ISSN 0912-7402– Save Water, Save Lakes –The World Lake Conference Is Celebrating Its Thirtieth Anniversary in Perugia, Italy
As announced in the previous two issuesof this newsletter, Italy will be hosting
the Fifteenth World Lake Conference(WLC15), entitled LAKES: The Mirrors of
the Earth - Balancing Ecosystem Integrityand Human Wellbeing, in Perugia during
September 1-5, 2014. The Conference,
which started after the Shiga Conference
on Conser vation and Management ofWorld Lake Environment in 1984 (known
as LECS'84) in Otsu, on the shore of
Lake Biwa, Japan, is therefore celebrating
its thi r tieth anniversa r y. T he aim of
the LECS' 84 was to promote scientificapproaches to lake basin management
around the world. The success of thisConference convinced the governmentof Shiga Prefecture, in cooperation with
the United Nations Environment Program(UNEP), to establish the International
Lake Environment Committee Foundation

IN
THIS
ISSUE

(ILEC). Ever since its establishment in
1986, ILEC has co-convened WLCs invarious parts of the world including theUSA, Hungary, China, Italy, Argentina,
Denmark, Kenya, India and Japan. Today,
the Conference is globally recognized as aforum for multi-sectoral participants (i.e.,
academia, government, citizens, NGOs andenterprises) to exchange their views andexperiences on sustainable management forinland waters and their basins.
Thus, the continuing scope of the WLC
is to bring together experts in the field of
inland water environments and habitats,with the underlying goal of establishinga basis for developing multidisciplinary
solutions to multidisciplinary issues.
Fur ther, since multidisciplina r y is a
keyword in regard to this Conference,d i f fe r ent a p p r o a ch e s a n d p oi nt s ofview are taken into account to addresscomplex issues dealing with lakes andother inland water ecosystems. Therefore,
the Conference is addressed not only toscientists, but also to resource managers,
politicians, and lake basin stakeholders andusers. The interactions among this diverse
audience can result in a wider discussion,
with the goal of connecting a top-down
approach and a bottom-up perspective
aimed at solving complex basin issues.
Moreover, this event also would likely havea strong influence on young generationsof researchers, managers and lake users,
launching different didactic experiences forchildren and graduate students, and teachthem how to focus on world lake issues andhow to connect with others in a worldwide
esearch network.

■ The World Lake Conference Is Celebrating Its
Thirtieth Anniversary in Perugia, Italy■ A Letter from Scientific Committee (Italy)■ ILBM Platform Process is Growing–Part IV■ Lakes of the World: Lake Haleji (Pakistan)■ Scientific Journal of ILEC, “Lakes & Reservoirs”

Perhaps most at t ract ive to t he
p a r t ic ip a nt s i s t h e lo c a t ion s of t h e
Conference. Perugia, the capital city ofthe beautiful Umbria Region which also is
known as the green heart of Italy, stands as
one of the most well-preserved historicalcenters of Italy, showing vestiges of its
millennial history (c.f., the page 8 article
in the previous issue). The Etruscans once
settled it about 2,500 years ago because of
its rich water resources, including the nearby
ancient lake Trasimeno. As one of the
mid-conference field trip destinations, thelake will offer its visitors an extraordinarychance to witness some of the historical,
cultural and natural heritage that is uniqueto the region (c.f., the page 8 article in thisissue). The pre-conference registration is
open at www.wlc15perugia.com. Join us in
Perugia, we look forward to meeting you!

■ The Water Circulation Basic Act Enacted in Japan■ A Report from a Former JICA Trainee (Mongolia)■ Overview of ILEC Activities(October 2013-June 2014)■ Lake Trasimeno, Italy:
The Venue of the Fifteenth World Lake Conference1

A Letter from Scientiﬁc Committee

Connecting Ecosystems, Connecting People:
A way to preserve freshwater biodiversity.
Luigi Naselli-Flores (Italy)

