The LTER-Greece environmental observatory network: design and initial achievementsThe LTER-Greece environmental observatory network: design and initial achievements Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2022-09-222021enFive years after its establishment (2016), the LTER-Greece network outlines its vision, aims, objectives and its achievements through a series of case studies. The network consists of eight observatories, focusing on innovative research topics, aiming to be both cooperative and complementary, while currently being in the process of expanding. LTER-Greece acknowledges the complexity of ecosystems and the fact that effective management of natural resources may only be achieved by addressing every sector of a nexus system in order to understand inter-dependencies, thus accounting for solutions that promote resilience. Hence, LTER-Greece focuses on the holistic study of the water-environment-ecosystem-food-energy-society nexus, in order to face environmental and socio-ecological challenges at local and global scales, particularly climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, natural disasters and unsustainable water and land management. Framed around five research pillars, monitoring and research targets nine research hypotheses related to climate change, environmental management, socio-ecology and economics, biodiversity and environmental process dynamics. As environmental monitoring and related research and conservation in Greece face critical shortcomings, LTER-Greece envisages confronting these gaps and contributing with interdisciplinary solutions to the current and upcoming complex environmental challenges. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Water1321Skoulikidis_et_al_Water_13(21)_2021.pdfChania [Greece]Library of TUC2022-09-22application/pdf5.0 MBfree Skoulikidis, Nikos Nikolaidis Nikolaos Νικολαιδης Νικολαος Panagopoulos Andreas Fischer-Kowalski, Marina, 1946- Zogaris, Stamatis Petridis Panos Pisinaras Vassilis Efstathiou Dionysios Ευσταθιου Διονυσιος Petanidou Theodora Maneas Giorgos Mihalopoulos Nikolaos Mimikou, Maria A MDPI LTER LTSER Greece Monitoring Ecosystems Socio-ecology Biodiversity Climate change