Climate Change - Manipulation Experiments in Terrestrial Ecosystems (CLIMMANI)

Increased emission of green house gasses as a consequence of human activities has been projected to lead to climatic changes, including increased temperature and changes in precipitation amounts and patterns. These three main climatic driven changes  (CO2, temperature and precipitation) will alone and in combination have large effects on terrestrial ecosystem functioning and will therefore affect the goods and services provided by these ecosystems (biodiversity, forest, range, agricultural productivity, ground water provision, ground water quality, fire protection, recreation etc.). Considerable progress has been made to better understand the response of terrestrial ecosystems to these changes, using both field manipulation experiments and modelling. However, our present knowledge of these effects and consequences is generally derived from individual projects with different foci, and a coherent view and understanding does not exist. Therefore, there is a significant need to review the “state of the art” and to synthesise our knowledge across drivers, ecosystems and ecosystem processes. CLIMMANI provides a framework for networking past and current terrestrial ecosystem research by bringing together key researchers within the field, building coherent interdisciplinary databases, and by coordinating research activities globally. This is necessary in order to formulate future research needs and to guide political and management activities to combat or minimize negative effects on natural ecosystems and promote sustainable development.