temporal dimension pertains to diachronic observations of a set of variables characterizing these cross-sectional units over a particular time span. Panel analyses are thus able to examine changes in variables over time and differences in variables between subjects. Due to the prolonged period of study required for panel studies, potential problems include loss of members of the panel (e.g. due to death, loss of interest or demographic shift) and the introduction of undocumented new elements to the population as time passes. In addition to attrition, Godoy et al. 2005 note that conditioning – when informants become accustomed to questions or learn responses from others over time – is another source of bias. [HW]

Parabiologist: A person who lacks formal higher-level education on biology, but who is trained to undertake biological research tasks (Sheil and Lawrence 2004). Biology is the science that studies living organisms [CGM]

Parataxonomist: A person who lacks formal higher-level education on taxonomy, but who is trained to undertake taxonomic tasks (Sheil and Lawrence 2004). A parataxonomist is generally recruited from local areas and trained in the field to become a biodiversity collection and inventory specialist of both scientific and folk taxonomy. Taxonomy refers to the science that studies the classification of living organisms [CGM]

Participatory Appraisal (PRA) Oudwater and Martin (2003) define PRA as obtaining a general overview of an area and the human use of local resources through the employment of multiple research tools including transect walks, village mapping, problem ranking, seasonal calendars, historical village profiles and discussions with groups, key-informants and individual households. Follow-up studies are essential to gather more in-depth information. [CR]

Participatory maps are those created by local or indigenous groups, usually for the purposes of defining and defending land or resource rights. They may also be used for conservation planning or ethnobiological research on land and resource use (though this latter application seems uncommon). [FH]

Video, photography, radio, televition, newspaper, webpages created and mantained by communities.

Participatory Rural Appraisal: Participatory approaches and methods that emphasize local knowledge and allow local populations to make their own appraisal, analysis, and plans. The purpose of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is “to enable development practitioners, government officials, and local people to work together to plan context-appropriate programs” (The World Bank Participation Sourcebook 1996).1 This approach evolved from Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA). In PRA, local people undertake data collection and analysis, with outsiders facilitating rather than controlling. Although the term refers specifically to rural areas, PRA has been employed in other settings (including urban areas). The methods employed in PRA generally include group animation and exercises to assist information sharing, analysis, and action. Some of the techniques commonly used in PRA include semi-structured interviewing, focus group discussions, preference ranking, mapping and modeling, and seasonal and historical diagramming. [CGM]

Particularism is an operationalization of pragmatism, with an emphasis on the individual and contingent. [MH]

Peer referencing: a systematic method that utilizes the recommendations of peers in a community to determine local experts. [CEB; drawn from Davis and Wagner 2004]

Phenology: The study of the seasonal timing of life cycle events. The study of the timing of biological activity (generally over the course of a year) in relationship to climate, especially seasonal changes [CGM]

Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which seeks to examine specific individuals and situations, opposed to rationalism. [MH]

Preethnoscientific ethnobiology is a term Eugene Hunn (1982) uses to characterize early research in this field. It is a list of species known within a particular cultural group, along with a brief summary of uses. This information was not tied to theory or to broader concerns with lifestyle, therefore there was little cross cultural comparison. [KM]

Monitoring, professional refers to professional scientists’ efforts to gather information on biodiversity and resource use, using a range of methods. Professional monitoring may be unsustainable in many developing country contexts because of the expenses involved (Danielsen et al. 2005). [DF]