ISSN 0912-7410

No.43 March 2003

NEWSLETTER

International Lake Environment Committee=Promoting Sustainable Lake Management=This Newsletter is also available in Japanese.

'World Lake Vision: Call to Action' Symposium
An international symposium
entitled 'World Lake Vision: Call to
Action' was held on 15 December,
2002, at Lake Biwa Museum's
cavernous hall, with about 100
people participating
at the event. The
symposium was
jointly held by
ILEC,
Shiga
Prefecture
andUNEP-IETC, for the
purposes of letting
Shiga residents
know about the'World Lake Vision'(WLV), that is to bepresented on 20-21
March (designatedas Shiga Day) at
the World Water
Forum 3 (WWF3).
The
morningsession started with
opening remarks from Governor
Kunimatsu, of Shiga Prefecture, Dr.
Steve Halls, Director of UNEP-IETC
and Professor Kira, Chairperson of
the World Lake Vision Committee. In
the morning session, Professor

IN
THIS
ISSUE

Nakamura, Director of Lake Biwa
Research Institute, talked about thenecessity of the World Lake Vision
and Dr. Rast, Associate Professor atSouthwest Texas State University,

explained the content of the WLV.
After these two speakers, Dr. Ide,
Assistant Professor at the Universityof Shiga Prefecture, and Mr. Jeff
Thornton, member of, Southeast
Wisconsin Regional Planning

Commission, gave lectures on thechallenges facing WLV. In theafternoon session, Lake Titicaca(Peru and Colombia), Lake Toba
(Indonesia), Lake Biwa and Lake
Caliva (Zimbabwe)
were introduced toshow examples oflake management inaction. Before ending
the symposium, apanel discussion with
six panelists took
place where opinions
were
activelyexchanged with theparticipants. The
symposium ended
successfully withclosing remarks from
the
Executive
Director of ILEC, Mr.
Hiroya Kotani.
In the days following the
Symposium, members of the World
Lake Vision Committee held a seriesof discussions to further develop the
WLV. (See pages 2 and 3 for thelatest Draft Version of theDocument.)- 'World Lake Vision: Call to Action' Symposium- Draft of the 'World Lake Vision: A Call to Action'- 3rd World Water Forum: Details of programs at Shiga Venue- The Need for Broader Environmental Management of the Lake Titicaca Basin as a Whole- 13th Group Training Course in Lake Water Quality Management- The 47th meeting of the Council of ILEC
- The 52nd meeting of the Board of Directors of ILEC

1The World Lake Vision:
A Call to Action
In the century that lies ahead,
humanity faces the challenge ofdeveloping a civilization fit for a finite
planet and one equipped to deal witha mounting scarcity of essential
resources such as freshwater. The
world's lakes, which are a primarysource and storehouse of the world's
easily-accessible freshwater, will bea critical arena in this great transition
to a society which sustains itself
without degrading and depleting its
own natural foundation. Many ofthese lakes are already in jeopardy.
The World Lake Vision aims toilluminate this growing crisis, toarticulate principles to guide thistransition toward managing lakes fortheir sustainable use, and to provide
a practical blueprint for insuring thelong-term health of lakes and theintegrity of the freshwater required byhuman societies for their survival andeconomic development, and formaintaining
life-supporting
ecosystems ...

It is difficult to overstate theurgency of the problems confronting
the world's lakes, which hold morethan 90 percent of all the liquid
freshwater on our planet's surface.
Many of the world's most importantlakes are in crisis, beset by a myriadof problems that affect the quantityand quality of thewater they

