Development of a region is based on the exploitation of its natural resources that derive from: the atmosphere, the soil, the water and the geological substratum.  Over-exploitation of these resources affect the environment and the ecosystems negatively and cause severe socio-economic impacts. For several decades neither the importance of the environment to our civilization, nor its vulnerability to imposed changes were realized. Monitoring the impact of manmade activities to the environment was neglected. In depth study of the factors that control the evolution of the biotic and abiotic parameters of the environment was not performed.

Land use and natural resources exploitation have been considerably altered and immensely intensified nowadays, compared to half a century ago, impacting severely the ecosystems and Man. Greece, lacks coordinated systematic operation of environmental monitoring networks, that are necessary for understanding natural processes and phenomena towards integrated environmental management.

Systematic monitoring of environmental variables at the field and holistic environmental management are key prerequisites to rational sustainable development. Design of appropriate measures against environmental degradation, natural resources and biodiversity restoration, as well as the efficient protection of infrastructure need to be based on deep understanding of the mechanisms that control the evolution of natural environment. Data on the natural resources and the biodiversity variables from reliable monitoring networks and wisely designed widely available databases, need to drive natural processes understanding, and the design of smart solutions that are successfully implemented. Due to the unprecedented environmental changes, mainly on land use and climate, that impact negatively on the available natural resources, this need becomes imperative.

The mission of LTER-Greece is to offer the scientific community, the decision makers, and overall the community, reliable scientific information and prognostic understanding of the environmental, ecological and socio-economic processes and procedures; and to compile and update solutions for current and forecasted environmental problems at local, national, European and global level.

The ambition of LTER-Greece is to offer services to the State, the interested Bodies and the society, to address the contemporary environmental challenges: mitigation of climate change impacts, preservation and security of natural resources, protection of biodiversity and confrontation of natural disasters.  The observatories are birthplaces to fresh research ideas, cradles to foster and establish young scientists, innovation hubs, spaces for deliberation-consultation and practicing the science of the citizen.