Experience notes and Lessons Learned

FileManaging Lake Basins: Practical Approaches for Sustainable Use (585 KB)
(Final Report for GEF-Medium Sized Project: Towards a Lake Basin Management Initiative.) This Main Report is a key output of the GEF Medium Size Project—Towards a Lake Basin 4 Management Initiative: Sharing Experiences and Lessons from GEF and Non GEF Lake 5 Basin Management Projects. The project was implemented by the World Bank and 6 executed by the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC), with support from 7 LakeNet, between March 2003 and December 2004. The project was implemented as a 8 cooperative program supported by a partnership of multilateral and bilateral agencies, 9 local governments, non-governmental organizations, academic and research institutions, 10 individuals, and # resource persons and # stakeholders from 28 lake basins from Africa, 11 Asia, Europe, and Americas. Project implementation was supported by funds from the 12 GEF, USAID, and the government of Shiga Prefecture in Japan, the Bank Netherlands 13 Water Partnership Program, ILEC and the World Bank.
FileAral Sea: Experience and Lessons Learned brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (636 KB)
This report gives an overview of major environmental and the socio-economic challenges that the Aral Sea region is facing, threats to the sustainable management of the lake global basin, major measures supported by the governments and the international donor organizations aimed to address these the critical environmental problems, and lessons learned from the cooperation environmental cooperation to date. Main LBMI report: http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original LBMI website: http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Baikal: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (736 KB)
The Lake Baikal watershed (Figure 1), a critical watershed for both the Russian Federation (Russia) and Mongolia, faces enormous management challenges, many not uncommon in post-Soviet economies. In particular, issues such as inadequate coordination among federal and state resource management agencies, increasing pressure for economic development in the region, and declining levels of domestic and international funding for resource management programs, are prevalent within the watershed. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Baringo: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (571 KB)
Lake Baringo is named after the local word ‘Mparingo’, meaning lake. The lake is located in the Eastern Rift Valley in Kenya and is one of the seven inland drainage lakes within the Rift Valley drainage basin. The lake has a surface area of about 108 km2 and drains a total area of 6,820 km2 (Figure 1). The lake is located in the administrative district of Baringo at an altitude of 1,000 m above sea level, while its basin extends to the neighboring districts of Koibatek, Laikipia and Nakuru. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileBhoj Wetland: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (613 KB)
South Asia, home to over one-fifth of the world’s is facing a growing water crisis. This region is in the grip of continuing flood and drought cycles, dictating the need for a long-term strategy for management of its water resources. Big and small water bodies, in the form of lakes and reservoirs, dot the landscape of South Asia. These ecosystems impound precious freshwater, and are the most easily-accessible source for human use. ... Because of the ecological, economical and recreational potential of lakes, there is an urgent need to protect, rehabilitate and conserve them as precious natural resources. This brief examines how these issues have been addressed for the Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal, collectively know as the Bhoj Wetland (Figure 1). Main LBMI report: http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original LBMI website: http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Biwa: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (712 KB)
This brief outlines the major management issues for Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan. The lake and its watershed communities have enjoyed a common history for thousands of years, fostering a unique lake culture in the surrounding area. The birth of the lake can be traced back to some four million years ago. As one of few ancient lakes in the world, it embraces a rich ecosystem, with fifty-seven endemic species being recorded. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Chad: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (621 KB)
The Lake Chad drainage basin (Figure 1) is located between latitude 6° and 24° N and longitude 7° and 24° E. The drainage basin covers an area of 2,434,000 km2, an estimated 8% of the total African land surface area (UNEP 2004). Figure 1 also depicts the conventional basinŽ, which is the geographic limit of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, which was created under the Fort Lamy Convention in 1964. Lake Chad is situated on the edge of the Sahara Desert, and provides a vital source of water to human, livestock and wildlife communities. Over the past few decades, the region has experienced a series of devastating droughts. The lake is one of Africas largest freshwater lakes, but has shrunk dramatically over the last 40 years. In the absence of longerterm data (i.e., 80-100 years), however, the present shrinkage can only be regarded as a temporary, rather than permanent change. Within the last century the lake has been as large as 25,000 km2 and as small as one-twentieth of that size. It is an extremely shallow lake, rarely more than 7 m deep. The lake supports a growing human population, as well as millions of birds and a number of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, despite the fact that its potential evaporation rate is four times as large as the rainfall rate in the region. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Champlain- Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (2.5 MB)
