The Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone, and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI) is a distributed research infrastructure that facilitates advanced ecosystem, socio-ecological, and critical zone research across Europe. eLTER's vision and mission is to improve our understanding of the interactions between natural systems and human activities, enabling the development of science-based solutions to major environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and land-use change.
Key features of the eLTER RI
- Distributed physical network: Wide-scale and systematic coverage of major European terrestrial, freshwater and transitional water ecosystems (ca. 250 research Sites and socio-ecological Platforms)
- Central Services: provided by the Head Office and thematic Topic Centres
- Research into ecosystem processes influenced by multiple drivers, as well as socio-ecological research relating to ecosystem services
- Investigation of interactions between abiotic and biotic ecosystem components at multiple scales, including human-environment interactions
- Integrated, long-term and high-quality observations across the critical zone, supporting whole ecosystem science
- Strong links with other European environmental RIs encouraging co-location of measurements and other collaborations
- International collaboration through the International LTER network (ILTER) and the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI)
By fostering collaboration across disciplines and providing access to cutting-edge research infrastructure and services, eLTER RI plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge and supporting evidence-based decision-making for a sustainable future.