Towards an understanding of long-term ecosystem dynamics by merging socio-economic and environmental research: Criteria for long-term socio-ecological research sites selection

Abstract

Human activity affects ecosystem functions through the disruption of pattern and rate of matter as well as energy flow through ecosystems. Extraction, transport and transformation of resources driven by societal and economic pressures change our landscape. These processes influence biodiversity, redefine the ecological state of ecosystems and impact both on society and the economy. Thus the inclusion of socio-economic dimensions into standard ecological research has been identified as a challenge in a new phase of development in Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER). Transformation from LTER to LTSER – Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research – raises questions about the comparability and compatibility of research, the need for indicators linking environmental and socio-economic processes as well as criteria for launching research sites that focus on interaction between society and nature. In this paper we propose criteria developed within A Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Awareness Research Network (ALTER Net). These criteria are designed to support the process of transformation of traditional research sites, with the aim of broadening their scope to a socio-economic dimension. They may also be used for identifying and launching new sites — the LTSER-sites. We suggest that apart from criteria for selection of specific sites, the whole pool of different sites (the network database) is crucial for recognizing cross-scale processes, general socio-ecological and economic trends as well as resource management. Therefore the paper distinguishes between two sets of criteria: local “site criteria” and network “pool criteria”. They may be used both as a quality label for transition of traditional ecological sites and as a matrix for establishing and developing new research areas.