The Mediter ranean Sea was called“Mare Nostrum”(Our Sea) by the Old
Romans because their empire was entirely
embr aci ng it s ba si n a nd it wa s t hus
considered a “domestic” sea. Moreover,
it represented an easy and quick way
to connect and keep under control thedifferent parts of their vast ter ritory.
Indeed, the Mediterranean has always beena water way connecting people, cultures,and nature. Due to a quite uniform climate(it is considered a biome by ecologists,
i.e. the biosphere's major unit, according
to t he pre dom i na nt veget at ion), t helands surrounding it are characterized
by a variety of organisms with similar
adaptations to this environment. Althoughconnecting the lands, however, the sea
a lso sepa rates t hem wh ich a re quite
heterogeneous from a geographical pointof view. Organisms spreading over theMediterranean Sea can thus reach areasslightly different from each other regarding
microclimatic and topographical featuresand give rise to new species. This is oneof the reasons why the Mediterranean
Sea is also a biodiversity hot-spot. As
regard to freshwater organisms, theirability to disperse from one suitable
habitat to another is strongly impairedby the relatively low number of thesewaterbodies habitats and by the distancea m o ng t h e m. I n fa c t, t h e s e m ay b e
considered as small islands scatteredi n a n o c e a n of l a n d. N eve r t h el e s s,biodiversity of freshwater organisms ishigh around the Mediterranean Sea andonly partially unravelled. Among others,
it certainly depends also on the abilityof aquatic organisms to disperse through2

different freshwater ecosystems and by
the frequency and extent with whichcolonization events may be successful.
As a freshwater biologist, my ongoing
resea rch focuses on the mechanisms
through which aquatic organisms disperse
and what are environmental conditions
favor ing successful colonization. To
do this our research group is studying
temporary ponds; these ecosystems arewidespread in the Mediterranean areaa nd a re cha racter ized by a n aquaticphase which alternates with a dry phase.
Aquatic organisms (e.g. algae, plants,
a nd i nver t ebr at es) i n habit i ng t hes eenvironments have developed special
adaptations to survive the dry phase,
which consist in the production of “restingstages”. These are form of resistance,
generally coinciding with reproductive
structures (like seeds), during which thecellular activity is suspended (but thecells are still alive), allowing the aquaticorganisms to overcome the dry period.
These resting stages may be dispersed
by wind, migrating aquatic birds andother animals drinking the water andtransporting the mud containing them fromone pond to another, and, in the last few
millennia, by human activities. One of themain results achieved by studying theseecosystems and their biota, also by using
molecular tools, is that the effectivenessof dispersal and colonization strongly
depends on the number of suitable aquatic
ecosystems on a given territory. The higher
the density of these environments is, thehigher the chance for the organisms todisperse and form new stable populations

ca n b e. Moreover, t he ef fe ct ivenessof dispersal a nd colonization events
strongly determines the local and regional
biodiversity and reduces the risk of local
extinction.
Mediterranean temporary ponds areaffected by all the diseases common toaquatic ecosystems, eutrophication, anddirect destruction being the main threat.
Counteracting these threats and protecting
these environments are of paramountimportance to preserve the rich biodiversity
in the Mediterranean region.」
The Integrated Lake Basin Management(ILBM) developed by ILEC offers a goodconceptual framework to protect theseenvironments. As the Mediter raneanSea, the Six Pillars of ILBM attempt
to connect people, cultures, and nature.
In addition, small water bodies should
be considered as“transboundary”since
their biota move from one to anotherirrespectively of boundary limits imposedby humans. Unfortunately, these concepts,
although successfully applied in several
parts of the world, are not widespread in
Europe. The incoming Fifteenth World
Lake Conference (WLC15) in Perugia,
Italy with sessions dedicated to the ILBM
and its Pillars, will hopefully open a
discussion among European researchers
about the effectiveness of these approaches.
Moreover, the Transboundary Waters
Assessment P rog ra m me ( T WA P) on
lakes carried out by ILEC may offer the
possibility of new and more cooperativeintergovernmental agreements to protect(Mediterranean) freshwater ecosystems.

