Negotiating local versus global needs in the International Long Term Ecological Research Network’s socio-ecological research agenda

Abstract

Over the past decade, long-term socio-ecological research (LTSER) has been established to better integrate social science research and societal concerns into the goals and objectives of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network, an established global network of long-term ecological monitoring sites. The Horizon 2020 eLTER project, currently underway, includes as one of its key objectives to evaluate the performance of LTSER platforms. This article reflects part of this evaluation: six LTSER platforms were assessed through site visits of the lead author, coupled with reflections and insights of the platform managers, who are also co-authors. We provide background for the mission and goals of LTSER, then assess the six international LTSER platforms-Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER, USA; Braila Island LTSER, Romania; Cairngorms LTSER, UK; Doñana LTSER, Spain; Omora Ethnobotanical Park Cape Horn LTER, Chile; and Sierra Nevada LTSER, Spain. While based on a strong theoretical foundation in socio-ecological research, there has been a steep learning curve for scientists applying the concept in practice at LTSER platforms. We show positive impacts that have been achieved, including contributions to policy, land-use planning, and natural resource management. We explain key aspects of LTSER platforms that have proven challenging, including management, interdisciplinary integration, and stakeholder collaboration. We characterize the tensions between top-down desires for network harmonization, bottom-up demands such as local policy relevance, and platform-level constraints such as time and budget. Finally, we discuss challenges, such as local context dominating the character of LTSER platforms, and the fact that scientists are often disincentivized from engaging in transdisciplinary science. Overall, we conclude that while the international network offers important advantages to its members, a more productive balance between local and global goals could be achieved, and members may need to temper their expectations of what the network can and cannot offer at the local level.

Mismatches in the Ecosystem Services Literature—a Review of Spatial, Temporal, and Functional-Conceptual Mismatches

“…A reason might be the character of Western science, which is often based on projects over two or 3 years and not decades. One potential way forward could be the standardized integration of social aspects into long-term ecological research (LTER) which have already started over the last decade to include increasingly social aspects, but more on a case-by-case basis [90]. The consideration of different speeds of change of the components in a mismatch (e.g., species abundance or population growth) and legacies [91] might also add another perspective on temporal mismatches which have not been researched extensively in the ecosystem service research.…”

Un centinela para el monitoreo del cambio climático y su impacto sobre la biodiversidad en la cumbre austral de América: La nueva red de estudios a largo Plazo Cabo de Hornos

“…En este último aspecto, con el fin de abordar tanto las brechas geográficas como interdisciplinarias en la Red ILTER, desde el Parque Omora hemos introducido una innovación para integrar las ciencias ecológicas y la ética ambiental tanto en la investigación como en los programas de educación y de asesoría en políticas públicas y toma de decisiones socio-ambientales. En la Red ILTER hemos liderado la creación de una nueva sección de educación y ética ambiental Li et al 2015;Maass et al 2016), donde hemos incorporado una metodología innovadora desarrollada por el equipo del Parque Omora, la Filosofía Ambiental de Campo ) que ha sido adaptada en otros sitios de las redes LTSER-Chile e ILTER (Aguirre, 2015;Holzer et al 2018).…”

An expert-based reference list of variables for characterizing and monitoring social-ecological systems

“…Long-term monitoring provides a fundamental basis for understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of SESs. This has been made explicit in some global research networks, such as the International Long-Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER) and the Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS; https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol25/iss3/art1/ Holzer et al 2018). ILTER includes long-term social-ecological research (LTSER) platforms based on the conceptual model of the SES (Collins et al 2011).…”

“…The main goal of PECS research is the integration of place-based and long-term social-ecological knowledge generated from case studies across the world to better understand social-ecological dynamics (Carpenter et al 2012, Balvanera et al 2017, Norström et al 2017). In addition, the World Network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves introduced the social-ecological approach into protected area management, as well as the need to monitor changes in the biosphere resulting from human-nature interactions (Holzer et al 2018). Despite the promising advances in long-term social-ecological monitoring by these networks, one persistent challenge is the harmonization of monitoring protocols to promote cross-site comparability.…”