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The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa—a standardized framework for large-scale environmental monitoring

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Abstract

The international, interdisciplinary biodiversity research project BIOTA AFRICA initiated a standardized biodiversity monitoring network along climatic gradients across the African continent. Due to an identified lack of adequate monitoring designs, BIOTA AFRICA developed and implemented the standardized BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories, that meet the following criteria (a) enable long-term monitoring of biodiversity, potential driving factors, and relevant indicators with adequate spatial and temporal resolution, (b) facilitate comparability of data generated within different ecosystems, (c) allow integration of many disciplines, (d) allow spatial up-scaling, and (e) be applicable within a network approach. A BIOTA Observatory encompasses an area of 1 km2 and is subdivided into 100 1-ha plots. For meeting the needs of sampling of different organism groups, the hectare plot is again subdivided into standardized subplots, whose sizes follow a geometric series. To allow for different sampling intensities but at the same time to characterize the whole square kilometer, the number of hectare plots to be sampled depends on the requirements of the respective discipline. A hierarchical ranking of the hectare plots ensures that all disciplines monitor as many hectare plots jointly as possible. The BIOTA Observatory design assures repeated, multidisciplinary standardized inventories of biodiversity and its environmental drivers, including options for spatial up- and downscaling and different sampling intensities. BIOTA Observatories have been installed along climatic and landscape gradients in Morocco, West Africa, and southern Africa. In regions with varying land use, several BIOTA Observatories are situated close to each other to analyze management effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology of Plants, Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, University of Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609, Hamburg, Germany

    Norbert Jürgens, Ute Schmiedel, Daniela H. Haarmeyer, Jürgen Dengler, Manfred Finckh, Jona Luther-Mosebach, Gerhard Muche & Jens Oldeland

  2. Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Wismarsche Str. 8, 18051, Rostock, Germany

    Dethardt Goetze & Stefan Porembski

  3. Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Alexander Gröngröft, Jona Luther-Mosebach & Andreas Petersen

  4. Chair of Ecology and Geobotany, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, J. W. Goethe-University, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60323, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Daniela H. Haarmeyer, Karen Hahn & Rüdiger Wittig

  5. Laboratoire de Production et Amélioration Végétales, U.F.R. Sciences de la Nature, Université d’Abobo-Adjamé, URES Daloa, 02, BP 150, Daloa 02, Côte d’Ivoire

    Annick Koulibaly

  6. Department of Research Management and Funding, University of Hamburg, Moorweidenstr. 18, 20148, Hamburg, Germany

    Andreas Petersen

  7. Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Kirstenbosch, Rhodes Avenue, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa

    Michael C. Rutherford

  8. Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

    Michael C. Rutherford

  9. Research Institute Senckenberg and J.W. Goethe-University, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Marco Schmidt & Georg Zizka

  10. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 B. P. 526, Cotonou, Bénin

    Brice Sinsin

  11. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), P/Bag 13184, Windhoek, Namibia

    Ben J. Strohbach

  12. Laboratoire de Biologie et d’Écologie Végétales, Unité de Formation et Recherche en Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Université de Ouagadougou, 03 BP 7021, Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso

    Adjima Thiombiano

Authors
  1. Norbert Jürgens
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  2. Ute Schmiedel
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  3. Daniela H. Haarmeyer
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  4. Jürgen Dengler
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  5. Manfred Finckh
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  6. Dethardt Goetze
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  8. Karen Hahn
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  11. Gerhard Muche
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  12. Jens Oldeland
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  13. Andreas Petersen
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  14. Stefan Porembski
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  15. Michael C. Rutherford
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  16. Marco Schmidt
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  17. Brice Sinsin
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  18. Ben J. Strohbach
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  19. Adjima Thiombiano
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  20. Rüdiger Wittig
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  21. Georg Zizka
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ute Schmiedel.

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Jürgens, N., Schmiedel, U., Haarmeyer, D.H. et al. The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa—a standardized framework for large-scale environmental monitoring. Environ Monit Assess 184, 655–678 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-1993-y

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