Biogeochemistry and Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices in Japan - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 28

JaLTER currently has 56 sites divided into 20 core sites and 36 associate sites
(Fig. 3.1 ). A core site is a fully-operational LTER site, whereas an associate site is
a LTER site operated for limited focus or under developing process to a core site.
Ecosystem types include diverse kinds of forest, paddy fi elds, grasslands, lakes,
freshwater, estuaries, and marine environments. Management organizations also are
varied, and include universities' experimental forests and marine laboratories, gov-
ernment research institutes such as the National Institute for Environment Studies
and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, and other research organi-
zations. The goals of JaLTER are:
(i) To produce scientifi c knowledge based on multidisciplinary long-term and
large-scale research.
(ii) To create a well-designed database to share and exchange original data to
support scientifi c communities, the general public, and policy makers.
(iii) To fi nd better solutions for critical ecological and environmental problems.
(iv) To promote education regarding long-term and large-scale changes of ecosystems
and environments.
(v) To facilitate collaboration and coordination among scientists engaged in long-term
ecological research.
Fig. 3.1 Site distribution of the Japan Long-Term Ecological Research Network (March 2014)