This glossary includes most relevant terms used in this handbook. First version of the glossary was created during the development of the ‘Wildlife and Traffic’ handbook (Action COST 341) and it has been expanded with contributions from partners of the project Horizon 2020 ‘BISON’. Terms definitions are provided by legal texts, reference documents or by agreement between experts from both ecology and infrastructure. The organisations IENE, PIARC, UIC, and ISO have also assisted and will contribute in future updates.
Last update: October 2023 – How to cite
There are currently 13 names in this directory beginning with the letter P.
Paved road
A road which surface is made with asphalt, bitumen, concrete or tarmac. See also ‘Unpaved road’.
Plan
A forward looking strategy or design, often with co-ordinated priorities, targets, options and measures that elaborate and implement policy. Synonym: 'Plan'.
Policy
A general course of action/ direction guiding ongoing decision making towards a desired goal or outcome.
Population
Functional group of individuals that interbreed within a given, often arbitrarily chosen, area.
Precautionary principle
A principle to guide decision?making in the absence of scientific certainty which states that precautionary measures should be taken when an activity may harm human health or the environment and that the proponent for an activity must prove that the action will not cause harm.
Primary effects
An outcome directly attributable to a defined action or project activity. They are produced by the physical presence of infrastructure, its structural design, maintenance, and use. Synonyms: 'Direct impacts', 'Direct effects'. See also: 'Secondary effects'.