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August 2006, Gobabeb Research and Training Center, Namibia: The Coordinating
Committee (CC) of the International LTER Network met here against the dramatic
backdrop of the confluence of three major ecosystems in southern Africa. Among
the major ideas spawned by and among the diverse participants was the novel
suggestion to establish an ILTER “stock exchange,” in which the
market is driven by researchers’ needs and the currency is researcher
expertise. “This refers to the need to increase the flow of information
and experience among the networks that make up the ILTER,” says Steve
Hamburg, the newly appointed vice-Chair of ILTER. “If everyone barters
what they know (e.g. how to run a site, a network, or a specific ecosystem
etc.), then the network can maximize the information that is learned and the
efficiency of the system and the return on investment.”
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ILTER delegation to the Coordinating Committee meeting August 18,
2006 in Gobabeb, Namibia, takes a break from work to pose for a group
photo with Namibia’s Minister of Environment, Hon. Willem Konjore. Photo:
Miranda Anderson
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The meeting was organized by Joh Henschel, Namibia’s ILTER representative,
with the help of his team at Gobabeb. The meeting’s theme, “On
the Move: Monitoring Our Variable Environments” set the wheels in motion
for the participants. Over five days, ecologists representing six continents
and 25 countries hammered out a strategic plan, and ratified clear, quantifiable,
and actionable goals and objectives for the next 12 months. Meeting participants
developed consensus that adequate cash (not just in-kind contributions) was
needed for the survival of the ILTER Network. In particular, members acknowledged
the need to raise operational money for the secretariat urgently.
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Namibia’s Minister of Environment, Hon. Willem Konjore shaking hands
with Hen-biau King. On the left is Joh Henschel, the Namibian ILTER
delegate responsible for hosting the conference. Photo: Laura Sadovnikoff |
The meeting created three committees—Science and Programs, Fundraising,
and Information Management—to oversee various aspects of the Network’s
operations, elected a Chair (Terry Parr of the United Kingdom’s Environmental
Change Network), a Vice-Chair (Steve Hamburg, U.S. LTER, appointed by the ILTER
Executive Committee), and appointed a treasurer (Jorge Jiminez, Costa Rica
LTER Network, elected by the CC). The committees are up and running and showing
great progress. The Science and Programs committee (SPC), which is chaired
by Patrick Bourgeron of the U.S. LTER, has identified three short-term initiatives
to create a strong ILTER science brand, and will draft a science agenda within
a few months.
A full day of science presentations provided a platform for participants
to discuss successful programs and plan collaborations. Meeting delegates
responded enthusiastically to the formation of the Information Management
committee. The committee has two representatives from each ILTER region,
with Kristin Vanderbilt (U.S. LTER), Avinash Chuntharpursat (South Africa),
and Cristiana Cocciufa (Italy) accepting the challenge to become the inaugural
chair, vice-chair, and secretary respectfully.
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The ILTER leadership, l to r: Steve
Hamburg (USA),Vice-Chair, Hen biau King (TERN), Chair, and Terry Parr (UKECN),
Chair Elect. Photo: Johan Pauw |
“We quickly realized that one of our major challenges is to assess the
different metadata management systems used throughout the ILTER and develop
a strategy for converging on a common approach,” says
Vanderbilt, the information manager for the Sevilleta LTER in New Mexico, USA.
Toward this goal, the committee organized a working group that met at the LTER
All Scientists Meeting in September 2006 to address the issue. “The meeting
in Namibia was really a catalyst,” Kristen says, “making everyone
present realize that the ILTER has matured and needs coordinated information
management in order to address new network-wide research projects. It was gratifying
to see so much support for information management within the ILTER!”
A draft report of the discussions at the Gobabeb meeting, including the strategic
plan that was ratified with only minor modifications, includes a full endorsement
of the operation plan for the next five years, the implementation criteria,
and a timeline for the next 12 months with respect to the establishment of
the secretariat, development of substantive network-level science and products,
and fund raising for both the secretariat and the science projects. Governance
and legalities, as well as membership criteria, rights, and responsibilities
rounded out the products of this fruitful meeting.
Agendas, abstracts, and more are available on the meeting website, http://www.ilternet.edu/meetings/.
By Steven Hamburg and Patrick Bourgeron, ILTER |
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