Glossary of Terms
Adverse event — Any undesirable occurrence in health of plant or animal.
Area of low pest prevalence — An area, whether all of a country, part of a country, or all or parts of several countries, as identified by the competent authorities, in which a specific pest occurs at low levels and which is subject to effective surveillance, control or eradication measures. (Source: IPPC, 1997)
Consequences — A result or effect of an action or set of conditions.
Endangered area — An area where ecological factors favor the establishment of a pest whose presence in the area will result in economically important loss.
Germplasm — Plants intended for use in breeding or conservation programs. (Source: FAO, 1990)
Hazard — A source of danger or risk.
Likelihood — The state or fact of something’s being likely; probability.
Monte Carlo simulation — Monte Carlo simulation is a computerized mathematical technique that allows people to account for risk in quantitative analysis and decision-making. Monte Carlo simulation furnishes the decision maker with a range of possible outcomes and the probabilities they will occur for any choice of action. It shows the extreme possibilities—the outcomes of going for broke and for the most conservative decision—along with all possible consequences for middle of the road decisions.
National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) — Official service established by a government to discharge the functions specified by the IPPC. (Source: ISPM 5)
Officially controlled — The active enforcement, and the application of mandatory phytosanitary procedures with the objective of eradication or containment of quarantine pests, or for the management of regulated non-quarantine pests.
PRA area — Area in relation to which a pest risk analysis is conducted.
Pest-free area — An area in which a specific pest does not occur as demonstrated by scientific evidence and in which, where appropriate, this condition is being officially maintained. (Source: FAO, 1995)
Pest pathway — Any means that allows entry or spread of a pest. (Source: FAO, 1990; revised FAO, 1995)
Probability — The extent to which something is probable; the likelihood of something happening or event occurring.
Quarantine — Official confinement of regulated articles for observation and research or for further inspection, testing and/or treatment. (Source: FAO, 1990; revised FAO, 1995; CEPM, 1999)
Quarantine pest — A pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled.
Regional Plant Protection Organization (RPPO) — Provides coordination at a local level for the activities and objectives of the IPPC.
Regional standards for phytosanitary measures — Some regional plant protection organizations (RPPO) develop and adopt their own standard phytosanitary measures in addition to the ISPMs. These regional standards serve a similar function to the ISPM’s except RSPMs only apply to countries within the RPPO.
Regulated — A quarantine pest or a regulated non-quarantine pest. (Source: IPPC, 1997)
Regulated non-quarantine pest — A non-quarantine pest whose presence in plants for planting affects the intended use of those plants with an economically unacceptable impact and which is therefore regulated within the territory of the importing contracting party.
Risk — The possibility of loss or injury.
Risk analysis — The practice of evaluating risk, managing risk, and communicating about risk.
Risk assessment — A systematic process of evaluation of the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking.
Smuggling — The illegal transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
Stone fruit — Fleshy indehiscent fruit with a single seed, e.g., almond, peach, plum, cherry, elderberry, olive.
Uncertainty — Something that is doubtful, or unknown.
Below is a downloadable version of this resource. Right click on the name of the document to save a copy to your computer.