LTER PORTUGAL

The Portuguese Ecological Society (SPECO) is developing the LTER Project in Portugal. The aim of this project is to select the Portuguese sites that will integrate the LTER network of European sites. The project will be developed in the scope of the Iberian Peninsula in close collaboration with the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology.

This project is supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology.



What is the LTER network?

The LTER network, abbreviated designation of "Long-Term Ecological Research" is a network of sites, existing in a large spatial scale, where long-term ecological investigation is practiced, with the main objectives of storing relevant data in ecology, establish links between institutions and researchers and promote the exchange of knowledge. This organized network of LTER sites first appeared in the United States in the 80's, later an international network was developed and, more recently, the European network of LTER sites.

The LTER sites can be acceded through networks at three levels: ILTER (the international LTER network), LTER-Europe (the European LTER network) and LTER (United States LTER network).

SPECO will implement the LTER sites at national level. These will later be part of an Iberian network according to a strategy that will be defined in close collaboration with the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET).These sites will then integrate the European LTER network.



LTER Portugal Project

Since October 2003, SPECO has been developing initiatives to implement the LTER network in Portugal and starting contacts with Spain , in order to create synergies and to attend to complementarities among the sites that will integrate the future Iberian LTER network.

On that same year, SPECO promoted a workshop on the importance of LTER sites and the implementation of the European LTER network with the participation of Prof. Dr. F. Catarino (FCUL, University of Lisbon ) as a moderator. The speakers, also acting as facilitators of the discussion, were: Prof. Dr. M. R. Paiva (Portuguese Ecological Society, SPECO), Prof. Dr. F. Valladares (Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology, AEET), Prof. Dr. J. S. Pereira (ISA, Technical University of Lisbon) Prof. Dr. J. C. Marques (DZ, University of Coimbra), Prof. Dr. V. Garcia (University of the Azores), Prof. Dr. R. Waide, (Executive Director ILTER Network, USA).

Relevant issues and conclusions of the workshop:

• The importance of LTER sites by allowing continuous observations for the analyses of complex processes of the ecosystems, making possible to observe, in parallel, the coexistence of different states of a system, giving insight of the ecosystems temporal evolution.
• Among the objectives for the implementation of the LTER network, the detection of climate change, land use change patterns and anthropogenic impacts were emphasised.
• Criteria for LTER site selection to be taken into account, such as previous existence of a time series of data, representatively and uniqueness of the ecosystems, as well as the possibility of obtaining long-term logistic and financial support for research at the selected sites.
• The need to consider, methodologies allowing to maximize the value of the future network, as well as to assure comparative analyses among sites and processes.

The implementation of the LTER network in Spain is going through a phase of fund raising. Data gathering and design of a metabase is in progress, including sites for which a time-series of data already exists, in particular forest systems.



SPECO and the LTER Portugal Project

The main objective of LTER Portugal Project is to select a network of sites where ecological research is practiced in a long-term perspective and their recognition as LTER sites in the Iberian Peninsula . This second phase will take place in close collaboration with Spain . The selected sites will integrate a wide network of European expression, the LTER-Europe network.

The implementation of the project will be developed in the following stages:

• Survey on the implementation of LTER at an international level, namely in Spain, establishing international contacts.
• Contacts with scientists that develop ecological research in Portugal and Spain (inquiries).
• Create a data base on the ecological research developed in Portugal : institutions, researchers, developed projects, geographical areas of intervention, main results and forecast of continuity
• Development of criteria to select the sites that will integrate the LTER network in Portugal
• Establishment of contacts with institutions and municipalities, for analysis of long term viability for research

For the development of this project, SPECO has the participation of its Board, some of their associates, and the support of the Foundation for Science and Technology through a grantee on Management of Science and Technology. The main objective of this grant is to promote the implementation of the national LTER as well as to give support to the management of this non governmental organization.

For more information related with the project, please contact:

Luis Gaspar
SPECO
FCUL, Campo Grande, Bloco C4, Piso 1, sala 10
1749-016 Lisboa
Tel/Fax: +351 217500439
e-mail: speco@fc.ul.pt

or

Margarida Santos Reis
Vice-Presidente da SPECO
CBA / FCUL, Campo Grande, Bloco C4, Piso 1
1749-016 Lisboa
Tel/Fax: +351 217500000 ext 24146
e-mail: mmreis@fc.ul.pt



ILTER network

In 1993 the ILTER, International Long Term Ecological Research network was formed following the efforts of LTER US, by promoting links with the interested countries. Nowadays this network includes about 30 countries, represented through their national LTER networks.

ILTER is a worldwide network that congregates information networks on research and monitoring in ecology, including the human dimension, in a multi and interdisciplinary way. The development of this network promotes a global vision of the ecological research, through communication, information exchange and the access to a data base developed at a worldwide level.

ILTER network mission is to deliver to the scientific community and policy makers, and society in general, relevant scientific information, on ecological processes associated with long-term and large spatial scales needed to conserve, protect and manage ecosystems at a local, regional and global scales, their biodiversity and the services they offer.

For further information on ILTER: http://www.ilternet.edu/



LTER-Europe

In 2003 the network of LTER sites in Europe (LTER-Europe or Long-term Ecosystem Research network link), was formed following the efforts developed by the NoLIMITS program and the scientific community recognition of the need to have a pan-European expression network on of long-term and large spatial scale ecological research. Nowadays the European network includes 24 countries that are represented through their activities and respective national LTER networks.

Being the main LTER characteristic its long term approach, this means, on one side and in terms of monitoring, to build time-series of data, by collecting information regularly, using consistent methodology. The long term research, on its side, allows developing long-term projects in contrast with the limitations inherent to short-duration projects (e.g. 3 years), typical of the actual politics of the national research system. Therefore LTER sites are frequently equipped with tools and facilities that support long term research and monitoring in ecology. This approach takes place at defined sites and involves research as well as the monitoring of series of variables.

Long-term ecosystems research is essential to better understand how ecosystems function and how to answer the questions related to environmental changes.

The accessibility to the data produced by the LTER sites through the network allows, besides the detection of climate change, to complement short-duration projects and to support sustainable political decisions based on relevant scientific information.

For further information: http://www.lter-europe.ceh.ac.uk/index.htm



US LTER

The creation of a LTER network (Long Term Ecological Research Network link), appears for the first time in the United States around 1980, through a program financed by the National Science Foundation, with the intention of supporting the long term and broad spatial scale research in the country.

This network frames the efforts of scientists devoted to investigate ecological processes over a long temporal and broad spatial scale.

Nowadays the US LTER network involves more than 1800 scientists and students, and integrates about 26 sites and the research they developed. Each site represents a unique ecosystem and a specific investigation approach, counting with the participation of scientists, students and information systems managers. Each site is part of a whole, , sharing knowledge, information and a common mission, through the network

The US LTER program turns possible for each scientist, student, educator and public in general, to have a vast understanding of the ecological phenomena by accessing data bases, that allow to cross, to compare and to permute analyzed data and the available synthesized information.

As an example, the LTER network makes available synthesized (?) information on subjects such as climate change and the ecosystem responses, standardization of methods, global change, primary productivity, organic matter processing, and populations' studies and nutrients cycling, among others.

For further information: http://www.lternet.edu/



From LTER to LTSER

Nowadays there is a debate around the possibility of long term ecological investigation to include socio-economic aspects and the impacts of environmental change on society, giving to LTER a new dimension, the LTSER, long-term socio-ecological research.