Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Italy) is a shallow meso-eutrophic lake of a remarkable naturalistic importance (Natura 2000 site, S.C.I., S.P.Z. and Regional Park). Despite its large extension, the lake is very shallow and its bathymetry very smooth, with a maximum nominal depth of 6.3 m, which can only be reached when the water level exceeds the artificial outlet threshold located at 257.50 m a.s.l.

Mata de Sines is one of the six research and monitoring stations of LTER-Montado, an umbrella site located in the Alentejo province in south Portugal (southwestern Iberia). The "Montado" represents an unique agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem (named "dehesa" in Spain) found only in the Mediterranean basin. These savannah-like landscapes are dominated by evergreen cork and/or holm oaks and were shaped over millennia of traditional land use practices. These multi-use forests are two-layered systems that combine, in a single space, forest harvesting, extensive livestock husbandry, pastures and/or cereal cultivation (the most evident economical revenues), with other traditional uses (hunting, beekeeping and mushroom picking). Recently, increasing awareness arose on their benefits as biodiversity reservoirs, recreation grounds, and other ecosystem services providers, but these non-productive functions are not equally perceived and valued by users, as they tend to be conflicting with productive ones. Mata de Sines is a state property located in the littoral area in the Alentejo province, 140 km southeast Lisbon and 6 km from Sines (37° 59’N – 8° 50’W). Cork oak is the dominant tree in 301 ha of the total area, the remaining being occupied mostly by pine forest. Managed as a agro-silvo-pastoral system, most of the woodland has been managed so as to maintain or increase cork production during the last 15 years. Some tree decline is observed, especially on podzols. The natural regeneration of the tree stand is not uniform, and is lacking in some places because of old grazing and shrub clearing for fire prevention. Conflicting interests arise from the livestock grazing component, that affects the natural regeneration of cork oaks. Interventions and adjustments to promote natural regeneration and active afforestation are included in the management plan over the last 15 years.

Station Linné has its roots in the Uppsala University Research Station on Öland. The research station is situated in Ölands Skogsby, adjacent to Stora Alvaret and the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Södra Ölands odlingslandskap”. The station was inaugurated in 1963 and was run by Uppsala University until June 30, 2008. Since May 1, 2010, however, the station is run by an independent foundation, the Station Linné Foundation (Stiftelsen Station Linné). The mission of the Foundation is to support research, education and outreach within sustainable development. Currently, the foundation supports its mission primarily by running the research station in Ölands Skogsby. The station has a tradition since 1963 committed research on the flora and fauna of Öland and documented in several hundreds scientific papers. Although the station is small, it is visited yearly by about 100 scientists and students from Swedish and foreign institutions. Since 2005, the station is also the permanent base for the Swedish Malaise Trap Project, a comprehensive inventory of the entire Swedish insect fauna, which is internationally unique in that it is the most ambitious ATBI (all-taxa biodiversity inventory) targeting a sizable insect fauna yet. Since 2000, the station has also organized outreach activities for the general public, not the least for children and youngsters. Future plans include collaboration with local authorities, the station also hopes to be involved in the creation of a future Visitor Centre for the adjacent World Heritage Site. The station will continue to provide support for visiting scientists and students, and we hope to add more lodging facilities, and expand the station's educational and research activities for young adults.

Herdade da Contenda is one of the six research and monitoring stations of LTER-Montado, an umbrella site located in the Alentejo province in south Portugal (southwestern Iberia). The "Montado" represents an unique agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem (named "dehesa" in Spain) found only in the Mediterranean basin. These savannah-like landscapes are dominated by evergreen cork and/or holm oaks and were shaped over millennia of traditional land use practices. These multi-use forests are two-layered systems that combine, in a single space, forest harvesting, extensive livestock husbandry, pastures and/or cereal cultivation (the most evident economical revenues), with other traditional uses (hunting, beekeeping and mushroom picking). Recently, increasing awareness arose on their benefits as biodiversity reservoirs, recreation grounds, and other ecosystem services providers, but these non-productive functions are not equally perceived and valued by users, as they tend to be conflicting with productive ones. Herdade da Contenda is a state property located on the far western limit of the Sierra Morena, in the transition to the lowlands of Baixo Alentejo province (Moura Council). The area is limited to the east and the south by the Portuguese – Spanish border and to the north and west by several streams (Arroio, Murtigão and Pais Joanes) tributaries of the Guadiana River (38º 01’ N – 7° 13’W). On Northern Contenda, with relatively flat ground and moderate slopes and climate conditions closest to the semi-arid, the predominant and typical vegetation is the open holm-oak woodlands, with under-cover of pastures and cultivations used for grazing. On Central Contenda with steeper relief and slopes the soil is covered by rock-rose and/or heather maquis, arboraceous maquis with cork-oak or holm-oak and also by young stone and maritime pine forest stands. In Southern Contenda, where the highest altitudes can be found and topography and slopes are less pronounced, the climate is sub-humid; this is the most afforested area, dominantly covered by stone pine, maritime pine and cork oak stands. Managed as a multiple use system, where forestry, hunting silvopastoral and protection/conservation of natural habitats / flora & fauna communities are maintained roughly in the same fashion since the 1960s. The main economic outputs are cattle and hunting. Cork was never harvested on the dominant areas of Contenda. Holm-oak tree decline is observed on silvopastoral areas. The natural regeneration of the tree stand is not uniform, and is lacking in some places because of grazing and shrub clearing. Conflicting interests arise from the livestock and game grazing component that affects the natural regeneration of holm and cork oak trees. Interventions and adjustments to promote natural regeneration and active afforestation of oaks have been included in management plans over the last 50 years. An Integral Protected Area where natural regeneration of holm and cork oaks between the natural woods and maquis is promoted was created on Central Contenda in 1963.

UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UK UWMN) site. Narrator Brook lies in the Dartmoor National Park, south-west England. The study catchment covers 446 ha and drains into the Burrator Reservoir. The altitude at the reservoir inflow is 225 m and a maximum altitude is reached at Cairn Eylesbarrow (456 m). The underlying geology is composed of granite and soils consist of brown podsols, stagnopodsols and stagnohumic gleys. Molinia dominated blanket bog comprises about two thirds of the catchment, with acid grassland invaded by Pteridium, conifers, deciduous woodland and valley bog constituting the remainder. The catchment is utilised for low-intensity grazing by sheep, cattle and ponies and a small area at the western end is common land, but other land-management is minimal. The conifers, which are not planted to the stream edge, were planted in 1931-1933 and thinned (and replanted in places) between 1980 and 1988. They now fall within a Woodland Grant Scheme. Annual rainfall is c. 1800 mm. Note: The area is the size of the catchment.

The Lusignan experiment is a temporary grassland (leys arable crop rotations system) dedicated to study the long-term anthropogenic disturbance on biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity.

UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UK UWMN) site. The Coneyglen Burn lies in the Sperrin Mountains of central Northern Ireland. The catchment area is 1264 ha and rises from 230 m at the sampling station to a maximum of 562 m at Carnanelly. The underlying geology is schists of the Mullaghcarn series, which occur in places as rocky outcrops. Catchment soils are dominated by blanket peats and peaty podsols. Adjacent to the stream the thin peat is interspersed with alluvium, sands and gravels. Originally some 4% of the catchment (the lower section) was planted with conifers but this has increased slightly since 2000 as the forested area was enlarged. Previously improved grazing land in the middle section of the catchment, adjacent to a small farm, is no longer actively managed, except by grazing, and is reverting to moorland, with a predominance of Juncus species. Old field systems and drainage patterns suggest a higher intensity of land-use in the past. Elsewhere, the vegetation is characterised by moorland species, notably Calluna. Contemporary land-use and management is confined to low-intensity sheep grazing and infrequent heather burning. The annual rainfall is c.1500 mm. Note: The area is the size of the catchment.

The infrastructure is an experiment aimed at determining the carbon, water, energy and nutrient balances of short rotation forests dedicated to biomass and wood production. The infrastructure comprises two sites located in Cestas and Salles. The Salles site (60 ha plot of pine forest), is fully operational since 2000 with an eddy flux tower (CO2, H2O, heat, radiation), nitrogen wet and dry depositions, soil moisture, micrometeorological and ancillary measurements. It is connected to the main power and satellite data transmission. The Cestas site is in construction. It will be composed of (1) a set of 32 plots organized into complete randomized blocks where forest management alternatives are compared and (2) a set of four large plots (10-12 ha) designed for carbon, nitrogen and water fluxes monitoring to be launched in 2012.

The study site is located in Tolfa-Allumiere, in Central Italy not far from the Tyrrhenian coast at an elevation of about 500 m above sea level. A Mediterranean evergreen woodland was selected for a large through-fall manipulation experiment. The experimental design included three large (1 ha each) un-replicated plots (1 Control, 1 Dry, 1 Wet) for eddy-flux measurements, and nine smaller (8x12 m2) plots (3 Control, 3 Dry, 3 Wet) for replicated ecological studies. These plots were equipped with automated soil respiration systems, dendrometers, litterbags and others environmental sensors. This facility is suitable for testing short and long term effects of precipitation changes in Mediterranean ecosystems.

UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UK UWMN) site. Some data are managed by UK ECN Data Centre. Site description here: http://awmn.defra.gov.uk/sites/site_12.php. Note: The area is the size of the catchment.