Changes in biodiversity and trade-offs among ecosystem services, stakeholders, and components of well-being: the contribution of the International Long-Term Ecological Research network (ILTER) to Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS)

The International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network comprises > 600 scientific groups conducting site-based research within 40 countries. Its mission includes improving the understanding of global ecosystems and informs solutions to current and future environmental problems at the global scales. The ILTER network covers a wide range of social-ecological conditions and is aligned with the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) goals and approach. Our aim is to examine and develop the conceptual basis for proposed collaboration between ILTER and PECS. We describe how a coordinated effort of several contrasting LTER site-based research groups contributes to the understanding of how policies and technologies drive either toward or away from the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services. This effort is based on three tenets: transdisciplinary research; cross-scale interactions and subsequent dynamics; and an ecological stewardship orientation. The overarching goal is to design management practices taking into account trade-offs between using and conserving ecosystems toward more sustainable solutions. To that end, we propose a conceptual approach linking ecosystem integrity, ecosystem services, and stakeholder well-being, and as a way to analyze trade-offs among ecosystem services inherent in diverse management options. We also outline our methodological approach that includes: (i) monitoring and synthesis activities following spatial and temporal trends and changes on each site and by documenting cross-scale interactions; (ii) developing analytical tools for integration; (iii) promoting trans-site comparison; and (iv) developing conceptual tools to design adequate policies and management interventions to deal with trade-offs. Finally, we highlight the heterogeneity in the social-ecological setting encountered in a subset of 15 ILTER sites. These study cases are diverse enough to provide a broad cross-section of contrasting ecosystems with different policy and management drivers of ecosystem conversion; distinct trends of biodiversity change; different stakeholders’ preferences for ecosystem services; and diverse components of well-being issues.

Hydrothermal carbonization in the synthesis of sustainable porous carbon materials

Carbon materials are found versatile and applicable in wide range of applications. During the recent years research of carbon materials has focussed on the search of environmentally friendly, sustainable, renewable and low-cost starting material sources as well as simple cost-efficient synthesis techniques. As an alternative synthesis technique in the production of carbon materials hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has shown a great potential. Depending on the application HTC can be performed as such or as a pretreatment technique. This technique allows synthesis of carbon materials i.e. hydrochars in closed vessel in the presence of water and self-generated pressure at relatively low temperatures (180-250 ˚C). As in many applications well developed porosity and heteroatom distribution are in a key role. Therefore in this study different techniques e.g. varying feedstock, templating and post-treatment in order to introduce these properties to the hydrochars structure were performed. Simple monosaccharides i.e. fructose or glucose and more complex compounds such as cellulose and sludge were performed as starting materials. Addition of secondary precursor e.g. thiophenecarboxaldehyde and ovalbumin was successfully exploited in order to alter heteroatom content. It was shown that well-developed porosity (SBET 550 m2/g) can be achieved via one-pot approach (i.e. exploitation of salt mixture) without conventionally used post-carbonization step. Nitrogen-enriched hydrochars indicated significant Pb(II) and Cr(VI) removal efficiency of 240 mg/g and 68 mg/g respectively. Sulphur addition into carbon network was not found to have enhancing effect on the adsorption of methylene blue or change acidity of the carbon material. However, these hydrochars were found to remove 99.9 % methylene blue and adsorption efficiency of these hydrochars remained over 90 % even after regeneration. In addition to water treatment application N-rich high temperature treated carbon materials were proven applicable as electrocatalyst and electrocatalyst support. Hydrothermal carbonization was shown to be workable technique for the production of carbon materials with variable physico-chemical properties and therefore hydrochars could be applied in several different applications e.g. as alternative low-cost adsorbent for pollutant removal from water.