ILBM Platform Process is Growing ‒ Part IV
The Integrated Lake Basin Management(ILBM) and its Platfor m Process arebeing promoted around the world (Figure1.). As a sequel to the articles from theprevious Newsletters (No. 56, 57 and 58)
which covered ILBM-based activities in
Asia and East Africa, this issue introduces
Lerma-Chapala-Santiago basin in Mexico.
ILBM Platfrom Process Evolving in
MexicoLake Chapala is the largest naturalla ke i n Mex ico, for m i ng pa r t of t he
Lerma-Chapala-Santiago basin. The lake
itself covers a surface of 1,112 km² andFigure 1. Locations of ILBM Case Studies

provides a whole set of ecosystem services,
including fisheries, irrigation and water
for human consumption, providing liquid

governance as a key issue from 2009 to

in a collaborative way; and 3) The Lake

to 5 million people. Back in 2006, an2012 through a series of workshops andChapala Birds Festival: this is organizedexpert workshop was organized to define

forums in the Lerma-Chapala basin, whichanually since 2010 to raise awareness about

Lines of Action for the Lerma-Chapala

involved 57 private and public institutions,lake's rich biodiversity through cultural andbasin (the upper portion of the system,

T h i s exp e r ienc e r e c eive d fe e dba ck

academic activities.

with 5,3591.3 km²) to achieve its properfrom the ILBM-Governance project (anmanagement. An institute of environmental

international effort led by ILEC) in which

Fi na l ly, a f t er a long pa r t icipat ive

d evelo p m ent, C o r a z on d e la Tie r r a

the Lerma-Chapala case was included as aprocess, the Lerma-Chapala Sub-basinorganized that activity along with a number

showcase, sharing experiences with lakes

Network was formally created in 2012 andof government and academic institutions.

of 12 countries.

is currently structuring a virtual platform

Based on workshop's conclusions andto improve communication and training

understanding that long-term commitment

S eve r a l p r oj e c t s we r e d e s i g n e d ,among its members participating actively

was needed in order to solve basin's

f u nd e d a nd d evelop e d u nd e r I L BM

in basin-related issues, such as management

complex problems, an ILBM training

principles, highlighting three of them: 1)

research, training, education, enforcement

workshop was held in 2008 to familiarize

A methodology to practically assess six

and others in a varied group of institutions.

resea rcher s, NG Os a nd gover n ment

pillars of governance in the Lerma-Chapala

There is confidence and commitment

officers with the ILBM platform process.

watershed: this was appplied in three

to continue to apply ILBM as a powerful

A wo r k i n g g r o u p w a s e s t a b l i s h e d

sub-basins to develop action plans totool in the efforts to achieve sustainable

there and the members committed toi m p r ove t h e low- r a t e d gove r n a n c emanagement of Lake Chapala, an ancientaccomplish a series of specific projects

indicators; 2) A three-years researchlake which forms part of a multi-usedof environmental education, research

to measure the volume of soil loss inwatershed that provides an important shareand public communication in a two-year

origin areas and agricultural run-off: thisof forestry, agricultural and industrial

period, which were almost fulfilled (90%)

generated an updated GIS, a SWAT model,

activities of Mexico.

in the afore-mentioned time.

a list of pesticides used in the area, a social
characterization of farmers and, probably

The ILBM spread as a

the most interesting, a Multistakeholder

practical-conceptual platform, useful

Platfor m as a strategy to face a ver y

to l i n k ecosystem ma nagement wit hcomplex situation and implement solutions3

Lakes of the World

Lake Haleji (Sindh, Pakistan)
Rahat Jabeen＊
Lake Haleji is a large freshwater lake in
Sindh Province, Pakistan. It is a perennial
freshwater lake with associated marshes
and adjacent brackish seepage lagoons,
set in a stony desert. Originally a seasonal
saline lagoon, the lake was formed in the
1930s by converting the lagoon into a water
storage reservoir to meet non-agricultural
demand for water for Karachi. The lake ismanaged by two departments - the Sindh
Wildlife Department and Karachi Waterand Sewerage Board (KW&SB).
Lake Haleji, having a total area of 1,704
ha, was designated as Ramsar site on July23, 1977. It is located 15km west-northwestof Thatta, and 75km east of Karachi.
It was formed by bunding of a naturaldepression. The maximum depth is 6-8m,
and water levels fluctuate with 1-1.5m. The
water salinity at surface is 0.15 Practical
Salinity Unit (PSU). The bunds enclosing
the lake carry a road lined with trees andshrubs. Beyond the bund there is a seriesof brackish seepage lagoons-originally“borrow-pits” from creating the bunds.
These are supplied by monsoon rains,
and water discharged from the main lake
by a bypass regulator. The climate is dry,sub-tropical monsoonal, with very hotsummers and cool winters. The lake serves
as an important reservoir for flood control.
It is a wintering site for the globallythreatened pelican Pelecanus crispus. This
lake regularly hosts between 50,000 and
100,000 birds. It is especially importantfor staging and passing Anatidae and coot