contain, the organisms they support,
and their ability to meet the waterneeds of the surrounding humanpopulations. Some suffer fromexcessive water withdrawals anddiversions, while others havewitnessed deteriorating water
quality because of polluting
human
activitiesonthesurrounding land. In recent
decades, problems originating evenbeyond the immediate lake basin notably acid rain and climate change- have added additional burdens toalready stressed lake ecosystems.
Despite clear evidence of an
escalating crisis, most lakes still lackthe kind of well-conceived, integrated
plan needed to manage them in a
way that both insures their healthand supports human water needs
over the long term. Current lake
management and conservation
efforts typically fail because theirapproach is too narrowly-focusedand fragmented. The World Lake
Vision responds to the need forpractical guidance by offering acomprehensive framework fortacklingthedauntinglakemanagement challenges that
confront us. While this document
may prove helpful to a variety ofaudiences, it aims first and foremost
to assist the efforts of citizens aroundthe world who inhabit lake basins.
At the moment the number ofseverely-degraded lakes isrelatively small, but thecatastrophic demise of theAral Sea in southcentral Asia,
whichisliterally
disappearing because of
the diversion of the rivers
that replenished its waters,
looms as a warning sign. In
the absence of a holistic,
integrated approach topollution prevention andsustainable use, many lakes andthe communities that depend uponthem
may faceequally dire fates in the foreseeable
future. This would represent a loss
far beyond their value as sources offreshwater, food, and recreation.
Lakes are also places of great
beauty and biological complexity,
which have served as cradles ofculture and landscapes of humanhistory.
The World Lake Vision provides aset of guiding principles fordeveloping and implementing
effective management programs forthe world's lakes. These principles
augment those already articulated in
the World Water Vision, but focus
specifically on lakes, their uniquecharacteristics and uses, and thethreats they face. It also describes
promising strategies to addressthese threats, which individuals andorganizations working at the local,
national, and global level canundertake over the longer term.
The Precautionary Principle must
be the departure point for such
efforts. This political decision-making
approachemphasizesthatcommunities and governments
should not use the lack of fullscientific certainty as a reason to
postpone action to prevent
serious and irreversible
environmental damage, towhich lakes are especiallyvulnerable. The World

Lake
Visionalso
incorporates the Dublin
Principles for managing
freshwater
resources,
emphasizing the importance of
public participation in water
development and management
efforts, including the central role ofwomen in these matters.
The seven principles detailed in
World Lake Vision provide a
blueprint for achieving the transition
to managing lakes for theirsustainable use.
Principle 1:
A harmonious
relationshipbetween humans and nature isessential for the sustainability oflakes.
Principle 2:
Drainagebasinsaretheappropriate units for planning andapplying management actions for thesustainable use of lakes.

Principle 4:
Policy development and decision
making for lake management should
be based on sound science and thebest available information.
Principle 5:
The management of lakes for theirsustainable use requires theresolution of conflicts among
competing uses of lake resources,
taking into account the needs ofpresent and future generations andof nature.
Principle 6:
Citizens and other stakeholders
must participate meaningfully in
identifying and resolving critical lake
problems.
Principle 7:
Good governance, based on
fairness,transparency
andempowerment of all stakeholders, isessential for sustainable lake use.

The World Lake Vision
is above all a call to action.
The key to the sustainable
use of our lakes lies infinding a balance between thewater needs of humanity, andthe ability of nature to meet thesewater needs over the long term. This
document identifies a wide range ofactions and strategies to assist lakecommunities, decision-makers andothers with a stake in lake resources
to develop individual lake visions toguide their sustainable use. Indeed,
if we are unable to use lakes andtheir resources in a sustainable
manner, there seems little hope that
we can achieve this goal for othertypes of freshwater resources.

This is the latest draft version of
the World Lake Vision. After
finalisation, the document will bepresented at the World Water Forum
3 on Shiga Day - 20-21 March 2003.

Principle 3:
A long-term, proactive approachdirected to preventing the causes oflake degradation isessential.

33rd World Water Forum:
Details of programs at Shiga Venue
We are happy to announce details of the programs at
the Shiga Venue in connection with the 3rd World Water
Forum, which is to be held over a period of 8 days
between 16-23 March, and in three different locations,
namely Shiga, Kyoto and Osaka. (Shiga Day is to be heldfrom March 20 to March 21).

1. Session Meetings
More than 50 session meetings are to be held on thefour major topics mentioned below, with a further fivesub-sessions dealing with other topics. The venues are
Biwako Hall and Otsu Prince Hotel.
(1) 'Integrated Water Resources Management and BasinManagement'(2) 'Water for Peace'

3. Other relevant programs
On top of the various session meetings and Biwako
Water Fair / Festival, some other programs andceremonies are to be held to further enhance theenjoyment of visitors to Otsu and Shiga Prefecture.
(1) 'Shiga Day Opening Ceremony' (20/3: Lake Biwa Hall)(2) 'Shiga Welcome Reception Party' (20/3: Otsu Prince
Hotel)(3) 'Welcome Concert - Symphony for Youth' (21/3: Lake
Biwa Hall)(4) 'Excursion Program' (Site Visit) (19-22/3: 9 courses)(5) 'Biwako Water Fair/Festival' - Interchange andPromotion Project (15-23/3: 5 programs)(3) 'Children's World Water Forum'(4) 'Ministers Meeting on Water, Food and Agriculture'
The following three ILEC-related session meetings will
also be held. We very much hope for a strong turnout atthese sessions.
'World Lake Vision: A Call to Action' (20/3: 12:30-15:15,
Otsu Prince Hotel)'Strategies & Actions for Implementing the World Lake
Vision' (21/3: 8:45-11:30, Otsu Prince Hotel)'Governors and Chairpersons Meeting for Sustainable
Lake Management' (21/3: 5:30-18:15, Otsu Prince Hotel)
If you have not already registered for these sessions,
you will need to register at the venue before you canparticipate in them.