The joint European Research Infrastructure Network for Coastal Observatories: Achievements and Strategy for the Future

This document is summarizing a major part of the work performed by the FP7-JERICO consortium, including 27 partner institutions, during 4 years (2011-2015). Its objective is to propose a strategy for the European coastal observation and monitoring. To do so we give an overview of the main achievements of the FP7-JERICO project. From this overview, gaps are analysed to draw some recommendations for the future. Overview, gaps and recommendation are addressed at both Hardware and Software levels of the JERICO Research Infrastructure. The main part of the document is built upon this analysis to outcome a general strategy for the future, giving priorities to be targeted and some possible funding mechanisms, but also upon discussions held in dedicated JERICO strategy workshops. This document was initiated in 2014 by the coordination team but considering the fact that an overview of the entire project and its achievement were needed to feed this strategy deliverable it couldn’t ended before the end of FP7-JERICO, April 2015. The preparation of the JERICO-NEXT proposal in summer 2014 to answer an H2020 call for proposals pushed the consortium ahead, fed deep thoughts about this strategy but the intention was to not propose a strategy only bounded by the JERICO-NEXT answer. Authors are conscious that writing JERICO-NEXT is even drawing a bias in the thoughts and they tried to be opened. Nevertheless, comments are always welcome to go farther ahead. Structure of the document The Chapter 3 introduces the need of sustained coastal observatories, from different point of view including a short description of the FP7-JERICO project. In Chapter 4, an analysis of the JERICO coastal observatory Hardware (platforms and sensors) in terms of Status at the end of JERICO, identified gaps and recommendations for further development is provided region by region. The main challenges that remain to be overcome is also summarized. Chapter 5 is dedicated the JERICO infrastructure Software (calibration, operation, quality assessment, data management) and the progress made through JERICO on harmonization of procedures and definition of best practices. Chapter 6 provides elements of a strategy towards sustainable and integrated coastal observations for Europe, drawing a roadmap for cost-effective scientific-based consolidation of the present infrastructure while maximizing the potential arising from JERICO in terms of innovation, wealth-creation, and business development. After reading the chapter 3, for who doesn’t know JERICO, any chapter can be read independently. More details are available in the JERICO final reports and its intermediate reports; all are available on the JERICO web site (www.jerico-FP7.eu) as well as any deliverable. Each chapter will list referring JERICO documents. A small bibliographic list is available at the end of this deliverable.

A Performance Management Framework for Managing Sustainable Collaborative Enterprise Networks

Part 15: Performance Management Frameworks

Setting up a network of agrometeorological stations in East Timor

A developed and sustainable agriculture requires a permanent and reliable monitoring of climatic/ meteorological elements in (agro) meteorological stations which should be located close to agricultural, silvicultural or pastoral activities. An adequate network of meteorological stations is then a necessary condition to support innovation and development in any country. Developing countries, mainly those with a history of frequent conflicts, presents deficient number of weather stations, often poorly composed and improperly distributed within their territories, and without a regular operation that allows continuity of records for a sufficiently long period of time. The objective of this work was to build a network of meteorological and agro-meteorological stations in East Timor. To achieve this goal, the number and location of pre-existing stations, their structure and composition (number and type of sensors, communication system,… ), the administrative division of the country and the available agro-ecological zoning, the agricultural and forestry practices in the country, the existing centres for the agricultural research and the history of the weathers records were taken into account. Several troubles were found (some of the automatic stations were assembled incorrectly, others stations duplicated information regarding the same agricultural area, vast areas with relevant agro-ecological representativeness were not monitored …). It was proposed the elimination of 11 existing stations, the relocation of 7 new stations in places not covered until then, the automation of 3 manual meteorological stations. Two networks were then purposed, a major with 15 agro-meteorological stations (all automatized) and one other secondary composed by 32 weather stations (only two were manual). The set of the 47 stations corresponded to a density of 329 km2/station. The flexibility in the composition of each of the networks was safeguarded and intends to respond effectively to any substantive change in the conditions in a country in constant change. It was also discussed the national coverage by these networks under a “management concept for weather stations”.