Fulica atra, and for breeding Ardeidae.
In general, the area is of international
importance for breeding, passage andwintering waterbirds.
The lake supports abundant aquaticvegetation, including extensive beds ofPhragmites karka, Typha angustata,Ipomoea aquatica, Cyperus sp., Scirpus
littoralis a nd Polygonu m barbatu m.
Submerged veget ation i ncludes
Potamogeton pectinatus, P. perfoliatus,
P. lucens, Vallisneria spiralis, Hydrillav e r t i c u l a t a , N a j a s m i n o r, L e m n aminor, Ceratophyllum demersum andMyriophyllum spicatum. Juncus maritimus
g rows a rou nd t he br a ck ish s e epage
lagoons. Big trees such as Acacia sp., Ficus
sp. and Casuarina sp. have been planted on
the bunds around the lake.
Lake Haleji is an important breedinga r e a f o r w a t e r b i r d s, i n p a r t i c u l a r
Ardeidae, Nettapus coromandelius, Anas
poecilorhyncha, Porphyrio porphyrio, andHydrophasianus chirurgus. Thousandsof night-herons Nycticorax nycticorax
roost in the marshes. Wintering waterfowl
include Pelecanus crispus, Anas penelope
and Fulica atra. The sanctuary is also richin raptors and fish, and it supports a small
population of marsh crocodile Crocodylus
palustris. 232 species of birds has beenrecorded from the lake.
The lake has set with three islands. Oneof them is known as Pelican Island andanother Cormorant Island. On both theislands hundreds of these birds can be seen
nesting and sunning.
T he Cor mor a nt s, ac om mon sig ht at a l lwetlands, live the year
round at the Haleji. On
the Cormorant Island
they could be seen inve r y l a r g e n u m b e r s
r est i ng a nd su n n i ng
with their ver y la rge
wings spread wide andt h e lo ng n e ck s h eld
high in the air. Theyl ive exclusively on

fish, which they chase and catch underwater, being expert divers and submarine
swimmers.
Marsh crocodiles were also introduced
into the lake and they have made an islandas their permanent residence. The island
was named after them as the Crocodile
Island. They subsist on fish and waterfowl
in the lake.
Recreational activities include angling offish, bird watching and lake side picnicing.
The site is also important for conservation
education, with its information centre
with an observation tower. Proximity
to Karachi affords excellent potential
for conservation-based recreation andeducation.
The local community living around thelake directly utilizes the lake resources,
i.e., the water of the lake for drinking anddomestic purposes. The local villagers
also do fishing at the lake for their foodconsumption. The bank of lake is used by
local females to wash clothes. Villagers
collect the reeds from the lake for many
pur poses like roof thatching, baskets
making, broom making and small boats forfishing in the lake. Local boys collect theflowers and seeds of the lotus for selling to
the visitors and at the local markets. The
roots of the lotus are used as the traditional
food in the interior of Sindh.
The following management issues at
Lake Haleji which were identified in
the Lake Haleji Management Strategy
developed by Sindh Wildlife Department
in 2007 include Hydrology and Water
Management, Biodiversity Conservation& Management, and Com munity
Participation & Capacity Building and
Education & Awareness.
As of now the ILBM activities are notformally initiated but the work has been
done yet has been addressed the six pillars
of ILBM, i.e., Participation, Institutions,
Policies, Technology, Information, andFinance. In the future it is recommended
that a full ILBM initiative be in place forthis important lake of Pakistan.

