LTSER Taiwan

What is Taiwan long-term socio-ecological research (LTSER) platform

Taiwan LTSER core platform, a core facility of National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan, establishes monitoring sites that represent different types of socio-ecological systems in Taiwan. Scientists in charge of the sites of the platform collect fundamental information/data related to the dynamics of the socio-ecological systems that are accessible to the science community and the general public. One of the main goals of the LTSER platform is to attract more scientists to use the data to conduct research that will deepen our understanding of the socio-ecological systems. Recognizing the interlinks between the social system and the ecological system, LTSER attempts to integrate the two systems to provide holistic view of system dynamics. This integration distinguishes LTSER from other environmental and ecological monitoring programs.

The importance of long-term monitoring

Ecosystem service provided by global ecosystems is the foundation for the well-being of all organisms including human beings. Changes in ecosystem conditions are often accompanied by changes in ecosystem services. Environmental change, especially climate change, is a grand challenge to humans and all species on Earth. In addition to the threats from environmental change, anthropogenic activities such as pollution from industries, urban expansion and agriculture all impact ecosystems and thus the services they provide. All the changes can be rapid and acute or slow and gradual. Most ecological surveys are short-term and many take place when changes happen. Such surveys/observations are glimpses of the system dynamics. We need long-term monitoring to have a good understanding of how ecosystems change and respond to environmental change and anthropogenic activities.

From LTER to LTSER

Recognizing the importance of long-term studies to our understanding of ecosystem dynamics, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated long-term ecological research program, systematically conducted long-term monitoring and studies in many representative ecosystems across the US and formed a LTER network in the 1980s. The US NSF extended LTER to the international level and established the International Long-term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network in 1993, and Taiwan was among the first to join the ILTER.

Although Europe had a late start of LTER in 2003, e-LTER is among the most active regional ILTER networks. Moreover, e-LTER was among the first to address the intertwining between the social and ecological systems. From the beginning of the 21st century, countries such as Austria and France transformed some e-LTER sites to e-LTSER sites. Many long-term ecological studies began to extend their focus to include the interconnections between the sustainability of ecosystems and the sustainability of social systems. In the US, many of the LTER sites also include the social dimension into their long-term monitoring programs. The trend of extending/transforming LTER to LTSER reflects the recognition of the increasing impacts of global change on both ecosystems and social systems. It also highlights that long-term socio-ecological studies are the core of sustainability science.

The goal of Taiwan Long-term Socio-Ecological core monitoring platform

Taiwan LTSER platform aims to select socio-ecological systems that are representative of the diverse socio-ecological systems of Taiwan. Through the effort of local scientists, who are familiar with the areas, we expect to establish a local-based LTSER network. We hope that data accumulated through long-term monitoring would attract more scientists to conduct studies on these sites to maximize the outcome of the LTSER core facility. We hope results from the long-term monitoring and studies conducted on these sites can be used for sustainable governance and help local people to sustainably use the nature resources. Moreover, in the era of global change, long-term monitoring could provide important baseline information to evaluate the impact on and resilience of the socio-ecological systems.

Currently, there are four LTSER sites/platforms, Feitsui, Changhua, Lyudao and Hualien. More sites will be established in the next several years. For more information about LTSER, please contact the program manager, Dr. Jen-Yi Wu (wujy29@nstc.gov.tw), or the chairperson of the program office, Dr. Teng-Chiu Lin (tclin@ntnu.edu.tw)

Funding

Taiwan LTSER is a core facility supported by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan.

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