Peers and environmental RIs

• eLTER RI design: In an inclusive and collaborative process with the eLTER project consortia and national networks, several implementation scenarios for the eLTER RI were co-designed. Based on deliberations with member countries, the eLTER Interim Council decided that further eLTER RI specifications shall aim for 12-18 member countries, a geographically, ecologically, and socio-ecologically representative network of ~200 eLTER Sites and ~50 eLTSER Platforms, and a robust portfolio of core services with an indicative budget of 9 ME p.a.

• eLTER Service Portfolio: Based on scouting of services that are expected from eLTER across >30 stakeholder groups, eLTER has specified ~50 services in 7 Thematic Service Areas. Services range from data integration to synthesis towards actionable knowledge. Some key services are already operational, including the eLTER Sites & Platforms Registry (DEIMS-SDR), others are tested in pilots or are under construction.
• eLTER Standard Observations: In cooperation with internal and external scientific experts across countries, eLTER adopted 65 Standard Observation variables covering all five ecosystem spheres. eLTER SOs are scientifically grounded, technically feasible, and affordable. The smooth implementation of this pan-European standard for environmental observation is supported by the development of specific methods and protocols.
• eLTER Cyberinfrastructure: An eLTER data call published on eLTER’s Market Place in 2024 starts the systematic mobilisation of long-term time series legacy data for selected eLTER Standard Observations.

• eLTER network design: Scientific studies of eLTER’s emerging physical network design (e.g. Ohnemus et al. 2024) confirm good coverage in terms of habitats, bioclimate and economic density and other reference attributes as well as eLTER’s fitness to tackle current and future research challenges related to e.g. climate change and biodiversity losses.
• eLTER in-situ facilities: eLTER established a design and mandatory criteria for eLTER Sites and eLTSER Platforms that is based on compliance with eLTER’s Whole System Approach, the eLTER Standard Observations and other criteria to guarantee minimum standards in terms of site and data functionality and quality. To account for the variation in technological readiness amongst sites and platforms, two categories with differing requirements were established.

• eLTER stakeholders: Based on a thorough stakeholder analysis, eLTER identified > 30 stakeholder groups as relevant to the eLTER RI. These were grouped into 7 key stakeholder categories, and an eLTER Stakeholder Handbook was developed to ensure that the eLTER RI meets the needs of all its stakeholders.
• Multiple disciplinary communities: eLTER´s Whole System approach implies the support for multiple research communities and fosters the joint usage of sites & platforms with RIs and other peers in environmental research and monitoring. Reversely, such joint usage of sites & platforms (co-location) strengthens the Whole System approach and helps achieving critical mass to secure long-term operations.eLTER community: eLTER established the ‘Sites and Platforms Forum’ to bring together the widely distributed community of sites and platforms and provide an interactive forum for exchange, training, and networking for these key stakeholders of eLTER.
• Communication and training: eLTER developed an informative website as well as tailored communication strategies and materials for its Communication Target Groups, as well as a range of training materials on various aspects of eLTER.

• Collaboration with peers: eLTER has established formal collaboration agreements with other global and European research groups and organisations like ILTER, GEO, UNECE Working Group on Effects, ICOS ERIC, and LifeWatch ERIC to ensure effective and complementary collaboration.

• Project collaborations: eLTER contributes to a range of other projects in the areas of environmental research, climate-related risks, and data integration and sharing to foster interdisciplinary research and drive breakthroughs in environmental science. 

• RI landscape development: eLTER contributed to the co-development of global and European bodies that maximize the complementarity and impact of Research Infrastructures Examples are the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructures (GERI)  and the Board of ENVRI (Environmental Research Infrastructures), where eLTER maintains an active partner role.

• eLTER Whole System Approach: eLTER’s Whole System Approach is systematically integrated and realized in key components of the eLTER RI, such as design and mandatory criteria for eLTER Sites and eLTSER Platforms and eLTER Standard Observations, and forms the basis of network-fitness analyses (e.g. Ohnemus et al. 2024) for tackling key eLTER research challenges.
• eLTER strategic plan and goals: eLTER’s Strategic Plan outlines eLTER’s vision and mission as well as the strategic goals of the eLTER RI, including the research challenges it will tackle, considerations for cost-efficient network operations, and eLTER’s innovative working culture.
• eLTER stakeholders: Based on a thorough stakeholder analysis, eLTER identified > 30 stakeholder groups as relevant to the eLTER RI. These were grouped into 7 key stakeholder categories, and an eLTER Stakeholder Handbook was developed to ensure that the eLTER RI meets the needs of all its stakeholders.

• ESFRI Roadmap: eLTER was included in the 2018 ESFRI Roadmap, which puts it on a path to become a European Research Infrastructure. This important step received political support by 18 countries in the EU and beyond. Since then, an additional 3 European countries support eLTER and have joined its governing body, the Interim Council.

• eLTER ERIC development: Since the 2020 decision of the eLTER Interim Council that the legal form of the eLTER RI should be a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), eLTER has made steady progress towards the establishment of the eLTER ERIC. This includes establishment of foundational strategies, guidelines and indicators through a participatory process with Interim Council members, amongst them

  • eLTER’s provisional statutory seat in Germany

  • the eLTER Scientific Advisory Board

  • the eLTER Ethical Advisory Board

  • Integrated Governance that ensures a high level of operational integration of the national LTER networks and eLTER’s member countries in the development and eventual operation of the eLTER ERIC

as well as the ongoing development of statutes and financial parameters for the eLTER ERIC.

• eLTER service hosting: Following an integrative process, the selection of hosts for eLTER services is ongoing. A broad range of national institutions have expressed interest in hosting services as part of their national contributions to the eLTER ERIC. 

• eLTER Flagship projects: Despite their launch during the first months of the global COVID pandemic in 2020, the eLTER projects eLTER PPP and eLTER PLUS are being implemented successfully. In 2023, eLTER was awarded the eLTER EnRich project to compensate for the effects of the COVID pandemic.

• eLTER preparation: eLTER’s inclusion in the ESFRI Roadmap in 2018 was enabled by several preparatory projects including Advance eLTER.

• eLTER outreach: eLTER contributes to numerous international scientific and strategic meetings every year to promote the integration of the eLTER RI into the European research landscape, and usage of eLTER’s services