2. Biwako Water Fair / Festival'The Biwako Water Fair / Festival' is to be held aroundthe venues of the session meetings from 19 to 21 March.
At this fair, the results of various activities by NPOs,
residents' groups and companies will be exhibited andenjoyable water related evens will also be held. It is freeof charge and everyone is welcome to come and havefun. The venues are Shiga Prefectural Gymnasium, Piaza
Omi and Nagisa Park.
4

Moreover, many pre-events are going to be held at
different places around Shiga Prefecture before theopening of WWF3. We hope you will have the time to visit
and participate in some of these events.

THE NEED FOR BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL Lakes of the

World

MANAGEMENT OF
THE LAKE TITICACA BASIN AS A WHOLE*By Mr. Mario Francisco Revollo
The hydrological basins of Lake
Titicaca, the Desaguadero River,
Lake Poopo and the Salt Lake of
Coipasa constitute a great closed
basin shared between the republics
of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. This total
system, which lies between thecoordinates 14 03' and 20 00' southand 66 21' and 71 07' west ofGreenwich, is known as the TDPS
region. The closed basin system's
total surface is 143,900 km 2 a n dconsists of territories of the subregion of Puno (Peru) and thedepartments of La Paz and Oruro(Bolivia).
The Desaguadero River connects
Lake Titicaca to Lake Poopo. The
Laca Jahuira River connects Lake
Poopo with Coipasa Salt Lake
through a channel 130 km long with
a 0.02% slope. Coipasa Salt Lake isconnected in high water times to theSalt Lake of Uyuni through the
Negrojahuira Channel, about 20 km
long. Coipasa Salt Lake has a
60,000 km 2 watershed and an
average surface area of 12,000 km2,
with an average altitude of 3,653
meters.
(1) Basin characteristics
Given the TDPS system's highaltitude in the Andes Mountains(more than 3,600 m.), the climate iscold at night (8-10 Cyear-roundaverage) and has a moderate
climate during the daytime, withannual precipitation that varies from
200 mm in the south to 1,400 mm in
the system's north, with the
maximum values over Lake Titicaca.

The system's main natural threats
are climatic and include long, intense
droughts, heavy rains and flooding
and frequent hailstorms and freezes,
all of which cause serious damage tothe region's agriculture. Historically,
there are records of at least 12 major
droughts and 10 floods. During the
1980s these caused roughly $340
million in losses, an average of $34
million per year. The basin's geology
is extremely varied, with more than
one third (38.6%) being comprised ofmountains, another third (33.5%)
plains, valleys and depressions, a
fifth (19.5%) hills and plateaus ofmoderate slope and the rest (8.4%)
water surfaces
Thebasin'scharacteristic
ecosystem is the puna, a formationof rigid gramineae grasses and dwarf
bushes with coriaceous leaves,
forests of q u e n o a (Polylepis) andother trees in the sheltered sectors.
The animals most characteristic ofthese
ecosystems
aretheoutstanding bird species, such as
condors and flamingos; various
camelids, such as llamas, alpacas,
vicunas and guanacos; and theworld's largest known frog, of thegenus T e l m a t o b i u s. There is animpressive richness of animal
species, and some are in danger ofextinction. In addition, the special
conditions created by Lake Titicaca
and other highland lakes produce
specialaquatic
vegetation,
particularly the t o t o r a l e s, or totora
reeds, which are of great importancenot only ecologically but also
economically. The lakes host a great

variety of aquatic birds, many
migratory, and some native fish thatstill maintain a certain commercial
importance.
(2) Environmental problems in thebasin
Intensive exploitation of the natural
resources in the area has produced
a general degradation of biologicalresources and the soil, with the
exception of some areas ofparticularly
difficultclimatic
conditions, where remnants of thenative flora and fauna have managed
to survive. Unsustainable use ofresourceshas
resultedindeforestation, extensive erosion,
river sedimentation, soil salinization,
silting up of lakes and imbalances inwatersheds, all contributing to
extreme variations in water flows. In
addition, lakes and rivers in the
TDPS system have been polluted bychemicals from unsustainable andunregulated mining and fromfoundries producing metals forinternational exports. Finally, growing
urban centers have added pollution
due to inadequate sewage systems.
In addition to harming the flora andfauna of the area, unsustainable
natural resource exploitation in the
Lake
Titicacasystemhassignificantly impacted the basin's
human settlements and theeconomy.

