6. Introducing the Next Generation of Ecosystem Research in Europe: LTER-Europe’s Multi-Functional and Multi-Scale Approach

LTER-Europe is the umbrella network for Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) and Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) in Europe. It forms part of the global LTER network (ILTER). Comprising 18 formal national member networks and five emerging ones LTER-Europe represents more than 400 LTER sites and 23 LTSER platforms. Besides this in-situ component LTER-Europe stands for a network of scientists, disciplines, institutions, data and metadata, and research projects. The Network of Excellence ALTER-Net (FP6) provided the frame for meeting the objective to integrate the highly fragmented European infrastructure with LTER potential across national and disciplinary boarders. LTER-Europe has become the terrestrial and aquatic component in the network of networks, currently organised by the ESFRI preparatory project LifeWatch. The interdisciplinary expertise represented by the ALTER-Net consortium allowed further development of the LTSER concept. LTSER platforms have been developed as multi-scale and multi-level infrastructure for investigating interactions of human and natural systems on the regional or sub-regional level. These hot spots of interdisciplinary research (IDR) and data sets are now complementing the first pillar of LTER-Europe’s network, the network of LTER sites. The character and functional niche of LTER-Europe is best described by four core characteristics, namely “in-situ, long-term, system and process”: LTER-Europe’s research is generating or using data gathered together with a maximum of other sources of knowledge at concrete locations in the long term. This allows for the detection and quantification of processes of ecosystems and socio-ecological systems, which determine the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Summarising, LTER-Europe is a multi-functional network, but also a process structuring and optimising a distributed research infrastructure, catalysing the development of research projects meeting societal needs and helping to streamline and harmonise the entire sector on the institutional, national, European and global level.