INTEGRATING LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) AND MARINE PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) generates unique data sets that have the potential to identify and quantify trends in ecological processes that may be difficult to detect at lower temporal resolutions. Even though many LTER sites are within protected areas, they do not necessarily produce data that are well aligned with the objectives of the institutions and individuals who manage and govern these sites. There are several potential reasons for this, including: i) insufficient information provided by the LTER on socio-ecological variables of relevance to management; ii) a mismatch between the spatial scale of the data collected by the LTER and the scale of data needed to inform management decisions; iii) a lack of inclusion of policy-makers in crucial steps of LTER project implementation, including experimental design and analysis, and; iv) an absence or insufficiency of formal or informal mechanisms for incorporating LTER data into environmental decision-making and protected area governance. Using examples from recently implemented LTER in the Costa dos Corais Environmental Protected Area (known as the PELD-CCAL), we reflect on how some of these challenges can be addressed and provide general recommendations for increasing the conservation management and policy relevance of LTER projects in Brazil.