＊Senior Environment Specialist, Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit-Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project4

Scientific Journal of ILEC
Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management
Table of Contents
Featured
ArticlesVolume 18, Issue 3 (September 2013)
Article Title

Author(s)Development and application of dissolved oxygen (DO) and biologicaloxygen dema nd ( BD) model for Pa nshet a nd Ujja ni Reservoirs ,Maharashtra, India (pp. 217-226)

Ramasamy P. Manivanan, Jeswar S. Sinha andChandrakant N.Kanetkar

Long-term irreversible changes in a lake ecosystem aﬀected by the
Indian Ocean Tsunami (pp. 227-238)

Kamala K. Satpathy, Satya Panigrahi, Ajit K.
Mhanty, Manoj K. Samantara, Satyanarayan
Bramha and M. Selvanayagam

Stocking wild adult Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides
floridanus): An additional ﬁsh management tool (pp. 239-246)

Daniel E. Canﬁeld Jr, Darren J. Pecora, Kurt W.
Larson, Jesse Stephens and Mark V. Hoyer

Does reservoir age inﬂuence reproductive tactics in opportunistic ﬁshes?
An analysis of Astyanax minor reproduction in water supply reservoirs ofsouthern Brazil (pp. 247-258)

Elton C. Oliveira, Adriane E. Muelbert, Juliano P.A.
Saliva, Nedia C. Ghisi and Luis F. Favaro

Seasonal variations of phytoplankton species in Lake Victoria and theinﬂuence of iron and zinc ions on the dominant species identiﬁed during
2006-207 studies (pp. 259-274)

Naziriwo Betty Bbosa and Wandiga Shem Oyoo

Reservoir volumetric and sedimentation survey data: A necessary toolfor evaluating historic sediment ﬂux and appropriate mitigation response(pp. 259-274)

Jason R. McAlister, William E. Fox III, Bradford
Wilcox and Raghavan Srinivasan

Stratiﬁcation, diel and seasonal energy transfer in Malilangwe Reservoir
in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe (pp. 285-296)

Tatenda Dalu, Sydney Moyo, Bruce W. Clegg and
Tamuka Nhiwatiwa

Table of Contents

Volume 18, Issue 4 (December 2013)
Article Title

Author(s)Editorial

15th World Lke Conference on the Horizon (p. 297)

Walter Rast

Featured
ArticlesEutrophication as a‘wicked’problem (pp. 298-316)

Jeﬀery A. Thornton, William R. Harding, Mark
Dent, Rob C. Hart, Hebin Lin, Claudia L. Rast,
Walter Rast, Sven-Olof Ryding and Thomas M.
SlawskiSpatio-temporal variations in the trophic status of Lake Naivasha, Kenya(pp.317-328)

Jane Ndungn, Denie C. M. Augustijn, Suzanne
J.M.H.Hulscher, Nzula Kitaka and Jude Mathooko

Comparative spatial metal concentration and partitioning in bottom
sediments of two tropical freshwater lake basins, Kenya (pp.329-355)

Job Mwamburi

Limnological characterization of interdune ponds of Curupu Island,
Raposa - MA, Brazil (pp. 356-365)

Ana C. S. Sena, Paulo R.S. Cavalcante, Maria
R.C. Silva, Ricardo Barbieri and Francisca A.
Castillo

Prediction of sediment inﬂows to Angereb dam reservoir using theSRH-1D sediment transport model (pp. 366-371)

Takele Zeleke, Ahmed Moustafa Moussa andMohamed S. El-Manadely

List of
Reviewers

Reviewer Summary for Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management(p. 372)

Announcement

15th World Lake Conference First Announcement - Lakes: The Mirror of
the Earth (pp. 373-374)

