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Tree near the Muir of Dinnet Special Area for Conservation, Scotland
Photo: © Andrew Sier, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Welcome to ALTER-Net
Never before has our planet's biological diversity been so threatened by human activity. Yet it plays a vital role in maintaining the health of ecosystems, as well as providing us with many valuable resources essential for our survival. For these reasons alone it is important that we understand biodiversity and the pressures it faces, so that we can develop credible responses. This requires effective scientific research.
European biodiversity research is rich and varied. It is also dispersed and disconnected and cannot be easily marshalled to deliver the information and knowledge required to address major biodiversity issues at a European scale. ALTER-Net is a five year project funded by the European Union's Framework VI programme. ALTER-Net is a Network of Excellence: its 24 partner institutes from 17 European countries are aiming to build lasting integration of biodiversity research, monitoring and communication capacity.
ALTER-Net is integrating capacity across Europe to assess and forecast changes in biodiversity, structure, functions and dynamics of ecosystems and their services. This is being achieved in a number of ways. ALTER-Net is a focus of efforts to create a network of sites for European long-term terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem research (Long-Term Ecosystem Research sites, LTER). It is also developing a related network of Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) sites, which could be used to determine the socio-economic implications of, and public attitudes to, biodiversity loss. In 2005 ALTER-Net launched the International Press Centre for Biodiversity Research (IPCB), a regularly updated online source of news and press releases about international biodiversity research, serving journalists and other users. ALTER-Net ran its first Summer School in 2006, the first in a series of such schools aimed at equipping young researchers with the knowledge and skills to undertake integrated biodiversity research at a European level.
The ALTER-Net website explains the project and key issues of relevance, as well as keeping you up to date with news of ALTER-Net and related biodiversity activities. Why not join the site? Become a registered user and receive regular emailed updates. For international biodiversity research news and press releases, please visit our sister site, the International Press Centre for Biodiversity Research.
ALTER-Net All Parties' Conference, 5-9 February, Palma de Mallorca
The ALTER-Net All Parties' Conference brought together people from across all ALTER-Net partners as well as selected invited people from other organisations. A special event took place on Thursday 8th February with support from the European Environment Agency and in conjunction with representatives of European LTER networks: Towards a long-term ecosystem research network in Europe for biodiversity and ecosystem research and monitoring.
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