国際協力コミュのWorld Lake Student Conference 2008-A Proposal and Knowledge for the Next Ages

Proposal of the World Lake Student Conference 2008

In November 2008, students from ten countries gathered in Shiga, Japan to discuss the current relationship between humankind and the natural world, and to establish goals for how we may exist in harmony in the future. This proposal communicates the consensus of the World Lake Student Conference 2008.


1. Lakes and Environmental Education

Environmental Education is a system of indoor and outdoor activities aimed at raising people’s awareness about natural surroundings and people’s role and responsibilities in management and interactions with environment. Environmental education should be experiential and integrated into everyday life through school, media, home and family.

1-1 Fundamental Importance of Lake Environments

Lakes are incredibly valuable ecosystems: they provide drinking water and food, control floods, recycle nutrients, sustain biological diversity and act as indicators of environmental change. They carry cultural, recreational, religious and economic value. Unfortunately, lakes are vulnerable to human impact and today many of them are deteriorating. Because water is the basis of all life, we must protect this precious resource.

1-2 Necessity of Environmental Education

Environmental education has intrinsic worth, and is a valuable means of achieving a sustainable harmony between humankind and nature. Once people understand the importance of lakes and wetlands on a personal level, once we realize the intricacy and beauty of these ecosystems, once we properly value nature, then we can genuinely address today’s environmental problems. Researchers, educators, students – all people of the world – must provide educational opportunities so that all people may develop an appreciation for nature and desire to protect the environment.

1-3 Environmental Education in Different Countries

While concern for environmental issues is growing, across the world Environmental education lacks depth and breadth: it is limited or non-existent.

1-4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Environmental Education

Scientific knowledge abounds across the world, whether based upon professional research or lived experience of local people. Many educators and researchers devote their lives to sharing this knowledge and where environmental education is strong, it focuses on regional issues and facilitates citizen action. However, global level of environmental awareness is insufficient. In some developing countries environmental education is lacking entirely; among industrialized countries, only few require environmental education as part of the standard public school curricula. Too often this education is left to under funded NGOs. While some countries are improving their environmental education systems, many people reach adulthood without learning about or experiencing nature.

1-5 Ideal Environmental Education in the Future

An ideal environmental education system reaches all people throughout their lives, regardless of nationality, economic status, etc. This future education system employs fun, interesting, and experiential learning opportunities that are appropriate to different age groups and various education levels. Importantly, ideal environmental education inspires people to actively protect the natural world. This system relies on a network of students, educators, researchers, media, NGOs and governments that integrates environmental issues into daily life. This ideal environmental education requires significant financial support, but the benefit of a sustainable world is priceless.

1-6 Mission for the Next Age

First and foremost, environmental education should help people understand how the natural world functions, demonstrate the importance of preserving the environment and facilitate their participation in its protection. Based upon international cooperation and sound science, environmental education can help create a respectful relationship between humans and nature.




2. Lake Management

A lake is an aquatic ecosystem that is a perennial, enclosed or semi-enclosed waterbody with a measurable residence time and has interactions with its catchment area and the global environment.

2-1 Problems concerning Lake Environment

There are some common problems threatening many lakes around the world, both at the local and global scale. The major problems are water pollution, introduction of invasive species, over-exploitation of the aquatic resources, reclamation, eutrophication and climate change.

2-2 Deterioration of Lake Environments

Deterioration of the lake environment results in a decrease in biological diversity, a lower quality of its associated resources and impaired ecosystem services.

2-3 Reasons for lake deterioration

Lake environments are changing due to increased population and industrialization. Moreover the lack of respect and environmental education of the citizens along with the mismanagement by the governments accentuate lake deterioration.

2-4 The long-term goal of Lake Management

The long-term goal is to pursue sustainable development, which includes maintaining adequate water quality, conserving the ecological integrity of lakes, preserving their cultural and aesthetic value and promoting their economic aspects.

