Glossary

Agency A unit of government, whether local, provincial/state/ regional, national, or international - for example, the Agency for International Development; the Environmental Protection Agency. Synonyms include bureau, ministry, department, division, office.

Data recovery Archaeological excavations or other research performed to recover or rescue information from destruction. Often performed as a form of impact mitigation.

Environment Variously defined, but generally refers to everything around us, notably the natural environment (trees, rocks, streams, animals, plants, mountains, landscapes) and the built environment (houses, cities, neighborhoods, villages, parks), including the social, cultural, and esthetic values attached to them by human society. Also include less tangible surroundings such as social institutions, beliefs, and expressive arts, at least to the extent these are somehow related to the tangible environment.

Environmental impact analysis Study of a project’s or program’s potential impacts on the environment.

Mitigation Eliminating, reducing, ameliorating, or

Compensating for damage to or destruction of something - for example, redesigning a project to avoid destroying an archaeological site, or to destroy less of it than might otherwise be the case; excavating a site in advance of its destruction; funding the preservation of one site to mitigate the effect of destroying another.

Program (programme) A complex of activities and/or planned actions designed to accomplish some purpose - for example, a city’s housing program, or a regional irrigation program. Sometimes referred to as a scheme.

Project A specific action someone proposes to

Undertake - for example, a motorway, a reservoir, a military exercise, an agricultural scheme, a housing development, a sewerage system.