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The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa—A Standardized Framework for Large-Scale Environmental Monitoring

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The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa—A Standardized Framework for Large-Scale Environmental Monitoring Environ Monit Assess DOI 10.1007/s10661-011-1993-y The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa—a standardized framework for large-scale environmental monitoring Norbert Jürgens · Ute Schmiedel · Daniela H. Haarmeyer · Jürgen Dengler · Manfred Finckh · Dethardt Goetze · Alexander Gröngröft · Karen Hahn · Annick Koulibaly · Jona Luther-Mosebach · Gerhard Muche · Jens Oldeland · Andreas Petersen · Stefan Porembski · Michael C. Rutherford · Marco Schmidt · Brice Sinsin · Ben J. Strohbach · Adjima Thiombiano · Rüdiger Wittig · Georg Zizka Received: 4 August 2010 / Accepted: 23 February 2011 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V 2011 Abstract The international, interdisciplinary bio- BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories, that meet the diversity research project BIOTA AFRICA ini- following criteria (a) enable long-term monitor- tiated a standardized biodiversity monitoring ing of biodiversity, potential driving factors, and network along climatic gradients across the relevant indicators with adequate spatial and tem- African continent. Due to an identified lack of poral resolution, (b) facilitate comparability of adequate monitoring designs, BIOTA AFRICA data generated within different ecosystems, (c) developed and implemented the standardized allow integration of many disciplines, (d) allow Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10661-011-1993-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. N. Jürgens · U. Schmiedel (B) · D. H. Haarmeyer · A. Koulibaly J. Dengler · M. Finckh · J. Luther-Mosebach · Laboratoire de Production et Amélioration Végétales, G. Muche · J. Oldeland U.F.R. Sciences de la Nature, Université Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology of Plants, d’Abobo-Adjamé, URES Daloa, 02, Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, BP 150 Daloa 02, Côte d’Ivoire University of Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany A. Petersen e-mail: [email protected] Department of Research Management and Funding, University of Hamburg, Moorweidenstr. 18, D. Goetze · S. Porembski 20148 Hamburg, Germany Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Wismarsche Str. 8, M. C. Rutherford 18051 Rostock, Germany Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity A. Gröngröft · J. Luther-Mosebach · A. Petersen Institute (SANBI), Kirstenbosch, Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Rhodes Avenue, Newlands, Cape Town 7700, Allende-Platz 2, 20146 Hamburg, Germany South Africa D. H. Haarmeyer · K. Hahn · R. Wittig M. C. Rutherford Chair of Ecology and Geobotany, Institute of Ecology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch Evolution and Diversity, J. W. Goethe-University, University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany South Africa Environ Monit Assess spatial up-scaling, and (e) be applicable within DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft a network approach. A BIOTA Observatory en- DIVERSITAS An International Programme of compasses an area of 1 km2 and is subdivided Biodiversity Science into 100 1-ha plots. For meeting the needs of EBONE European Biodiversity Observa- sampling of different organism groups, the hectare tion Network plot is again subdivided into standardized sub- GEO BON Group on Earth Observations plots, whose sizes follow a geometric series. To Biodiversity Observation Network allow for different sampling intensities but at the GEOSS Global Earth Observation Sys- same time to characterize the whole square kilo- tem of Systems meter, the number of hectare plots to be sampled GLORIA Global Observation Research depends on the requirements of the respective Initiative in Alpine Environments discipline. A hierarchical ranking of the hectare ILTER International Long-Term Eco- plots ensures that all disciplines monitor as many logical Research hectare plots jointly as possible. The BIOTA Ob- ÖFS (German) Ökologische Flächen- servatory design assures repeated, multidiscipli- stichprobe nary standardized inventories of biodiversity and ROSELT/OSS Réseau d’Observatoires de Sur- its environmental drivers, including options for veillance Écologique à Long Terme/ spatial up- and downscaling and different sam- Observatoire du Sahara et du pling intensities. BIOTA Observatories have been Sahel installed along climatic and landscape gradients WMO World Meteorological Organization in Morocco, West Africa, and southern Africa. In regions with varying land use, several BIOTA Observatories are situated close to each other to Introduction analyze management effects. Biodiversity loss is one of the most complex