What Is Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)?

Most ecological studies around the world are conducted at a limited spatial extent and for a short period of time. For many years, long-term studies were difficult to perform and most funding programmes were given to studies that focused on short-term experiments. Today it is clear that data collected and stored for the long-term are essential for our understanding of environmental changes, and they have important consequences for nature conservation and management.

The conclusions drawn from long-term ecological studies are different in many cases from those drawn from short-term studies, and many ecological processes are essentially long-term, and should be studied over time. Similarly, there is a growing need to predict the expected changes to ecosystems over relatively long time periods.

During the 1980s, researchers in the USA began establishing research stations for long-term monitoring of such processes. In 1993, an international network for long-term ecological research (LTER) was established with the aim of creating collaborations among scientists from different places around the world and facilitating interdisciplinary and comparative studies.

The main topics that the network focuses on at the global scale are

biodiversity loss, climate change, changes in soil quality and water resource availability and the impact of toxic pollutants and chemicals.

A very important step in long-term studies is the formulation of a ‘work protocol’ in which the methods are defined and the standards for sampling and data processing are determined. In this way similar studies can be conducted in different regions and/or at different times in the same region.

Establishment of a long-term ecological research station at Ramat Hanadiv as part of the global and Israeli LTER network

As described above, Ramat Hanadiv has invested efforts in ecological research since 1985.

Most of the studies performed during this period lasted for two to four years. In 2000, a thinking process was initiated to determine where we are and where we are headed.

We reached the understanding that we have over 20 years of short-term research behind us, during which a very large amount of data has accumulated from more than 40 researchers on a range of topics, methods and scales. These data were collected without long-term considerations and with no integration between them.

On the other hand, many topics we deal with at Ramat Hanadiv – such as vegetation development (succession), effects of different management actions and disturbances (such as fire, grazing, wood cutting) on the ecosystem, as well as the impact of climate change – require long-term research. This research is designed to guide park management and act as an ecological knowledge base that will also be used to develop different educational programmes.

After a period of discussion, an LTER station was established at Ramat Hanadiv in September 2003.

Within the framework of this activity, and in addition to studies dealing with specific research questions, the programme at Ramat Hanadiv includes long-term monitoring of several predetermined variables and organisms:

gazelles, partridges, songbirds, butterflies, herbaceous vegetation and woody vegetation. Climate data are collected from a meteorological station located in the park. The data collected for the long-term will be collated into an online database and serve as baseline data for future studies.

Long-term monitoring at Ramat Hanadiv has two main aims: scientific and applicable. Our objective is that a combination of monitoring and management will allow us, over the long term, to conserve and enrich the diversity of species, communities, landscapes and processes that characterise the Mediterranean landscape in the park; to develop new methods for research, monitoring and management, so that the park will serve as a model for open landscape management in the Mediterranean region; to build models for predicting the expected temporal and spatial changes in the ecosystem; and to strengthen the link between scientific research and education and public awareness through increasing accessibility to the research results on the internet and educating for scientific thinking by involving students in research.

Recognising the importance of a long-term vision has also affected the short-term studies being performed at Ramat Hanadiv. Data recording, for example, is performed according to accepted standards, so that data from short-term studies can be saved for the long term and used for synthesis and comparisons.

More than 15 years of long-term research at Ramat Hanadiv have taught us that significant data collection is question- and aim-oriented, and emphasised the importance of data analysis, its assimilation in management, and an ability to deal with the conclusions. Together with these insights, our recognition that values and worldviews affect considerations and decisions became sharper, and the need to include the human component in the monitoring programme became clearer.

Additional links

Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe

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אולי יעניין אותך עוד

Accessibility

Accessible Trails

We have worked hard to make our buildings, infrastructure and service accessible to special sectors of the population so that everyone can enjoy an accessible and enjoyable visit to the Memorial Gardens and Nature Park.

For further information >>

Sustainability

Horticultural Therapy at Ramat Hanadiv

Many studies have demonstrated the link between a green environment, nature or flowering gardens and feelings of calmness and serenity, enjoyment and vitality

For further information >>

Dining Here

Dining-The Picnic Site

The picnic area is located near the secondary parking lot. You are welcome to spend time there before or after your tour of the Gardens.

For further information >>

Horticultural Therapy at Ramat Hanadiv

Many studies have demonstrated the link between a green environment, nature or flowering gardens and feelings of calmness and serenity, enjoyment and vitality. Lovers of gardening attest to the advantages of gardening and the benefits they derive from it, as an activity that is calming and enjoyable, arouses the senses, works the muscles and allows artistic expression that bears fruit, literally and figuratively. Gardening is universal: it crosses borders, cultures and sectors.
At Ramat Hanadiv Gardens, which are designed for the enjoyment of the entire population, a horticultural therapy program has been working since 2000 to expose people with special needs to gardening, and no less importantly – connect them with the community. The underlying principle of this program follows the approach that attaches great importance to integrating people with special needs, such as intellectual and developmental disabilities or mental health issues, and at-risk youth, who are generally ostracized from society, in a normative setting that enables contact with the garden’s employees and exposure to visitors and tourists.