The Lake Champlain basin (Figure 1) is home to a diverse and significant array of natural, cultural, and recreational re-sources. Extending west into New York’s Adirondack region, east into Vermont’s Green Mountains, and north onto Québec’s fertile flatlands, the basin’s rich history of human inhabitance is interwoven with its natural features. Not long after glaciers retreated from the area over 10,000 years ago, Native Americans hunted, fished, and later farmed along the lake’s shoreline. In 1609, explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed into the lake that would later bear his name, initiating European settlement in the basin. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileChilika Lagoon: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (2.2 MB)
The Chilika Lagoon (also referred to here as Lake Chilika, Chilika Lake, or simply “Chilika”) is the biggest lagoon on India’s eastern coast (see Figure 1). Its size fluctuates substantially within the course of a year, with a maximum area of 1,165 km2 during the monsoon season and a minimum of 906 km2 during the dry season. It is of relatively recent origin, being formed several thousand years ago. Freshwater runoff from the drainage basin, combined with saline water inflows from the ocean, result in a wide range of fresh, brackish and saline water environments within the lagoon, with this spatially and temporally diverse water environment supporting an exceptionally productive ecosystem. Main LBMI report - http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original LBMI website - http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Cocibolca/Nicaragua: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (662 KB)
Lake Cocibolca (Figure 1), also know as Lake Nicaragua, is the largest freshwater lake in Central America and one of the largest in the Americas. The history of Nicaragua and Central America has developed linked to the interests of conquerors and foreigners who sought to grasp the geopolitical assets of the Nicaraguan freshwater inland sea and its connection to the Caribbean through the San Juan River. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Constance: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (639 KB)
This Experience and Lessons Learned Brief was prepared by the Lake Constance Foundation (Bodensee-Stiftung), a private environmental organization. The sections concerning contributions to unsustainable lake use, constraints to sustainable management of the lake and lessons learned are reflections from the point of view of an environmental organization. Our statements agree with the Lake Constance Environmental Council (Umweltrat Bodensee) and its 18 regional member organizations. National and regional administrations and the international commissions, as the “officials” responsible for governance and management, might have another opinion concerning some aspects covered in this paper. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Dianchi: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (1.1 MB)
Lake Dianchi is an ancient tectonic lake (approximately 3.2 million years old) located in Yunnan Province in southwestern China. It is the 6th largest freshwater lake in China and the largest in Yunnan. The lake and its basin (Figure 1) are located wholly within the jurisdiction of Kunming Municipality, which contains Kunming City, the largest city in Yunnan Province. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileGreat Lakes of North America: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (653 KB)
The North American Great Lakes constitute the largest system of fresh surface water on the face of the earth (Figure 1) and are linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes cover over 244,000 km2 of surface water; 520,000 km2 of drainage area; and a combined volume of nearly 23,000 km3. Individually, the five Great Lakes are among the fifteen largest freshwater lakes in the world. Main LBMI report - http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original LBMI website - http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Issyk-Kul: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (771 KB)
Lake Issyk-Kul (also referred to simply as Issyk-Kul), located in the Kyrgyz Republic (commonly referred to as Kyrgyzstan), is the world’s second-largest high-altitude lake and a major biological and economic resource of the country. Among lakes lying 1,200 meters or more above sea level, Issyk-Kul is second only to Lake Titicaca in overall area. Slightly salty, the lake never freezes, which contributes to its importance as a stopover for migratory birds. Over the past few decades, the level of the lake has dropped some 2.5 m as the result of water diversions. In the face of several serious threats to the lake, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic has created the Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve, run by a Directorate General. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileKariba Reservoir: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (787 KB)
In post-World War II, Britain had large areas of influence in Africa, including southern Africa. Other than Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) and South West Africa (Namibia), the rest of southern Africa comprised a cluster of countries under British authority. Rather than implementing separate development agendas for each of its territories, Britain proposed a federal structure for the territories north of the Limpopo River. Under this arrangement, some facilities (e.g., secondary and tertiary education; key medical facilities) could be strategically developed under the federal umbrella, thereby avoiding duplicating facilities which the less developed protectorates of Nyasaland (Malawi) and Barotseland would likely be unable to sustain. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLaguna de Bay: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (849 KB)
