Long Term Ecological Research Network Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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The Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) was born as a result of a series of workshops sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore the nature of collaborative research within the environmental sciences. Researchers may apply for funding and network membership for a center where meaningful ecological research can take place.

The LTER’s mission is to provide the scientific community, policy makers, and society with the knowledge necessary to conserve, protect, and manage the nation’s ecosystems, their biodiversity, and the services they provide. It envisages a world in which exemplary science contributes to the advancement of the health, productivity, and welfare of the global environment that, in turn, advances the health, prosperity, welfare, and security of the United States.

The NSF funds the LTER. Consequently, sites accepted to the network are expected to conduct highquality research, share research data, and participate in the networking activities of the LTER. Other funding comes from government bodies such as the Department of the Interior, the National Aerospace and Space Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The goals of the network are summarized in six terms: understanding, synthesis, outreach, education, information, and legacies. These activities center on conducting existing and new research, using that research to inform publications in a wide range of styles, and creating a repository of knowledge to assist the general public, fellow researchers, and policy makers in understanding the complexities of ecological research.

In 2006, the LTER consisted of 26 different sites in the United States, ranging from the study of salt marsh and oyster reefs of the Georgia Coastal Ecosystem LTER to the research into the Sonoran desert scrub at the Central Arizona-Phoenix LTER. The sites currently active represent the full range of the diversity of the ecosystems of the United States, and include monitoring of both urban and nonurban areas.

The International Long Term Research Network (ILTER) is an international network of scientists and researchers working in fields relating to ecological research. The network was established in 1993 at an international conference of researchers in Colorado who expressed the desire for greater communication among scientists working on common issues.

Scientists recognized the need to create international links to research issues that are clearly globally interconnected in nature. By May 2006, 32 national networks of scientists had joined the ILTER and another 11 were considering membership. Coverage of the territory of the world was best in the Americas, southern Africa, western Europe, and East Asia. Its activities focus on consolidating relevant data at the international level, improving global networking, and facilitating education and policy making on ecological issues around the world.

Bibliography:

David Greenland, Douglas G. Goodin, and Raymond C. Smith, Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response at Long Term Ecological Research Sites (Oxford University Press, 2003).