Public, business and industry

What is the overall design of the eLTER Research infrastructure?

• The eLTER Research Infrastructure  will start out with 12-18 member countries from the EU, Israel, and the UK, as well as a geographically, ecologically, and socio-ecologically representative network of ~200 eLTER Sites and ~50 eLTSER Platforms, and a robust portfolio of core services ready for expansion.

What will eLTER do?

• eLTER has identified around 50 services that are expected across ~35 groups of users. These services are divided into seven thematic areas including data management and the production of "actionable knowledge" based on these data. Information provided by eLTER will support decision making from the local level (municipalities, regions) to national and continental level. Top instrumented research sites will also serve the training and education of future generations of scientists.
• In cooperation with its scientific community, eLTER has developed Standard Observations for 65 environmental variables to establish pan-European standards for environmental observations. These observations are based on science and are technically feasible and affordable. The observations cover everything from the bedrock to soil, water, plants and animals, air, society and economy (all five ecosystem spheres). eLTER also provides protocols and a costing tool for their implementation. 

Where will eLTER do this?

• The eLTER network of about 200 research sites is well designed to represent all European habitats, bioclimate and economic conditions. This means it can also deal with research challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and fair transitions.

For whom is eLTER doing all this?

• We analysed the stakeholders involved, and identified over 30 groups as relevant contributors and/or users of the eLTER RI. These groups were then put into seven main categories. An eLTER Stakeholder Handbook has been created to make sure that the eLTER RI meets the needs of all its stakeholders.

With whom is eLTER collaborating?

• eLTER has made official agreements to work together with other global and European research groups and organisations like UNECE Working Group on Effects, ICOS, and LifeWatch ERIC to make sure that everyone is working well together.
• eLTER contributed to the co-development of global and international groups that coordinate the work of Research Infrastructures to maximise impact, such as the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructures (GERI) initiative and the Board of ENVRI (Environmental Research Infrastructures), and maintains an active role in their activities.

What eLTER wants to achieve

• eLTER's special way of looking at all the different parts of an ecosystem is known as a Whole System Approach. This makes eLTER very important in the European Research Infrastructure landscape. eLTER covers all European habitat types and its aim is to understand the environment as a whole, including human interactions with nature. This makes it the most comprehensive and ambitious RI in Europe.
• eLTER's Strategic Plan is a useful resource for the public, for example for training and education, citizen science, and collaborations with business and industry.

Developing the eLTER Research Infrastructure

• 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, three more European countries have also expressed their support and joined its governing body, the Interim Council. Germany has agreed to provide the provisional statutory seat for eLTER to support its development towards a Research Infrastructure.
• eLTER is working to develop and upgrade its national long-term observation networks. Several member countries have given a lot more money to their national networks to upgrade facilities and strengthen networks, and to fund research on key topics such as climate change and transformation on eLTER Sites

Other achievements by eLTER

• eLTER has created an informative website, as well as communication strategies and materials for its Communication Target Groups, and a range of training materials on various aspects of eLTER to explain and promote eLTER's broad range of activities.
• eLTER attends many international scientific and strategic meetings every year to promote RI integration and usage to ensure that the scientific community and society fully benefit from eLTER.
• eLTER acts as a catalyst for national processes in developing and upgrading national facilities. Several member countries have given a lot more money to their national networks to improve facilities and strengthen networks, and to fund research on important topics such as climate change and transformation on eLTER Sites.