The history of the World Lake Conference (WLC) dates back to the Shiga Conference on Conservation and Management of World Lake Environment of 1984, known as LECS’84, which was held on the shore of Lake Biwa, Japan. The aim of the LECS’ 84, which was to contribute to promoting scientific approaches in the world lake basin management, has been inherited to the World Lake Conferences held in various parts of the world including USA, Hungary, China, Italy, Argentina, Denmark, Kenya, India, Indonesia and Japan.
Beyond Lakes: Linking Science, Culture and Governance for their Sustainable Use
Today, the Conference is globally recognized as a place for multi-sectoral participants (i.e., academia, government, citizens, NGOs and enterprises) to exchange their views and experiences on the sustainable management of lakes and their basins. The conference is organised every 2 years in cooperation with the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC).
The 19th World Lake Conference will be organised in November 7-9, 2023 in Balatonfüred, Hungary. This will be the second time that Lake Balaton will host the conference. In 1988, the 3rd WLC was organized at Keszthely, which focused on lake degradation issues, such as eutrophication, acidification, toxic substances, modelling, rehabilitation options and the role of stakeholders in the protection and conservation of lakes. At the upcoming conference, we intend to take these issues to the next level and complement these themes by presenting appropriate and effective tools to maintain the ecosystem services provided by lakes.