2-5 Steps to improve Lake Environmental Conditions

The steps are as follows:
1. Citizens, scientists, companies, NGOs, governments and international organizations should open a platform for communication.
2. We should evaluate the status of lakes and whether or not they require management.
3. Current management practices should be analyzed and assessed to see if they are sustainable. If not, we should work together to determine what went wrong and why.
4. We should find a way to resolve these issues and work together to implement these solutions.
5. Finally we should see if the lake quality has improved. If not, then we need to reevaluate the management.

2-6 Mission for the Next Age

In WLSC 2008 we drafted the definition of a “Lake” and the five steps of lake management. After this conference, we are going to spread awareness of these ideas as much as possible and report the outcome to World Lake Conference 2009. The mission for the next age is to broaden scientific knowledge and seek financial support to implement these five steps in lake management.

There are few opportunities to hear real voices from foreign students about the real environment in their countries. These are very significant when discussing the environment as precious materials.

Following statements are understanding of the lake environment in ten participating countries.


Lakes and Environmental Education

<More concerned about lake environment>
・Nowadays, people are becoming more interested in lake environment (Japan).

<Less concerned about lake environment>
・Because of lacking awareness, most people ignore the existence and do not care about problems of management. They are not motivated in having sustainable behavior (China).
・Only small number of people are aware of risks (France).
・People who live with weak relation with a lake have little interest in the lake unless he or she studies it at university or something (Japan).

<Using lakes as recreation>
・Local people and tourists come to Baikal to enjoy its beauty, amazing landscapes, exciting nature, etc. and leave tons of litter on the shore (Russia).
・People who live in urban areas are disconnected from the natural environment, see lakes as their recreational uses such as bathing, boating, sport fishing, swimming, relaxing and sports (Canada & Russia).
・Only recently lakes began to be seen as recreational areas and as part of our nature heritage (Italy).

<Lakes as economic resources>
・Politicians and economic stakeholders see the economic potential of lakes for hydroelectric energy or to sell water (Canada).
・Water is used for economic and industrial needs (Russia).
・Lakes are not valued for their intrinsic worth; they are places for tourism and industry. While these uses are important, it is also necessary to value lakes simply because they are lakes. Otherwise, we will continue to degrade these ecosystems (France & USA).

<Lakes as religious entities>
・Though they share many differences but they all stand on the common grounds of purity and sanity of their Lakes and Rivers (India).

<Using lakes as a source of fresh water and food>
・People who are living related with nature see lakes as their drinking and feeding uses (Canada) .
・Basically, the fresh water bodies are seen as dirty and somehow dangerous reservoirs for agriculture and drinking supplies. This situation is mirrored by the poor attention devoted to them by the society and the stakeholders, who pay little or no attention to the correct management of the lake environment and their protection (Italy).

<Lake education>
・Environmental education is lacking. Though NGOs and some research institutes help individuals of all ages experience nature and participate in its protection, government standards for public education are nearly nonexistent (USA & Russia).

<Using lakes as long term resources>
・Although the lake perspective of these categories of Canadian citizens is very different, they all aim for the long-term sustainability of this resource (Canada).


Lake management

1. Problems about the management on lakes in the world
<Social problems>
・Lakes are often managed for people first. This means that wildlife and the water resources are taken into account when planning management and are given basic protection (USA).
・Numbers of uncontrolled tourist worsen condition of lakes (India /Germany).
・In my country, sustainable development is not set as basic of lake management (China).
The problems about the management on lakes in my country (both Italy and France) take origin within the lake basin and from the drainage basin. Mostly they affect the harmony among all users of the lakes in different areas (France).
・One of the main culprits of the problem is fractured authority (USA).
・There are problems such as: Lacking of financial support of legislation initiatives and ecological programmes, ban of economical activity in the protected zone, chaotic tourist site development, lack of tourist zones planning, littered landscapes, low ecological consciousness of business circles, local population and tourists, degradation of landscapes and nature reserves (Russia).
・The society is not interested in studying problems connected with ecological stress on water-body (Russia).

