The state forest of La Reine is a humid forest of about 5000 ha located in the south of the plain of Woëvre and at the foot of the Meuse hills in France. Numerous ponds and puddles are scattered throughout the forest and it is crossed by many small, more or less natural streams. Upstream of the forest, these waterways are impacted by human activities (large-scale farming, housing without collective sanitation in particular). Since 2019, the Moselle Basin Workshop Zone has been working on the implementation of a workshop site to understand the bio-hydrogeological functioning of three of these streams, particularly in terms of natural purification. Sampling campaigns are regularly organized in the streams and in ponds.

The present proposal aims to assess how human disturbance and changes in rainfall regime affect the Caatinga ecosystem’s biota at different levels of biological organization (i.e, from populations to ecosystem level), by correlating these aspects with the theoretical reference shown in macro trends already documented in the tropics. The project will be developed in Catimbau National Park, a polygon of approximately 63,000 ha, and one of the most important protected areas in the Caatinga. The Park presents vocation for ecological studies of long-term and thus to become an LTER site due to a series of reasons: (1) it has a biological, archaeological and landscape heritage of inestimable value, (2) it shelters areas with different historical land use and anthropic disturbance on the vegetation of Caatinga, (3) there are already in place several research initiatives and training of human resources, and (4) in term of unit management aspects, logistics and infrastructure are favorable for long-term initiatives. Furthermore, the implementation and achievement of this project’s objectives are centered on: (1) establishment of a set of 30 permanent plots, (2) periodic multi-taxa inventories, (3) continuous monitoring of environmental and anthropogenic variables (4) consolidation of biological, land usage and environmental data on the basis of GIS type and (5) dissemination / transfer of information through a wide range of instruments.This proposal will be implemented by a network composed of 23 researchers supported by a number of undergraduate / graduate students, all from six national institutions and three other overseas. The main core of the graduate programs are Plant Biology, Biology Animal and Fungal Biology, all at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). In summary, the "LTER Catimbau National Park" is an important proposal and has the ability to expand knowledge about how dry biota respond to land use changes and precipitation, with all the implications that these answers may have for the management of biodiversity and the achievement of sustainable development in semi-arid regions.

Dynamics of alpine tree line has been reported from several mountain ranges in Europe, in North America, New Zealand as well as in the Alps (Grabherr et al. 1994). This led to the formation of the GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) project, dedicated to initiate a global indicator network towards research on the effects of climate change through an international co-operation. Indian part of Himalaya was not having any site towards this mission till 2013. Therefore, based on some Indian studies which also indicated this trend in more pronounced manner, the need of having Indian network was felt. It was in this context as a part of network project across the Indian Himalayan states under the banner of HIMADRI (Himalayan Alpine Dynamics Research Initiative) a long-term monitoring site was established in Kashmir Himalaya at Gulmarg, a famous hill resort. This particular work plan (TeaComposition initiative) is conducted at this selected HIMADRI site. Gulmarg lies on the north east side of the Pir Panjal Range and is about 60 kms west of Srinagar city. It encompasses the upper catchment area of Ferozpur Nullah and the forests that surround the Gulmarg meadow. The vegetation in Gulmarg mainly comprises of coniferous temperate mountain forests of Blue Pine (Pinus Wallichiana), sub-alpine forests of Silver Fir (Abies pindrow) and Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis), followed by alpine scrub and meadows.

Hailun Agricultural Ecological Station located in Hailun city, Heilongjiang province, was established in 1978, briefly named Hailun Agro-ecosystem Station. The main research fields at that time were the optimal management of agriculture and advanced technology utilization in agricultural production. Chinese ecosystem research network(CERN) established in 1988 selected Hailun station as one of its components. The objective of Hailun station was to study the agro-ecosystem and sustainable development of agriculture in black soil zone in Northease China. Also, Hailun station was considered as one of components, when national field research net was built in 2005.

Děvín is a considerable site of forest and non-forest ecosystems of the warmest part of the Czech Republic. Due to heterogeneous geomorphology, it comprises a range of habitat conditions and vegetation types. Forests cover about 3/4 of the area and they are formed mainly by oak-hornbeam wood, thermophilous oak wood, and ravine wood. The forests of Děvín were strictly managed as a coppice in the past. The oldest records are available from the late 14th century. The cutting period was as short as 7 years in the Middle Age and then gradually increased to 15–25 years during the 17th–19th centuries. A reason of the coppice management was the need of firewood. This probably led to a dominance of the large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos), which stands regular cutting and quickly re-sprouts. The traditional management was abandoned in the 20th century, a nature reserve was declared in 1946, and later even a game preserve was established; the latter, however, was cancelled in the 1990s. The forest has been gradually transformed to a high forest and its age has increased to the today’s average of 70, sometimes over 120 years. The dramatic change in the management has caused a large change in ecological conditions. Light woods, hosting many species occurring in light- and warm-demanding conditions, have shifted to mesic, i.e. moister and nutrient-richer forests than ever before. A marked decrease in diversity in forest understorey has been a consequence. This trend was revealed by a comparison of nearly 200 vegetation plots from 1953–1964 with their 2002–2003 replicates, i.e. after 40 to 50 years. A similar comparison is available for soils with 34 repeated pedological profiles. The aim of the present management is to restore coppices with partial preservation of some stands in a non-intervention regime. A set of 80 permanent plots has been established in 2008 in order to monitor the consequent environmental and vegetation changes, as well as diversity of invertebrates, with a monitoring period of 5–10 years.

