ILTER leads development of GEO BON field site network

The International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER), of which LTER-Europe is a part, is leading the development of the GEO BON Global Network of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Observation Sites. The medium terms aims of this initiative are to pull together the "community of common interest" of individuals and contact points for sites and networks that would be willing to contribute to the network.                

A meta-database of sites will also be created in order to better understand what sites can contribute to a global observation system and where there are gaps in coverage.  This activity will also develop ways of sharing, synthesising and analysing site data to deliver new research and new products for large-scale regional and global biodiversity assessments.

ILTER's preliminary definition of a site is: a contiguous area undertaking long-term co-located ecosystem-based measurements at appropriate scales for linking:  (i) drivers of change; with (ii) loss or gain of biodiversity;  and (iii) impacts on ecosystem processes and ecosystem services.

Sites will be predominantly terrestrial but may also contain significant freshwater and/or coastal components.

For more information about GEO BON see the GEO BON website.