Leigh Stitz, Susan Kinnear and Larelle Fabbro

5The Water Circulation Basic Act Enacted in JapanT h e “ Wa t e r C i r c u l a t i o n B a s i c
Act”aiming at preservation and circulationof water resources was unanimously
approved at the Lower House plenary
session on March 27, 2014. Based on thislaw, the government is to formulate the“Water Circulation Master Plan” which
incor porates a comprehensive set ofwater circulation-related measures andguidelines for the government to tackle.
This master plan is to be reviewed every
five years.
T he basic act cla r i f ie d t he publ ic
responsibility of water and a healthywater circulation, and has set forth thenecessity of basic policies to implement
comprehensive measures in managing
rivers, farmlands, and facilities along withthe forests, which have the capacity ofnurturing water. The law also refers to theneed of advancing cooperation betweent h e n a t io n a l gove r n m e nt a n d lo c a lgovernments in managing the basin moreclosely and implementing legitimate andeffective use of water.

living in the basin. Regardless of wherever
they live, near the river or far from it,i n t he r ipa r ia n a rea or non-r ipa r ia na rea, upstream or downstream, thei r
collective effort is necessary for gradually
integrating different views and approaches
and improving basin governance.

In advance of this law, an Expert Panel,
established by Shiga Prefecture to study
the management of the Lake Biwa-Yodo
River Basin, made a proposal about theprospective basin management in thisregion to be pursued in the years to come
(October, 2010). The proposal claims
that sustainable uses and conservationof the resources in a river-lake linked
system like the Lake Biwa-Yodo Riverbasin requires the effort of all individuals

The view of Integrated Lake BasinManagement (ILBM) promoted by ILEC
corresponds with the “Water Circulation
Basic Act ” a nd t he “proposa l” of
Shiga Prefecture. It is our desire, while
expecting enforcement of this law, tosupport the efforts taking place in every
corner of the earth to realize sustainablelake basin management.

A Report from a Former JICA Trainee
Soninkhishig Nergui (Mongolia)
Dr. Soninkhishig Nergui took part in a training program titled “Environmental Education Focusedon Fresh Water Environment” in FY 2000. She is currently a professor of Department of Biology,
School of Science, National University of Mongolia, and reports her research activities conducted over
the years.
My prime research interest is systematics and ecology of
diatoms, which are one-celled photosynthesizing organisms inaquatic ecosystems and excellent indicators of environmental
changes. I use diatoms to assess water quality in streams andlakes in Mongolia in relation to land use and climate changes.
For example, water quality in major lakes in the western part ofMongolia has decreased notably since the mid-1980s, and weassume this is caused by sharp increase of livestock after animal
privatization.
Since I attended the JICA-ILEC training course in 2000, I
have come to understand the complexity of water issues and the6

i mpor t a nce of sectora llinkage and interdisciplinary
Dr. Soninkhishig Nergui
resea rch for sust a i nable
use of water resources. In
2005, we established Water Research Center at National Universityof Mongolia in order to let professors work in close cooperation
with those who have interests in water issues. The Center joined
the “Strengthening the Integrated Water Resources Management(IWRM) in Mongolia” project and coordinated its capacity
building component. As a result, a joint team comprised ofprofessors of the three major universities, namely, National
University of Mongolia, Mongolian University of Science andTechnology, and Mongolian State University of Agriculture,developed a joint master’s program on water management. The
graduates are working in various organizations of the watersector, especially in the river basin organizations established in
the last two years in the country.
More recently, we implemented the “Environmental FlowAssessment of Orkhon River” project. Due to mining developmentin the southern part of Mongolia (Gobi desert), possible water
diversion projects on major rivers in the central part of Mongolia
have been under discussion in the last decade. Orkhon River is apioneering case. We assessed environmental flow of the Orkhon
River successfully with support from international experts andplan to continue the assessment of other major rivers in Mongolia
while encouraging the participation of students who attend thejoint master’s program.