Laguna de Bay is the largest, most important lake in the Philippines. Its watershed contains 66 Local Government Units (LGUs), grouped into 5 provinces, 49 municipalities and 12 cities with an estimated population of 6 million people. The creation of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) in 1966 started with a vision of the political leaders from the provinces of Rizal and Laguna to cultivate the potential of the lake and its environs for further development and, at the same time, control its environmental degradation. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Malawi/Nyasa - Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (605 KB)
Lake Malawi/Nyasa (Figure 1) is the ninth largest, and third deepest, freshwater lake on Earth (Bootsma and Hecky 2003). In addition to its great size, it is distinguished by being home to a greater diversity of fish species than any other lake, the majority being endemic (Fryer and Iles 1972; Ribbink et al. 1983). As a result of these two qualities—its great size and biodiversity—the lake is recognized as part of the global heritage. At a time when both the quantity and quality of freshwater are becoming issues of concern in many parts of the world, the value of a lake that contains nearly 7% of the Earth’s available surface freshwater is becoming increasingly obvious. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Nakuru: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (800 KB)
Lake Nakuru (Figure 1) is one of several shallow, alkaline-saline lakes lying in closed hydrologic basins in the eastern African Rift Valley that stretches from northern Tanzania through Kenya to Ethiopia (Livingstone and Melack 1984). Typical of shallow, saline lakes around the world, climatic variations have caused large changes in its depth and salinity on annual, decadal and longer time scales, with major consequences for the lake’s ecology. Daily fluctuations in heating and cooling have resulted in strong cycles of stratification and mixing (Melack and Kilham 1974). High insolation and adequate supply of nutrients usually support abundant phytoplankton (Peters and MacIntyre 1976; Melack et al. 1982; Vareschi 1982). Supersaturation of dissolved oxygen in the upper waters during the day often is observed because of the high rates of photosynthesis (Melack and Kilham 1974; Vareschi 1982). Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Ohrid: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (636 KB)
Lake Ohrid is an ancient lake, formed by tectonic forces 2-3 million years ago, in the Tertiary period. Because the lake is so old and is isolated by surrounding hills and mountains, a unique collection of plants and animals have evolved. These include a number of relict species, or “living fossils,” and many endemic species, found only in Lake Ohrid (Stankovic 1960). For example, 10 of the 17 identified fish species of the Lake Ohrid are endemic, as are many of the lake’s snails, worms, and sponges. The lakeshore reed beds and wetlands provide critical habitat for hundreds of thousands of wintering water birds, including rare and threatened species such as the Dalmatian pelican, ferruginous duck, spotted eagle, and imperial eagle. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Naivasha: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (1.4 MB)
Lake Naivasha (Figure 1) is a shallow basin lake, situated 80 km northwest of Nairobi in the Kenyan Rift Valley. The recent developments around the lake constitute an interesting case for natural resource management that is discussed in this brief. The lake contains freshwater supporting a rich ecosystem, with hundreds of bird species, papyrus fringes filled with hippos, riparian grass lands where waterbuck, giraffe, zebra and various antelopes graze, dense patches of riparian acacia forest with buffaloes, bushbuck and other creatures, beautiful swampy areas where waterfowl breed and feed and, at the same time, magnificent views of the nearby volcanoes. Local fishermen depend on the lake for fish and crayfish. Although the lake is situated in a semi-arid zone, after the rainy seasons, the fragile soils of the surrounding hills and the valley bottom produce grass where the pastoral Maasai bring their herds for dry-weather grazing, thereby depending on the lake and its various watering points. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Peipsi/Chudskoe: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (638 KB)
Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe-Pskov-skoe, sometimes called Peipus (hereafter, Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe), is the largest transboundary European lake, and Europe’s fourth largest lake overall. Its three names originated from three languages historically used in the region—Peipsi came from Estonian, Chudskoe-Pskovskoe or Pskovskoe-Chudskoe from Russian, and Peipus from German. Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe belongs to the water basin of the Narva (or Narova) River, a 77-km long watercourse which connects Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe with the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea (Figure 1). Estonia and the Russian Federation (hereafter, Russia) share Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe and three countries, including Estonia, Russia and Latvia, share the Narva River basin. Latvia has only 5% of the basin, and pollution from its territory is very small in the overall pollution load in the basin. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Tanganyika: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (574 KB)
