Liigpingete

Liigpingete is a term found in Estonian-language ecology and conservation discourse to describe the combined pressures that act on a species. It refers to the cumulative effect of multiple threats—such as habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation—that interact to influence population viability, distribution, and extinction risk.

The word is formed from liigi (genitive of liiki, meaning "of species") and pingete (the plural genitive of pinge, meaning "pressure"). Because it is not standardized in international ecology, its precise meaning can vary between authors, with some using it to denote "species-level pressures" or simply "pressure on species" in a broad sense.

In conservation practice, liigpingete is used to advocate integrated strategies that address multiple threats simultaneously, rather than focusing on a single factor. It can frame policy discussions, risk assessments, and protected-area design by emphasizing the interaction of drivers behind population declines.

Limitations include its informal status and lack of a universal definition. Critics argue for more precise terminology such as cumulative impacts or multi-threat stressors, while supporters see liigpingete as a helpful shorthand for communicating complex risk to non-specialist audiences.

See also: Threats to biodiversity; Cumulative impacts; Conservation biology.