site.btaPhoto Exhibition Presents Research Stations across Europe in Sofia

Research stations across Europe are presented in an exhibition by photographer Evgeni Dimitrov. The photos are arranged in the open-air gallery on Lovers' Bridge in Sofia, the organisers said.

The photos are accompanied by a text description telling about the scientific activity of the Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone and Socio-Ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER).

Presented are 23 countries with advanced research stations. Over the course of three months, Dimitrov and his team toured some of Europe's most cutting-edge research sites, capturing with drone and camera the work of researchers, instrumentation, flora and fauna, bringing aesthetics to the forefront of science. The team produced nearly 3,000 photos and 50 videos.

"The footage selected for the exhibition offers a visual tour through the complex interactions between humans and nature, where we witness the multi-layered efforts aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and improving the well-being of current and future generations," say the organisers. 

"During the trip, it was very interesting for me to observe the work of the scientists, broken down through the national specificities of each team and following their common goal - more and more detailed data that can help us for a better environment of existence. I was searching for a look at the science stations not only technically, by showing the equipment itself and working with it, but also the environment in which they are built, nature, the living things there, and the people behind the technical devices that give life to the dry data in the tables," says Dimitrov.

Bulgaria is one of the most active participants in eLTER from South East Europe, the organisers note. The Bulgarian LTER-BG network has been developing for more than 18 years. Its partners are the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, the Institute of Oceanology and the Institute of Forestry at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences as well as the University of Forestry and Technology. As of the end of 2019, the network is part of the national roadmap for scientific infrastructures and is implementing a large-scale programme to retrofit research sites studying forest ecosystems - Belasitsa, Petrohan-Ponor and Parangalitsa, aquatic ecosystems - the Mesta River and Srebarna Lake and marine ecosystems, the Black Sea and Sozopol. On the basis of a national analysis, also confirmed by eLTER, and with funding from the Research Fund, the foundations have also been laid for the first agro-ecological site in the country, in the Rose Valley. In the process of creating the two socio-ecological sites in Belasitsa and the Rose Valley, an active dialogue is being conducted with local stakeholders about their needs and the formulation of scientific products for the administration, business and local communities, say the organizers.

The construction of the national IT infrastructure of the Bulgarian network is underway along with the collection of historical data and a pilot project for publishing open-access data. The Bulgarian sites are also making a significant contribution to the standardisation of ecosystem observations, which are the basis for pan-European scientific products. The contribution of sites studying marine and freshwater ecosystems is particularly important. LTER-BG has an established cooperation with Bulgarian institutions and provides data for their needs, including for reporting under directives. 

Jaana Back and Dr. Michael Mirtl, coordinators of the European Commission-funded eLTER project, explain that the strategic goal of eLTER is to create a pan-European research infrastructure including research stations (LTER) and socio-environmental platforms (LTSER). These facilities, equipped with the best technologies, serve as strategic research and knowledge hubs facilitating the integration of diverse data sources to serve practical purposes. The mission is to understand the complex web of relationships in the habitable zone of the planet where human societies interact with natural ecosystems.