REDOTE, the Spanish Long Term Ecological Research Network:

1. REDOTE, the Spanish Long Term Ecological Research Network: a tool for the assessment of the success of restoration activities Alonso B.*, F. Valladares*, R. Lázaro, A. Solé, A. Rey, T. Marañón, F. Gallart, B. Valero, J. L. Pérez-LLorens, R. Prego, A. F. Ríos, J. Ruiz, L. Valdés, G. Sánchez, J. Palacios, J. C. Vega, F. Hiraldo, J. Bustamante, J.J. Chans and J. García *Instituto de Recursos Naturales, CCMA, CSIC. Madrid. Spain: e-mail: beatriz.alonso@ccma.csic.es; valladares@ccma.csic.es Introduction The main objective of ecological restoration is to return degraded ecosystems to their original natural conditions. The elements of these ecosystems are manipulated to change them towards the same conditions present in the past. Major issues of restoration projects are to identify these conditions and to determine whether the objective has been accomplished. Goals of REDOTE REDOTE is the initiative to arrange a Spanish Long Term Ecological Research Network based on monitoring stations in selected terrestrial, fluvial, coastal and marine ecosystems. The main objective of REDOTE is to gather and analyse information to detect trends and effects of global change. Likewise, the information collected by REDOTE can be used as a reference for restoration projects. REDOTE is part of ALTER-net (www.alter-net.info), which is aimed at establishing a European network of long term ecological research sites. Establishment of a REDOTE pilot network Coordination of the first 6 monitoring stations has now started, integrating a REDOTE pilot network. This effort will be valuable to identify logistic difficulties arising from the integration of heterogeneous initiatives before the establishment of the definitive Spanish LTER network. The first selected REDOTE stations are representative of characteristic ecosystems in Spain and long-term monitoring programs are already in progress. Intensive Monitoring Network of Spanish Forest Ecosystems, Level II MINAS Station (Multidisciplinary Iberian North Atlantic Station) Ramblahonda Experimental Field Station Natural Park of Sanabria Lake Gibraltar Strait Station Doñana Biological Station Conclusions Successful establishment of REDOTE is particularly relevant to restoration ecology. Monitoring REDOTE stations will provide reference information to define the goals of restoration projects and the actions required to achieve them. Also, the installation of a REDOTE station in a restored ecosystem will allow to quantify the success of restoration activities. But this goal still requires implementation. Inputs from the restoration ecology community are crucial for REDOTE at this stage. • REDOTE Structure: Characteristics of the monitoring stations • Open infrastructures to the scientific community: facilities and data. • Multidisciplinary approach. • High technology in experimental facilities. • Online access to the data. Acknowledgments Thanks to Silvia, Tena, Sánchez, Ken, Dani and Elena for their suggestions and support. This project is funded by the Spanish MEC (CGL2004-21090-E). Further information: www.redote.org