Press Release

DIRECTOR OF AQUATIC STATION OVERSEES DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD LAKE VISION

An international drafting committee chaired by Dr. Walter Rast (Director, SWT Aquatic Station and Biology Faculty Member) recently launched the “World Lake Vision: A Call to Action.” Initiated by the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC), of which Dr. Rast is a member of its Scientific Committee, this milestone document culminates a multi-year effort directed to the sustainable use of lakes and reservoirs around the world. It was recently launched at a special session at the 3rd World Water Forum, held in Japan during March 16-23, 2003.

Because lakes and reservoirs contain more than 90% of the liquid freshwater on the Earth’s surface at any given instant, the World Lake Vision focuses on the unique values and uses of lakes as critical water resources. It identifies and discusses the threats facing lakes that originate both within and outside their drainage basins, including excessive water withdrawals or diversions, degraded water quality, unsustainable fisheries, loss of aquatic biodiversity, transmission of pathogens and disease vectors, accumulation of litter and garbage, loss of natural beauty, long range transport of airborne pollutants, invasive species and global climate change.

It also discusses socioeconomic factors affecting sustainable lake use, including increased demands for development and use of lake resources, limited public awareness and understanding of human impacts on lakes, insufficient governance and accountability systems, and inadequate mechanisms for managing international lake systems. It identifies seven guiding principles that should be used to develop and implement lake visions for individual lakes. Further, it identifies actions that can be taken over the short term to address a range of threats facing lakes, as well as longer term strategies that can be followed to further the goal of sustainable use of lakes and their resources.

The World Lake Vision was developed as a living document, to be revised periodically to reflect evolving lake assessment and management activities throughout the world. Further information on the World Lake Vision, and the individuals and organizations that supported its development, can be found on the Internet web page, http://www.worldlakes.org/vision.html.