The Pilica River watershed is located in central Poland (length:342 km, catchment area: 9258km2). Its mean and maximum discharge is 21.2 and 139m3 s−1, respectively. Agriculture is found in over 60% of the Pilica catchment, and results in an increased supply of nutrients, humic substances, and other pollutants from non-point sources to the river and the Sulejow Reservoir, which is a spare drinking-water reservoir for the Lodz agglomeration and a recreational area. The LTER site includes the experimental floodplain of the Pilica River valley (51°18'58.46''N and 19°54'10.54''E), located in the middle reach of the river, upstream of the reservoir.

Dongting Lake Station (29º30'N, 112º48'E) located in East Dongting Lake in Yueyang City, Hunan Province. The station has good geographical advantage, convenient transportation, for about 180 kilometers from Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. Dongting Lake located in the northeast of Hunan Province, the south shore of Jing River (in the middle of the Yangtze River) is the second largest freshwater lake of China.

The Transetto Senigallia-Susak is a transect of sampling stations located in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The IRBIM-CNR in Ancona and the Politechnical University of Marche collects from the end of years 80s physical, chemical and biological data. This is an excellent observing site to analyze the characteristics of water masses entering and leaving the North Adriatic Sea and their possible modification. In the site is also located the TeleSenigallia pylon.

The Rutzendorf Experimental Station is an agricultural research site of the University of Natural Resources and Live Sciences Vienna (BOKU), belonging to the Landwirtschaftliche Versuchswirtschaften GmbH. It is representative for the productive soils managed as arable land in the Marchfeld area (Lower Austria). The soil is described as a silty loamy Calcaric Phaeozem (WRB), a Chernozem according to Austrian soil classification. Management on the farm is without livestock, no organic fertilizers are applied. The farm was converted to organic farming in the production year 2002/03. The 8-year crop rotation comprises luzerne (2 yrs), winter wheat*, grain maize, spring barley*, field peas*, winter wheat, winter rye. Cover crop mixtures are grown where indicated in the crop rotation with an asteric. Current research questions include to study (i) the long-term sustainability and productivity of the stockless organic arable system compared to a livestock-keeping system, (ii) the mitigation of climate change effects on the soil-plant system by reducing soil cultivation intensity, and (iii) the development of biodiversity following the conversion to organic farming and enhancement of landscape elements. Regularly meteorological data, crop yields and quality, physical, chemical and biological soil traits, weed species and diaspores, springtails, wild bees and other animal species are assessed. Studies have been conducted as research projects financed nationally and by the European Union, e.g. in two EIP projects.

Hohe Tauern NP was established more than 40 years ago as one of the biggest protected areas in Central Europe to protect at long-term wide areas of the Austrian main-ridge of the Alps. The 1.856 square kilometre Hohe Tauern National Park is split into a 1.213 square kilometre core zone and a 643 square kilometre buffer zone and stretches over three provinces. Until the first and largest national park in Austria was actually created, the three provinces of Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol had to establish the corresponding legal framework. The Provincial Parliament of Carinthia passed the legislation to create the Hohe Tauern National Park in 1981. Salzburg followed with its national park legislation in 1984, followed by Tyrol in 1992. In this 40 years Hohe Tauern NP established the Nationalpark idea in its region working together with all stakeholders (land owners, tourism, majors, hunting organisations, governmental departments…). The International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN awarded Carinthia in 2001 and Salzburg and Tyrol in 2006 with the international recognition of a national park with its "Category II" listing. The distinction that the national park has with a core zone, where nature can develop without human influence and a buffer zone, where traditional cultivation could be continued was key for gaining this international recognition. Contractual agreements between landowners, hunters and the national park paved the way and were pioneering for many protected areas. Hohe Tauern NP contains 3 main zones: - core zone (km²): 1.078 - buffer zone (km²): 643 - special protected areas (km²): 135 About 845 km² of the area is nature zone, which remains untouched by humans (no land use based on IUCN criteria, i.e. no hunting, no grazing). The altitudinal belts from the valleys to the summits of the three-thousand-metre-tall mountains represent an exceptional biodiversity. This is home to many plants and wildlife species originating from the Central Asian tundra, the Arctic and even Southern Europe. The preservation of all significant Alpine ecosystems across large areas of the Hohe Tauern National Park has been unimpaired. More than one third of all plant species recorded in Austria can be found in the national park. For mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, this figure is at around 50%. Even those animals that were nearly extinct in almost all of Europe at the beginning of the 19th century are now provided a safe habitat in the Hohe Tauern National Park. This impressive biodiversity is a result of the different prevailing climatic, geological, geomorphological and hydrological conditions in the high mountains and the differing adaptation strategies of the plants and animals. The Tauern Window – a unique tectonic window in terms of shape and size – provides insight into the deepest tectonic layer of the Alps and is thus key for understanding the geological structure of the Alps. Rocks of differing ages, different origins and different chemical composition harbour a genuine hoard of up to 200 different minerals. Nature protection (ecosystems/Natura2000 habitats) and species conservation projects play a big role in the work and history of Hohe Tauern NP (e.g. bearded vulture, ibex, golden eagle, …). The NP and its work do not stop at the protected areas borders and for a lot of species it is important that the whole region is aware of its impacts on biodiversity. According to the altitude gradation of the Hohe Tauern National Park "high mountain habitat types" are typical. Based on the aerial photo interpretation of the National Park montane to alpine grassland and pastures dominate with a third. This also reflects the zoning with the outer zone in the sense of an Alpine cultural landscape zone with alpine pastures – and the transition to the high alpine core zone. The core zone is formed by the "eternal ice" of the glaciers around the highest mountains of Austria as well as scree slopes with and without pioneer vegetation dominate. CORINE Land Cover L3 (2018): 35 % bare rocks, 24 % natural grasslands, 20 % sparsely vegetated areas, 9 % coniferous forest, 7 % glaciers and perpetual snow, 2 % moors and heathland, 1 % pastures.