Research questions to facilitate the future development of European long-term ecosystem research infrastructures: A horizon scanning exercise

Martin Musche¹, Mihai Adamescu², Per Angelstam³, Sven Bacher⁴, Jaana Bäck⁵, Heather L Buss⁶, Christopher Duffy⁷, Giovanna Flaim⁸, Jerome Gaillardet⁹, George V Giannakis¹⁰, Peter Haase¹¹, Luboš Halada¹², W Daniel Kissling¹³, Lars Lundin¹⁴, Giorgio Matteucci¹⁵, Henning Meesenburg¹⁶, Don Monteith¹⁷, Nikolaos P Nikolaidis¹⁰, Tanja Pipan¹⁸, Petr Pyšek¹⁹, Ed C Rowe²⁰, David B Roy²¹, Andrew Sier¹⁷, Ulrike Tappeiner²², Montserrat Vilà²³, Tim White²⁴, Martin Zobel²⁵, Stefan Klotz²⁶

Affiliations

¹ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany. Electronic address: martin.musche@ufz.de.
² University of Bucharest, Research Center for Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Spl. Independentei 91 - 95, 050095, Bucharest, Romania.
³ School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 43, SE-739 21, Skinnskatteberg, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁵ Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, P.O.Box 27, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
⁶ School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom.
⁷ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 212 Sackett, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
⁸ Department of Sustainable Agro-ecosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), Via E. Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.
⁹ CNRS and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238, Paris, cedex 05, France.
¹⁰ School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, University Campus, 73100, Chania, Greece.
¹¹ Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Clamecystr. 12, 63571, Gelnhausen, Germany; University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, 45141, Essen, Germany.
¹² Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS, Branch Nitra, Akademicka 2, 949 10, Nitra, Slovakia.
¹³ Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090, GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
¹⁴ Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7050, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁵ National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Patacca, 85 I-80056, Ercolano, NA, Italy.
¹⁶ Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Grätzelstr. 2, 37079, Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁷ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK.
¹⁸ ZRC SAZU Karst Research Institute, Titov trg 2, SI-6230, Postojna, Slovenia; UNESCO Chair on Karst Education, University of Nova Gorica, Glavni trg 8, SI-5271, Vipava, Slovenia.
¹⁹ The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic; Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Prague, Czech Republic.
²⁰ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor, LL57 4NW, UK.
²¹ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8EF, UK.
²² Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria; Eurac research, Viale Druso 1, 39100, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy.
²³ Estación Biológica de Doñana-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41005, Sevilla, Spain.
²⁴ Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, 2217 EES Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16828, USA.
²⁵ Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai St.40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
²⁶ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany.

PMID: 31499467
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109479

Free article

Review

Research questions to facilitate the future development of European long-term ecosystem research infrastructures: A horizon scanning exercise

Martin Musche et al. J Environ Manage. 2019.

Free article

. 2019 Nov 15:250:109479.

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109479. Epub 2019 Sep 6.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany. Electronic address: martin.musche@ufz.de.
² University of Bucharest, Research Center for Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Spl. Independentei 91 - 95, 050095, Bucharest, Romania.
³ School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 43, SE-739 21, Skinnskatteberg, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁵ Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, P.O.Box 27, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
⁶ School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom.
⁷ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 212 Sackett, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
⁸ Department of Sustainable Agro-ecosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), Via E. Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.
⁹ CNRS and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238, Paris, cedex 05, France.
¹⁰ School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, University Campus, 73100, Chania, Greece.
¹¹ Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Clamecystr. 12, 63571, Gelnhausen, Germany; University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, 45141, Essen, Germany.
¹² Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS, Branch Nitra, Akademicka 2, 949 10, Nitra, Slovakia.
¹³ Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090, GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
¹⁴ Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7050, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁵ National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Patacca, 85 I-80056, Ercolano, NA, Italy.
¹⁶ Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Grätzelstr. 2, 37079, Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁷ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK.
¹⁸ ZRC SAZU Karst Research Institute, Titov trg 2, SI-6230, Postojna, Slovenia; UNESCO Chair on Karst Education, University of Nova Gorica, Glavni trg 8, SI-5271, Vipava, Slovenia.
¹⁹ The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic; Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Prague, Czech Republic.
²⁰ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor, LL57 4NW, UK.
²¹ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8EF, UK.
²² Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria; Eurac research, Viale Druso 1, 39100, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy.
²³ Estación Biológica de Doñana-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41005, Sevilla, Spain.
²⁴ Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, 2217 EES Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16828, USA.
²⁵ Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai St.40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
²⁶ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany.

PMID: 31499467
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109479

Abstract

Distributed environmental research infrastructures are important to support assessments of the effects of global change on landscapes, ecosystems and society. These infrastructures need to provide continuity to address long-term change, yet be flexible enough to respond to rapid societal and technological developments that modify research priorities. We used a horizon scanning exercise to identify and prioritize emerging research questions for the future development of ecosystem and socio-ecological research infrastructures in Europe. Twenty research questions covered topics related to (i) ecosystem structures and processes, (ii) the impacts of anthropogenic drivers on ecosystems, (iii) ecosystem services and socio-ecological systems and (iv), methods and research infrastructures. Several key priorities for the development of research infrastructures emerged. Addressing complex environmental issues requires the adoption of a whole-system approach, achieved through integration of biotic, abiotic and socio-economic measurements. Interoperability among different research infrastructures needs to be improved by developing standard measurements, harmonizing methods, and establishing capacities and tools for data integration, processing, storage and analysis. Future research infrastructures should support a range of methodological approaches including observation, experiments and modelling. They should also have flexibility to respond to new requirements, for example by adjusting the spatio-temporal design of measurements. When new methods are introduced, compatibility with important long-term data series must be ensured. Finally, indicators, tools, and transdisciplinary approaches to identify, quantify and value ecosystem services across spatial scales and domains need to be advanced.

Keywords: Interoperability; Priorities; Research infrastructure; Research strategies; Whole system approach.

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Research questions to facilitate the future development of European long-term ecosystem research infrastructures: A horizon scanning exercise

Affiliations

Research questions to facilitate the future development of European long-term ecosystem research infrastructures: A horizon scanning exercise

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