*Director Boliviano de la Autoridad
Binacional Autonoma del Lago
Titicaca (ALT)5

(3) Impacts of unsustainable
resource exploition on TDPS
Basin natural system
Basin soils are being significantly
degraded by:
Erosion67.5% of the soils are affected bymoderate to severe erosion. Of
these, 39,377 km 2 (29.9% of thebasin's lands) show severe to very
severe erosion. Only 4,249 km 2 ofsoil have protective vegetation,
whereas 57,247 km 2 should be soprotected (excluding the salt lakes).
Salinization
Some 3,449 km 2, or 2.4% of thebasin's soils are classified as saline.
Open pit mining uncovers earth richin mineral salts, which are thencarried away by rainwater,
contributing significantly to thesalinization of the Desaguadero andPoopo and Uru Uru lakes.

Low technological level of the local
agriculture

Chemical pollution caused by mining
and metallurgic industries

About 46,455 km 2 (35.3%) of thesoils are used for forage and crops
for which the soils are inadequate.
Soil productivity is also declining due
to both primitive agricultural methods
and improper use of agrochemicals.

Where practiced, mining is theprincipal cause of environmental
degradation. Acidic waters, tailingsand cleared material and theeffluents from flotation-method
concentration plants are highly toxic
for aquatic flora and fauna. Lakes
Poopo and Uru Uru and the lower
part of the Desaguadero River showhigh concentrations of heavy metals,
including cadmium, lead, nickel,
cobalt, chromium, tin and arsenic.
Metals are found in concentrations
higher than permissible limits forhuman consumption in Lakes Poopoand Uru Uru.

Water quality is being significantly
degraded due to:Organic and bacteriological pollution
from urban sewage
Although this is not yet a major
problem, there are localized spots
where control and restoration
measures are needed, particularly in
Puno Bay of Lake Titicaca, the Coata
River, Lake Uru Uru, and the SecoRiver, due to wastes from the cities
of Puno, Juliaca, Oruro and El Alto,
respectively. Pollution of rivers andother water sources limit their uses
by humans for drinking water,
irrigation or fishing.

Titicaca reed

Marshland

6

Biological resources, which are
deteriorating and in turn disrupting
the economy include:
Natural grasslands
Productivity and the state of nativeflora are declining due to excessive

demands per hectare of thegrasslands, particularly by introduced
cattle and sheep. Both the grassland
biomass and the natural load
capacity are reduced. As a result,animals are thin and underweightand have low levels of meat and milk
production.
Plant communities harvested for
firewood
21% of the tolars have been
thinned or reduced in density for
firewood. At present, firewood plants
cover only 2.3% of the basin andonly 0.7% is made up of forests,
which are being over exploited for
firewood and construction.
Aquatic vegetation
The area covered by totorales(totora reeds) shrank from 59,132 Ha
in 1970 to 40,056 Ha in 1992.
Fish species and communities
Lake Titicaca's native fish species
are now in marked decline due touncontrolled fishing and depredationfrom introduced species. Fishmarkets, especially those from thelakes in the basin's south (Poopoand Uru Uru), are weakening due toheavy metal concentrations that may
threaten human health.
Other species and genetic reserves
Only traces remain of many
Andean flora species which wereabundant in the past. At least fivespecies of fauna are rapidly
becoming extinct and another 12 arein danger.
Air quality is being degraded by:
Removal and crushing of minerals
The removal and crushing ofminerals is also the principal artificial
source of air pollution, caused by dust
and other suspended particles. The
area's semiarid climate and strong
winds, particularly around Oruro,magnify the impact of this pollution.