Overview of ILEC Activities (October 2013 - June 2014)
2013
October 3 Director General Hamanaka receives the JICA
Recognition Award
4 Board members of the Japan Environmental Technology
Association visit ILEC

24 Participation at Biwako Business Messe (Nagahama)28-29 Poster presentation and participation in the Kyoto University
Asian Core Program Symposium (Uji)29-31 Malaysian researchers visit Heartware project cases in theLake Biwa basin (Moriyama and Kusatsu /In Collaboration with
Shiga University)【PIC ❶】30 Participation in North American Lake Management Society
2013 - Annual Meeting (- Nov. 3, San Diego)

November 6 Delegates from Kazan Federal University, Russia,
visit ILEC
7 Delegates from Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Myanmar,
visit ILEC

13-14 Delegates from Hunan Province, China, visit ILEC as part ofa JICA training program
20 WLC15 1st Domestic Committee Meeting (Otsu)
December 3-5 TWAP Central America Expert Group Meeting(Garadajara)
9-11 TWAP South America Expert Group Meeting (Rio de Janeiro)
17 Delegates from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, visit ILEC
19 Deputy Mayor of the Tainan City Government visits ILEC
2014

January 14-15 TWAP South Asia Expert Group Meeting(New Delhi)
25 Participation in a reed-harvesting activity (Kusatsu)

February 14-15 Participation in the International Conference on
Lakes & Wetlands (Bhopal)
19-20 TWAP East Africa Expert Group Meeting (Nairobi)
March 3 Delegates from Nanjing University, China, visit ILEC

3-5 ILBM-Heartware Philippines Expert Group Meeting(San Pablo / In collaboration with Shiga University)【PIC ❷】6-8 TWAP East & Southeast Asia Expert Group Meeting(Quezon City)【PIC ❸】6 Delegates from Tainan City, Taiwan, visit ILEC
21 Participation in the 2014 World Water Day: The Water-Energy
Nexus (Tokyo)

April 12-16 WLC15 Preparatory Meeting (Perugia)
12 An ILEC training program-featured pannel is exhibited at the
JICA Global Plaza (- Jun. 30, Tokyo)
May 27 WLC15 2nd Domestic Committee Meeting (Otsu)
June 2 ILBM Workshop (Bogor / In collaboration with theIndonesian Institute of Sciences)

4-5 Participation in the 82nd Annual Meeting of ICOLD (Bali)【PIC ❹】
4 An American undergraduate student from Japan Center for
Michigan Universities interns at ILEC (- Jul. 23)【PIC ❺】16-18 TWAP West Africa Expert Group Meeting (Accra)
23-25 TWAP West Asia-East Europe Expert Group Meeting(Istanbul)
27-29 WLC15 Preparatory Meeting (Perugia)

PIC ❶

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PIC ❹

PIC ❺

7

Lake Trasimeno, Italy:
The Venue of the Fifteenth World Lake Conference
The Fifteenth World Lake Conference(WLC15) of 2014 will soon commence
this coming September 1-5. A twenty
minute drive outside of the conference
venue city of Perugia, there lies Lake
Trasimeno (PIC ❶ to ❸). Buried in thestrata surrounding the lake (PIC ❹) are
the signs retelling the story of the lake’s
formation. Formerly a sea some twenty
million years ago, the area eventuallyd r i e d u p a n d ov e r t i m e r a i n w a t e r

accumulation formed the present tectonic
lake, which has a surface area of 128km 2
and an average depth of approx. 4m.
Formerly a closed off lake, presently
flood-control outflow streams have been
constructed. Since there are no feeding
rivers, the water forms from precipitationand melting snow and it exits the lakefrom evaporation. As a result of this,some salt remains and its water is slightly
brackish and hosts a huge variety of fish

(PIC ❺). The lake is also surrounded bya number of historical attractions, suchas the remains of a battle field where theCarthaginian general Hannibal triumphedover the Roman legions in Tuoro, and amedieval fortress in Castiglione del Lagofilled with beautiful frescos (PIC ❻, ❼).
The WLC15 will offer field trips to thelake and other destinations full of suchnatural, historical and cultural attractions.
We look forward to meeting you there!

PIC ❶

PIC ❷

PIC ❸

PIC ❺

PIC ❻

PIC ❹

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＊ Please stay tuned and visit the Conference website (www.wlc15perugia.com) for the coming updates!

INTERNATIONAL LAKE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE FOUNDATION (ILEC)

1091 Oroshimo-cho, Kusatsu-city Shiga 520-001, JAPAN
Tel:+81-77-568-4567 / Fax:+81-77-568-4568 /Website: www.ilec.or.jp / Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilec.english*The latest issue and back issues of this newsletter are also available on our website above.

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