Lake Tanganyika has the largest volume of the three African Great Rift Valley lakes. It also is the second deepest, and the second largest lake in the world by volume, containing almost 19,000 km3 of water—only Lake Baikal is larger. The lake contains almost as much freshwater as the five North American Great Lakes combined. It contains a volume of water seven times more than that of Lake Victoria, which is the largest lake by area in Africa. It has a length of more than 670 km and an average width of 48 km. The length of the shoreline is about 1,900 km, of which 43% is rocky, 21% is mixed rock and sand, 31% is sand, and 10% is marshes. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Sevan: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (780 KB)
Lake Sevan (Figure 1) is situated in the northern part of the Armenian Volcanic Highland, in Gegharkhounik Marz (province), 60 km to the north from the capital of Armenia, Yerevan (Figure 2). Lake Sevan is the greatest lake of the Caucasus Region and one of the greatest freshwater high-mountain lakes of Eurasia. The basin of Lake Sevan makes up one sixth of the total territory of Armenia. A peculiarity of Lake Sevan includes that the small ratio between the catchment and surface area of the lake is only 3:1, compared to other major lakes (10:1 on average). Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileTonle Sap: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (622 KB)
Over the past decades, Cambodia has suffered from serious internal problems that were the main cause for the country’s poor development and its poverty. Since the beginning of the 1990s, however, the country has stabilized remarkably, now being clearly on the path of development and democratization. Tonle Sap Lake (also known as the Great Lake or simply Tonle Sap; see Figure 1) is situated in the central plains of the country, and has enormous significance for Cambodians. Tonle Sap Lake, along with the Tonle Sap River, forms a unique hydrological system, as well as an enormously diverse aquatic ecosystem. The lake also is an invaluable natural resource that provides sources of livelihood for the people living around it. Further, Tonle Sap Lake acts as an extremely important fish breeding ground and flood mediator for the Mekong River. Thus, the importance of the lake reaches far beyond Cambodia. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Titicaca: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (569 KB)
Drought and floods are the natural hazards that have the greatest environmental, social and economic impact on the Bolivian-Peruvian high plateau (altiplano) which includes the hydrological basin of Lake Titicaca, the Desaguadero River, Lake Poopo and the Salt Lake of Coipasa, collectively designated by the acronym TDPS (Figure 1). Through good management, the system can be regulated for the benefit of the people who live in the region. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Toba: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (613 KB)
Lake Toba is Indonesia’s largest lake, located in the province of of North Sumatra, 176 km to the west of the provincial capital, Medan. Lake Toba can be reached by car from Medan within three hours. By plane, Medan is 40 minutes away from Singapore and two hours from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. As the largest volcano-tectonic lake in the world, Lake Toba is 87 km long in the northwest to southeast direction, and has a width of 27 km. Located 904 meters above sea level, and with a maximum depth of 505 meters, the lake is one of the country’s important tourist destinations. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileTucurui Reservoir: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (584 KB)
In the last 50 years, extensive construction of reservoirs in many countries and watersheds in Latin America and particularly in Brazil, has produced a great number of artificial systems, which have interfered with the hydrology and ecology of several basins, sub-basins, and large rivers. Most of the reservoirs were built up initially for power generation but lately they have been used for multiple activities, such as irrigation, recreation, navigation, sheries and/or aquaculture. In Brazil, there has been large-scale construction of reservoirs for the purpose of hydroelectricity production, as shown in Table 1. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Victoria: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (652 KB)
Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world by area (Figure 1), and has the world’s largest freshwater fishery, largely based on the introduced of Nile perch, which supports an economically and socially important export fishery for the riparian countries. The lake basin supports about 30 million people and is the source of the Nile River. The threats facing the lake include eutrophication, over-exploitation of fisheries, introduced exotic species, and climate change. The population in the catchment is growing rapidly, with the lake itself attracting people because of the economic opportunities it offers. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Xingkai/Khanka - Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (655 KB)
Lake Xingkai/Khanka, a transboundary lake shared by the People’s Republic of China (China) and the Russian Federation (Russia), is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast Asia. The lake supports high biodiversity (especially migratory birds) and is characterized by complex hydrology and naturally-occurring high turbidity, as well as a fragmented institutional authority responsible for its management. The lake experiences large seasonal and annual fluctuations in size, with the maximum and minimum area, depth and volume being 4,510 km2, 3,940 km2, 10.6 m and 22.6 km3, respectively. The lake is called Lake Xingkai in China and Khanka Lake in Russia; it will be referred to here as Lake Xingkai/Khanka to highlight its transboundary nature, with no preference implicit in the order of the names. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Ohrid: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (636 KB)
