ILTER Network to Meet in South Africa

Kruger National Park, South Africa, will be the dramatic setting for the 1999 meeting of the International LTER Network. Up to thirteen of the countries which have formal Networks will be represented. Other countries where efforts are underway to establish national networks that follow the model created in the U.S. nearly twenty years ago have also been invited to participate.

The principal objective of this year’s meeting is to begin concrete plans for one or more Network-level projects to be pursued by the participating countries.

ILTER members have proposed several projects for this discussion, including participation in the GTOS Demonstration Project (GT-NET). John Vande Castle of the Network Office will present a workshop describing this project, which is aimed at improving estimates of terrestrial net primary productivity and translating it to regionally specific maps suitable for land management applications. Other proposed projects include the application of biodiversity and primary productivity research in sustainable management and a study of processes that link aquatic systems and their watersheds.

Following the ILTER business meeting, the South African hosts have organized a one-day symposium on "Distinguishing Human from Natural Causes of Long Term Change" at which several ILTER members will speak. They also have arranged a field trip in Kruger National Park for the international visitors to learn more about this famous natural preserve.

Further information on this meeting can be found on the ILTER web site at: http://www.ilternet.edu/meetings