title: The BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories in Africa--a standardized framework for large-scale environmental monitoring.
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 km(2) 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.
authors: Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology of Plants, Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, University of Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Norbert
authors: N
authors: Jürgens
authors: Ute
authors: U
authors: Schmiedel
authors: Daniela H
authors: DH
authors: Haarmeyer
authors: Jürgen
authors: J
authors: Dengler
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Finckh
authors: Dethardt
authors: D
authors: Goetze
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Gröngröft
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Hahn
authors: Annick
authors: A
authors: Koulibaly
authors: Jona
authors: J
authors: Luther-Mosebach
authors: Gerhard
authors: G
authors: Muche
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Oldeland
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Petersen
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Porembski
authors: Michael C
authors: MC
authors: Rutherford
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Schmidt
authors: Brice
authors: B
authors: Sinsin
authors: Ben J
authors: BJ
authors: Strohbach
authors: Adjima
authors: A
authors: Thiombiano
authors: Rüdiger
authors: R
authors: Wittig
authors: Georg
authors: G
authors: Zizka
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D058448:Biota; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification