Lakes are vital water resources – they hold 90 percent of the liquid freshwater on the surface of our planet. Lakes are also engines for economic growth in millions of communities and play an important role in maintaining the ecological health of the planet.
"Many of the
world’s lakes are also in crisis, beset by a myriad of problems that affect
the quantity and quality of water they contain, the organisms they support, and
their ability to meet the needs of the surrounding human populations.
Some suffer from excessive water withdrawals and diversions, while others
have witnessed deteriorating water quality because human activities on the
surrounding land. In recent
decades, problems originating even beyond the immediate lake basin – notably
acid rain, climate change and invasive species – have added to the burdens on
already stressed lake ecosystems." --from the World Lake Vision
Executive Summary
Many of the problems facing lakes today are shared, and therefore, lake stewards have much to learn from the experiences of one another. LakeNet is committed to bringing these people and solutions together to protect and restore the health of lakes throughout the world. We have established this special section of the LakeNet website to track the progress of World Lake Vision implementation activities.
An opportunity to establish a global alliance of lake organizations, see the listing of organizations whose representatives served on the World Lake Vision Committee.
World Lake Vision: A Call to Action (Final Version), March 20, 2003, was released at the 3rd World Water Forum in Otsu, Japan.
Executive Summary of a World Lake Vision: A Call to Action, March 20, 2003, was released at the 3rd World Water Forum in Otsu, Japan.
Click here for an online form to send a profile of a lake vision or action plan or send an email to info@worldlakes.org.
World Lake Vision Draft (Version 4.0), January 31, 2003 is now available for review and comment.
World Lake Vision Draft (Version 3.0), November 7, 2002 is now available for review and comment.
World Lake Vision Draft (Version 2.0), October 7, 2002 is now available for review and comment.
World Lake Vision Meeting at the World Summit on Sustainable Development is scheduled for August 27, 2002 as part of the Local Government Session organized by UNEP IETC and ICLEI. View a PDF version of the brochure about the vision process handed out at the World Summit.
World Lake Vision Draft (Version 0.1), August 16, 2002 is now available for review and comment. This version of the World Lake Vision was prepared as a "draft for discussion" by representatives of the International Environment Technology Center/UNEP; International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC); Laguna Lake Development Authority; LakeNet; and Shiga Prefectural Government with inputs and contributions by numerous organizations. This draft of the World Lake Vision will be presented by Dr. Masahisa Nakamura of ILEC at a side event during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 27th. Several drafts will be prepared and released for public comment before the final version of the vision document is presented at the 3rd World Water Forum in Japan in March 2003.
Toward a World Lake Vision & Action Plan: Meeting Summary
For more information on this project and the subjects introduced in this document, please contact the World Lake Vision Secretariat of the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC), which assumes the role of the project focal point:
World Lake Vision Project Secretariat, ILEC
World Lake Vision website: www.ilec.or.jp/wwf/eng
e-mail: wwf3shiga@ilec.or.jp
The World Lake Vision document has also been posted to the Virtual Water Forum website at http://www.worldwaterforum.org/for/en/flist