Metal foundries
Metal foundries produce greatvolumes of sulfur dioxide and arsenic
and lead dusts whose effects on the
population can be very damaging.
Oruro's high rate of birth defects may
be linked to the area's many types ofmining and industrial pollution. The
cement plants of Viacha (Bolivia) andJuliaca (Peru) are important sourcesof dust pollution.
(4) Management structure and themaster plan
The Binational Autonomous
Authority of Lake Titicaca (ALT),
created by the governments ofBolivia and Peru, set to work in 1996.
Its main objective is to promote andconduct action programs that protect
the water resources and environmentof the TDPS System. A Master Plan
contains the basic outlines ofcoordinated programs to protect thelakes and their tributaries up anddown stream. The Master Plancontemplates the following actions:
hydraulic regulation and irrigation
projects, environmental impact
studies, drainage systems studies,sustainable agricultural projects;
reforestation
initiatives,
reimplantation of the totora reedbeds,
rationalization of fishing activity, andwater decontamination. The Master
Plan lays out the need to analyze
vegetation coverage; erosion rates
and causes, water table levels, water
quality and Lake Titicaca biomass.
Finally, the Master Plan also
proposes a study to evaluate thecreation of a Binational Reserve Parkin the Desaguadero River area toprotect local biodiversity and work tobuild the capacity of the local
population to manage their resources
sustainably.

of the river, with resources provided
by the two governments. In addition,
the Authority is working in concert
with international organizations suchas the EU, OAS, UNDP, GEF and
the Swiss Cooperation Agency tocarry out a number of small projects
on issues such as identifying zones
for restricted uses, promoting
sustainableagriculture,andprotecting water and soil quality. The
Authority also serves as the SouthAmerican representative on theSteering Committee of LakeNet, a
global network of over 800
organizations and individuals
working to protect lakes. Sharing
experience with other lake managers
is valuable for problem solving,learning about new and promising
approaches, avoiding pitfalls, andpromoting lake protection at the
global level. Threats to lakes suchas the atmospheric deposition of
toxics and global climate change
need to be addressed beyond any
one country's borders. The Authority
plans to work with LakeNet toestablish a South American networkof organizations and people working
to protect lakes in South America.
(6) Conclusion
Given the geographic extent of thebasin, (143,900km2), integrated plans
for managing both the environment
and a growing economy aredesperately needed to improve boththe quality of the basin and theeconomic situation of the people
living in it. The Authority will need
substantial additional funding to
implement needed projects toeffectively meet the many challenges
it faces. The Binational Authority andits partners worldwide faceenormous challenges and resources
are scarce.

(5) Reaching beyond the watershed
The Binational Authority is justcompleting the building of regulation
gates at the beginning of the
Desaguadero River and the dredging
7

13th Group Training Course in Lake Water Quality Management
The two-month-long 13th Group Training Course in
Lake Water Quality Management, one of JICA's grouptraining courses, started from January 20 (and isscheduled to end on March 21) with theparticipation of 9 trainees at ILEC.
Course participants come from
Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Philippine, Tanzania
and Zimbabwe.
The aim of this course is forparticipants to gain comprehensivelake-water-quality management
techniques and knowledge. In addition tolectures on various subjects at ILEC, the course
includes training on water quality analysis and analytical
instruments. The trainees also visited plants and facilities

such as water treatment and sewage treatment plants,
and attended lectures and site visits in Tokyo andHiroshima. They also participated in a homestay program set up by the Kusatsu
Inter-people Friendship Association.
Moreover, they will also be
participating in the World Water
Forum 3, so this year theschedule is somewhat fuller
than in previous years.
The weather in Japan this winterhas been colder than in previous
years. Nevertheless, the trainees haveworked hard and enjoyed the course. We will carryan article by one of the trainees in the next Newsletter.

The 52nd meeting of the Board of
Directors of ILEC
The 52nd meeting of the Board of Directors was held
at ILEC offices on 3 December, 2002. Items on theagenda included the amendment of the current fiscal
year's activities plan and budget, and the re-election of
the members of the council. One big amendment of thecurrent activities was 'Lake Basin Management
Initiative: A GEF Project'. Mr. Hamada was elected as
the new council member to assume Mr. Goshi's
position. All of the items on the agenda were approved
unanimously.

The 47th meeting of
the Council of ILEC
The 47th meeting of the Councilof ILEC was held at ILEC offices on
12 December, 2002. The items on
the agenda mirrored fairly closely
those of the Board of Directors
meeting, including matters dealing
with the plan of activities andbudget, and the re-election ofmembers. The meeting spent a
considerable amount of time
discussing the 'Lake BasinManagement Initiative'. Mr.
Matsushita was elected as a new
director member. All of the items on
the agenda were approved
unanimously.

INTERNATIONAL LAKE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE--Secretariat--

81091 Oroshimo-cho, Kusatsu-city, Shiga 520-0001, JAPANTEL +81-77-568-4567, FAX +81-77-568-4568, E-mail: info@ilec.or.jp