<Eutrophication>
・Increase in nutrient loading (mainly phosphorus, but in some lakes nitrogen) on a lake (Canada).
・Freshwater environments have been one of the most heavily impacted areas as a result of population growth and urban development. Aquatic communities have experienced the most trophic cascades as a result of human activities, and the eutrophication of lakes seems to be increasing at an alarming rate (USA).
・The main problems which interest the permanent water bodies are related to eutrophication and toxic cyanobacteria blooms, while the temporary habitats are threatened by direct destruction or by the alteration of their natural hydroperiod (Italy).

<Acid rain>
・Industries produce HNO3 and H2SO4 that are transported by winds and deposit with precipitation. A combination of low pH rain and poorly buffered water (low alkalinity, as a result of a granitic catchment) produces an acid lake (Canada).

<Climate change>
・The increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities causes warmer temperatures and related impacts. There is a special concern on feedback effects (e.g., loss of ice, greenhouse gases increase, earlier and stronger stratification) (Canada).
・The problem facing UK’s lake management schemes and those all over the world is that they may not take in to account the changes that may occur due to climate change (UK).
・Ecosystem is changing due to climate change (Germany).

<Pollution>
・The industrial and agricultural discharges and attractions of tourist cause more pollution. (waterpark, swimming) (France).

<Thinning of ozone>
・The production of CFCs causes a decrease in the ozone layer (Canada).

<Invasive exotic species>
・Increase in transport between continents can disperse species into exotic ecosystems (Canada).

<Hydroelectricity>
・Hydroelectrical dams create huge reservoirs in northern Canada of major economic benefits. However, there are societal problems associated with these dams (Canada).

<Water availability>
・Climate change and the population increase create new issues of water sources (Canada).

<Human activity>
・Lakes are often managed for people first. This means that wildlife and the water resources are taken into account when planning management and are given basic protection (USA).

<Ecosystem>
・Vegetal or animal invasive species sometimes disturb the ecology of the system (France/Italy).
・The effect of the alien species on the autochthonous biota is mostly evident in Sicilian rivers and streams (Italy).
・There are possibilities for indigenous species only in Japan to extinct due to the deterioration of aquatic environment (Japan).

2. The harm which is mainly caused by the problem in the world

<Social problems>
・We need an effective legislation, and we also have to protect the environment in our daily life (China).
・Pollution and degradation of the lake drives to an economical problem locally in particular for fishing (France).
・Most harm is caused by the bad cooperation between local people and users of drainage basins because planning of lake basins requires integration of the all components (France).
・Managing lakes for people first – that is to say for our current consumption rather than the long term maintenance of the water resources – puts lakes and wetlands at great risk (USA).
・Littoral zones of very high ecological value are reduced for tourism by constructing marinas, beaches, sports fields and campsites (Germany).

<Eutrophication>
・Decreased lake water transparency, cyanobacterial blooms potentially toxic, anoxic hypolimnion, decreased in aquatic flora and fauna biodiversity, restrictions on recreational use of lake (Canada).
・Some lakes are banned for swimming because dangerous or because of the proliferation of a type of cyanobacteria which causes diseases (France).

<Pollution>
・Pollution is caused by the toxicological effects on aquatic foodwebs, limit of human consumption of fish, regulation for recreational use of lake (Canada).

<Acid rain>
・When the lake becomes acid, biodiversity of aquatic flora and fauna will decrease (Canada).

<Climate change>
・If lakes are not managed properly then the impact climate change might have on the lake ecosystems will be severe. The value of lakes as a resource will be reduced as a result and their value as a habitat will also suffer (UK).
・The increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause warmer temperatures that have wide impacts on aquatic systems (Canada).

<Ecosystem>
・The loss of biodiversity linked with the destruction or alteration of wetlands, or due to the introduction or spreading of allochthonous taxa (Italy).
・The major harms are a pollution and degradation of the lake (eutrophication) resulting in a decreasing of the biodiversity of the system (France).
・The increase of algae toxicates the aquatic ecosystem.
Disturb the structure and processes of aquatic ecosystems (Canada).

<Hydroelectricity>
・Dams create huge reservoirs that disturb the natural environment (e.g., displacement of indigenous people, mobilization of mercury into the food chain, increase production of greenhouse gases) (Canada).



WLSC2008 Steering Committee
International Lake Environment Committee