chal- Keywords Diversity · Global change · lenges for science and society world-wide (Sala Permanent plot · Sampling scheme · et al. 2000; World Resources Institute 2005). Its Transect · Vegetation negative effects on ecosystem services and hu- man welfare are well documented (Dobson et al. 2006; Costanza et al. 2007; Turner et al. 2007). Abbreviations Therefore, the 193 countries that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ALTER-Net A Long-Term Biodiversity, Eco- agreed to the political goal of reducing the rate system and Awareness Research of biodiversity loss by 2010, an ambitious and Network scientifically problematic goal (Mace et al. 2010). BDM (Swiss) Biodiversity Monitoring One of the major weaknesses of this “2010 goal” BIOTA Biodiversity Monitoring Tran- was and still is the inadequate data on changes in sect Analysis in Africa biodiversity in space and time. Benchmarking of CBD Convention on Biological Diversity success or failure of the “2010 goal” is possible M. Schmidt · G. Zizka B. J. Strohbach Research Institute Senckenberg and J. W. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Goethe-University, Senckenberganlage 25, P/Bag 13184, Windhoek, Namibia 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany A. Thiombiano B. Sinsin Laboratoire de Biologie et d’Écologie Végétales, Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Unité de Formation et Recherche en Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, de la Vie et de la Terre, Université de Ouagadougou, 01 B. P. 526, Cotonou, Bénin 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso Environ Monit Assess only for certain aspects of biodiversity. For exam- on the processes driving the changes in patterns ple, remote sensing techniques allowing the mea- of diversity at the community level at different surement of the change in spatial representation spatial scales. of certain ecosystems (e.g., forests, wetlands), and One of the reasons for this gap of empirical measurements of population size of some species medium and small-scale information is the (mostly large mammals) are amongst the few ex- lack of global or even regional methodological amples of successful monitoring. standards in biodiversity research, in particular This discussion highlights the need for stan- regarding analyzed spatial scales. As nearly all dardized methods to measure rates of biodiversity aspects of biodiversity are scale-dependent change, as mandated by the “2010 goal” (Pereira (Wiens 1989;Noss1990;Storchetal.2007; and Cooper 2006). We point out the difficulty Goetze et al. 2008; Dengler et al. 2009; see Fig. 1) in verifying whether projections of future species and ecological processes have cross-scale effects losses (Thomas et al. 2004; McClean et al. 2006; (Carpenter et al. 2006), multi-scale indicators for van Vuuren et al. 2006; Sommer et al. 2010) accu- biodiversity are required. If measured repeatedly, rately depict trends. Additionally, we emphasize they will provide evidence for the extent and that these projections still critically lack empirical rate of the biological response to environmental baseline data on local patterns of biodiversity and change at different spatial scales and thus provide their dynamics and interactions within communi- evidence that is required to validate, support, ties and habitats (Scholes et al. 2008). and improve current projections of biodiversity The lack of empirical biodiversity observation change (Araújo et al. 2005). In analogy to the long data is obvious at several levels of complexity; history of meteorological monitoring according even basic inventories of present (global to local) to standards of the World Meteorological Orga- biodiversity are missing despite their eminent role nization (WMO; see http://www.wmo.int/), which as baseline and reference data for changes over informs climate change projections, standardized time. Species richness, the central “currency” for biodiversity monitoring is required to inform biodiversity (Gaston and Spicer 2005), is reason- projections of global biodiversity change. ably documented at a large scale only (grain = The need for biodiversity research and moni- approx. 1,000–100,000 km2, e.g., Gaston 2000; toring network(s) that develop and implement a Mutke and Barthlott 2005), and only for well- concept and methodology for a standardized or at studied organism groups like vascular plants and least harmonized design for measurement of bio- vertebrates. Medium-scale information (grain = diversity change within ecosystems and real land- approx. 1–100 km2) on biodiversity is available, scapes has long been understood (Noss 1990; but only for selected taxa in some well-studied Yoccoz et al. 2001; Balmford et al. 2005; Carpenter regions like Europe, while standardized small- et al. 2006; Pereira and Cooper 2006; Grainger scale data (grain = 1m2–10 ha) covering larger 2009). Such a standardized design should be suit-
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