Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network
The challenges posed by climate and land use change are increasingly complex, with rising and accelerating impacts on the global environmental system. Novel environmental and ecosystem research needs to properly interpret system changes and derive management recommendations across scales. This large...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21004507 |
| _version_ | 1819039535078572032 |
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| author | Christoph Wohner Thomas Ohnemus Steffen Zacharias Hannes Mollenhauer Erle C. Ellis Hermann Klug Hideaki Shibata Michael Mirtl |
| author_facet | Christoph Wohner Thomas Ohnemus Steffen Zacharias Hannes Mollenhauer Erle C. Ellis Hermann Klug Hideaki Shibata Michael Mirtl |
| author_sort | Christoph Wohner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The challenges posed by climate and land use change are increasingly complex, with rising and accelerating impacts on the global environmental system. Novel environmental and ecosystem research needs to properly interpret system changes and derive management recommendations across scales. This largely depends on advances in the establishment of an internationally harmonised, long-term operating and representative infrastructure for environmental observation. This paper presents an analysis evaluating 743 formally accredited sites of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network in 47 countries with regard to their spatial distribution and related biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness. “Representedness” values were computed from six global datasets. The analysis revealed a dense coverage of Northern temperate regions and anthropogenic zones most notably in the US, Europe and East Asia. Significant gaps are present in economically less developed and anthropogenically less impacted hot and barren regions like Northern and Central Africa and inner-continental parts of South America. These findings provide the arguments for our recommendations regarding the geographic expansion for the further development of the ILTER network. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:54:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab8e5e93dff14bfe923a7bd3b4759762 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:54:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab8e5e93dff14bfe923a7bd3b47597622022-12-21T19:09:36ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2021-08-01127107785Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site networkChristoph Wohner0Thomas Ohnemus1Steffen Zacharias2Hannes Mollenhauer3Erle C. Ellis4Hermann Klug5Hideaki Shibata6Michael Mirtl7Environment Agency Austria, Department for Ecosystem Research and Monitoring, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Schillerstraße 30, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; Corresponding author.Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318 Leipzig, GermanyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318 Leipzig, GermanyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USAParis-Lodron University of Salzburg, Schillerstraße 30, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaField Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Kita-9, Nishi-9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0809, JapanEnvironment Agency Austria, Department for Ecosystem Research and Monitoring, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, D-04318 Leipzig, GermanyThe challenges posed by climate and land use change are increasingly complex, with rising and accelerating impacts on the global environmental system. Novel environmental and ecosystem research needs to properly interpret system changes and derive management recommendations across scales. This largely depends on advances in the establishment of an internationally harmonised, long-term operating and representative infrastructure for environmental observation. This paper presents an analysis evaluating 743 formally accredited sites of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network in 47 countries with regard to their spatial distribution and related biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness. “Representedness” values were computed from six global datasets. The analysis revealed a dense coverage of Northern temperate regions and anthropogenic zones most notably in the US, Europe and East Asia. Significant gaps are present in economically less developed and anthropogenically less impacted hot and barren regions like Northern and Central Africa and inner-continental parts of South America. These findings provide the arguments for our recommendations regarding the geographic expansion for the further development of the ILTER network.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21004507LTERResearch infrastructureEnvironmental observationDEIMS-SDR |
| spellingShingle | Christoph Wohner Thomas Ohnemus Steffen Zacharias Hannes Mollenhauer Erle C. Ellis Hermann Klug Hideaki Shibata Michael Mirtl Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network Ecological Indicators LTER Research infrastructure Environmental observation DEIMS-SDR |
| title | Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network |
| title_full | Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network |
| title_short | Assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network |
| title_sort | assessing the biogeographical and socio ecological representativeness of the ilter site network |
| topic | LTER Research infrastructure Environmental observation DEIMS-SDR |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21004507 |
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