Long-term research · lasting insight
Watching ecosystems change, over time.
Slovenia’s national network for place-based ecosystem and socio-ecological research—from the deep karst underground to forests, lakes and the Adriatic Sea.
- 2003
- network established
- 16
- research sites
- 8
- partners
01 Škocjan Caves · Slovenia
Our purpose
In order to pool resources in Slovenia in the field of socio-ecological research, and to promote international networking, we have inaugurated the LTER Slovenia project.
This is a group of several institutions with support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia. Our mission in brief is to be the main coordinating body for networked socio-ecological research in Slovenia, which entails both running our own research program and coordinating our research with partners abroad.
More than 20 years of LTER SloveniaA whole-system view
One network. Four ecosystem realms.
Sixteen research sites support long-term investigations of biodiversity and ecosystem processes across space and time.
Underground karst
Cave systems of exceptional biodiversity and global importance.
11Forest platforms
Terrestrial observation across Slovenia’s varied forest landscapes.
02Freshwater lakes
Long-term change in two distinct lake ecosystems.
01Marine site
Coastal observation in the Gulf of Trieste.
Research in place
Meet the landscapes behind the data.
Field story
Karst research
Valuable data from a vulnerable world.
Karst regions are rich in biodiversity and vital as drinking-water reservoirs. Collecting long-term data there can be difficult, time-consuming and sometimes life-threatening—which makes every observation count.
Read the field storyWatch
Karst research at LTER Slovenia sites
The film presents the Postojna–Planina Cave System and Škocjan Caves, two sites managed for long-term underground karst research.
Produced and co-financed by the Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU under the EU Horizon 2020 eLTER PPP and eLTER PLUS projects.
Past event · June 2025
eLTER Science Conference 2025
Towards a whole-system approach for ecosystem science · Tampere, Finland
View the conference
Seen in the field
Life, above and below the surface.
Long-term observation connects species, habitats and environmental processes that are otherwise easy to miss.
Connect with the network
Long-term questions need long-term collaboration.
Discover the consortium, explore research outputs or speak with the national representative.