A new collaboration towards open data sharing has been forged between the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and Nature Research.

TERN, a network of ecosystem scientists, has built its reputation on the sharing of ecological data. The Adelaide branch of TERN is led by the Environment Institute’s Professor Andy Lowe.

The data repository that TERN developed, Advanced Ecological Knowledge and Observation System (ÆKOS), has been recognised as providing stable archiving and long-term preservation of Australian ecological data. This recognition has prompted the Nature journal Scientific Data to recommend ÆKOS as a data repository to the wider scientific community.

This new venture is a step forward to more open access research.