A number of programs are run at Ramat Hanadiv within the framework of horticultural therapy:

1. Circle of growth

This is a group that meets regularly throughout the year. The group, comprising adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, meets up weekly for three hours of horticultural therapy. The activity takes place in the memorial gardens and the therapeutic garden – an enabling garden, located in a designated site within the operations area of Ramat Hanadiv. In the enabling garden the group has its own garden, and each participant has their own gardening bed. This garden combines materials from the rich natural environment of Ramat Hanadiv with original ideas to create a charming corner that is pleasant to visit. The members of the group work, according to their abilities, in a range of gardening jobs: weeding, raking leaves, pruning, turning the soil, transferring seedlings to pots, sowing, planting, preparing cuttings, transferring seedlings, watering and so on

In the enabling garden the participants experience first-hand the process of growing a plant, from the sowing stage to the withering stage, and the change of seasons. They learn to look after the plants and enjoy their fruits. At the end of the day, a wrap-up discussion is held, in which each participant is given the opportunity to share their experiences. From time to time, to break the routine, the group has an activity outside of the garden: a walking tour in Ramat Hanadiv’s nature park, or a picnic in nature and preparation of herbal tea at the nearby spring.

In these activities, the group is joined by volunteers and interns, some of them horticultural therapy students, and others with an affinity for gardening who are interested in becoming familiar with this field and experiencing it personally.

2. Giving to the Garden
The project, “Giving to the Garden” provides an opportunity for diverse sectors of the population with special needs to give and to benefit, via gardening and an interpersonal interaction with other volunteers and the horticultural gardening staff. The program operates on a fixed day of the week. Its main aim is working in the garden in a supportive environment, and it is suitable for a wide range of ages. The work conditions are adapted to a range of needs: raised garden beds that enable working in comfort without bending over, working next to a table, and more.

3. One-off group visitsWith a view to offering more people direct, active, healing and nurturing contact with the garden and with the natural and human environment, different groups are hosted in the therapeutic garden from time to time for practical workshops, during which the visitors are exposed to the therapeutic, enabling, accepting and rewarding aspects of gardening. Similarly, professional study tours, workshops and training courses take place in partnership with different organizations, for horticultural therapists and professionals.

Contact us by telephone: 04-6298109 or email

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Any question? We will be glad to help

Send e-mail

04-6298111

Of further interest...

Accessibility

Tour Options for People with Special Needs

Accompanied by one of our guides, you will be able to have a custom-made visit tailored to your group

For further information >>

Sustainability

Sustainable Gardening

Sustainable gardening is defined as gardening that considers the needs of the current generation without harming the needs of future generations. It includes garden design that considers the existing elements on site – the landscape, soil, environment and vegetation suitable for the region

For further information >>

Dining Here

Dining-The Picnic Site

The picnic area is located near the secondary parking lot. You are welcome to spend time there before or after your tour of the Gardens.

For further information >>

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Mata'im Restaurant

Kiosk

The Picnic Site

“Green” Picnic Area

We offer you a shaded picnic area next to the secondary carpark of the gardens. You’re welcome to spend time there before or after your visit.

This area is located in a pine grove, giving you the opportunity to rest and have a picnic. For the convenience of visitors to the grove, there are picnic tables, water fountains, a dish-washing station and toilets.

We put a lot of effort into making your visit pleasant and ensuring you can have a quiet, relaxing time – without music, fire or smoke. Do not light bonfires or barbecues in this area.

You are welcome to bring a cool box with food, and enjoy the clean air and a pleasant, quiet stay in nature.

We ask you to eat your picnic using reusable utensils that are beneficial to humans and the environment.

Are you interested in a nice set of reusable utensils for the entire family? You’re welcome to buy one in our InfoShop in the Visitors Pavilion.

The area is accessible to people with disabilities:

An accessible carpark adjacent to the picnic area
A standard access path with a slope below 8% leads from the accessible carpark to the picnic area
Accessible tables in the shade are located on a paved surface and standard manoeuvring area

We maintain this area for your convenience and enjoyment!

Please be considerate of the other visitors and follow these rules:

The area is designed for visitors; do not hold functions, catered events or meetings
Please bring food that is ready to eat and do not light a barbecue or fire
This area is quiet and tranquil; do not play music or use megaphones, amplifiers etc.
The picnic area is part of the Nature Park, which is home to a diversity of plants and animals. Please look after the surrounding nature.

Thank you for your cooperation!

We wish you a safe, quiet, enjoyable stay.

<< Return to previous page

Any question? We will be glad to help

Send e-mail

04-6298111

Of further interest...

Accessibility

Accessible Trails

We have worked hard to make our buildings, infrastructure and service accessible to special sectors of the population so that everyone can enjoy an accessible and enjoyable visit to the Memorial Gardens and Nature Park.

For further information >>

Sustainability

Horticultural Therapy at Ramat Hanadiv

Many studies have demonstrated the link between a green environment, nature or flowering gardens and feelings of calmness and serenity, enjoyment and vitality

For further information >>