This project aims to structure the Spanish LTER Network through a set of actions both throughout the network and in its different nodes.

The project “Coordination of global change monitoring actions in the LTER Network (Long-term Ecological Research) Spain”, launched by the University of Granada, sought toto structure the LTER Network Spain through a set of clear and concise actions, both throughout the network and in its different nodes. Its implementation aims to achieve the Strategic Plan of the LTER network Spain for the years 2015 – 2020. This plan aims to design and implement internal procedures so that the Spanish network functions as such, with the collaboration of the nodes, better integration into international platforms and better connection with environmental decision-making processes.

As the beginning of the process, the drafting committee of the plan was constituted, made up of 5 people, two belonging to the CSIC and three to the University of Granada. The entity also organized the first scientific-technical meeting of LTER Spain, with the description of its objectives and agenda, for which the LTER network in the United States (a pioneer on an international scale) is taken as a reference, where meetings are held every 2 or 3 years.

The storyline of the LTER network is the compilation of long time series of biophysical variables and their availability to the scientific community and managers. To this end, the beneficiary prepares a survey to find out how the information is managed in each node, thanks to which it has prepared the “Document of analysis and needs in the nodes”. This analysis has made it possible to know the capacity of the nodes to manage the information they collect, as well as to establish the optimal way to manage it.

In addition, within the framework of the project, a policy has been defined for updating the contents of the web portal by the members of the network, as well as the incorporation of functionalities to add metadata from the different information systems of the nodes and allow their search. The development of these activities has allowed the updating of information, the incorporation of new photographs and the creation of a dynamic map with the spatial delimitation of the LTER sites of the network, as can be seen in http://lter-spain.net.

Finally, a collaboration agreement has been signed with LifeWatch Spain, as LTER is one of the potential data providers for LifeWatch (scientific infrastructure led by Spain whose objective is to create tools to analyze information on biodiversity on a planetary scale). In order to formalize this synergy and complementarity, a Joint Research Unit was created under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The LTER Spain International Network Node will be part of the Scientific Advisory Committee.

This project has allowed an exhaustive analysis of the operation of the LTER Network Spain, which has highlighted its weaknesses and strengths. The execution of the planned actions has contributed to maintaining the activity of the Network during the year of its execution and good coordination between the nodes that make it up. In addition, a strategic plan has been drawn up for the years 2015 – 2020, progress has been made in the harmonisation of monitoring methodologies, its studies have been disseminated at different conferences and its website: http://lter-spain.net has been updated.