Lake Ohrid is an ancient lake, formed by tectonic forces 2-3 million years ago, in the Tertiary period. Because the lake is so old and is isolated by surrounding hills and mountains, a unique collection of plants and animals have evolved. These include a number of relict species, or “living fossils,” and many endemic species, found only in Lake Ohrid (Stankovic 1960). For example, 10 of the 17 identified fish species of the Lake Ohrid are endemic, as are many of the lake’s snails, worms, and sponges. The lakeshore reed beds and wetlands provide critical habitat for hundreds of thousands of wintering water birds, including rare and threatened species such as the Dalmatian pelican, ferruginous duck, spotted eagle, and imperial eagle. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Naivasha: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (1.4 MB)
Lake Naivasha (Figure 1) is a shallow basin lake, situated 80 km northwest of Nairobi in the Kenyan Rift Valley. The recent developments around the lake constitute an interesting case for natural resource management that is discussed in this brief. The lake contains freshwater supporting a rich ecosystem, with hundreds of bird species, papyrus fringes filled with hippos, riparian grass lands where waterbuck, giraffe, zebra and various antelopes graze, dense patches of riparian acacia forest with buffaloes, bushbuck and other creatures, beautiful swampy areas where waterfowl breed and feed and, at the same time, magnificent views of the nearby volcanoes. Local fishermen depend on the lake for fish and crayfish. Although the lake is situated in a semi-arid zone, after the rainy seasons, the fragile soils of the surrounding hills and the valley bottom produce grass where the pastoral Maasai bring their herds for dry-weather grazing, thereby depending on the lake and its various watering points. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Peipsi/Chudskoe: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (638 KB)
Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe-Pskov-skoe, sometimes called Peipus (hereafter, Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe), is the largest transboundary European lake, and Europe’s fourth largest lake overall. Its three names originated from three languages historically used in the region—Peipsi came from Estonian, Chudskoe-Pskovskoe or Pskovskoe-Chudskoe from Russian, and Peipus from German. Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe belongs to the water basin of the Narva (or Narova) River, a 77-km long watercourse which connects Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe with the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea (Figure 1). Estonia and the Russian Federation (hereafter, Russia) share Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe and three countries, including Estonia, Russia and Latvia, share the Narva River basin. Latvia has only 5% of the basin, and pollution from its territory is very small in the overall pollution load in the basin. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Tanganyika: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (574 KB)
Lake Tanganyika has the largest volume of the three African Great Rift Valley lakes. It also is the second deepest, and the second largest lake in the world by volume, containing almost 19,000 km3 of water—only Lake Baikal is larger. The lake contains almost as much freshwater as the five North American Great Lakes combined. It contains a volume of water seven times more than that of Lake Victoria, which is the largest lake by area in Africa. It has a length of more than 670 km and an average width of 48 km. The length of the shoreline is about 1,900 km, of which 43% is rocky, 21% is mixed rock and sand, 31% is sand, and 10% is marshes. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Sevan: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (780 KB)
Lake Sevan (Figure 1) is situated in the northern part of the Armenian Volcanic Highland, in Gegharkhounik Marz (province), 60 km to the north from the capital of Armenia, Yerevan (Figure 2). Lake Sevan is the greatest lake of the Caucasus Region and one of the greatest freshwater high-mountain lakes of Eurasia. The basin of Lake Sevan makes up one sixth of the total territory of Armenia. A peculiarity of Lake Sevan includes that the small ratio between the catchment and surface area of the lake is only 3:1, compared to other major lakes (10:1 on average). Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileTonle Sap: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (622 KB)
Over the past decades, Cambodia has suffered from serious internal problems that were the main cause for the country’s poor development and its poverty. Since the beginning of the 1990s, however, the country has stabilized remarkably, now being clearly on the path of development and democratization. Tonle Sap Lake (also known as the Great Lake or simply Tonle Sap; see Figure 1) is situated in the central plains of the country, and has enormous significance for Cambodians. Tonle Sap Lake, along with the Tonle Sap River, forms a unique hydrological system, as well as an enormously diverse aquatic ecosystem. The lake also is an invaluable natural resource that provides sources of livelihood for the people living around it. Further, Tonle Sap Lake acts as an extremely important fish breeding ground and flood mediator for the Mekong River. Thus, the importance of the lake reaches far beyond Cambodia. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Titicaca: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (569 KB)
Drought and floods are the natural hazards that have the greatest environmental, social and economic impact on the Bolivian-Peruvian high plateau (altiplano) which includes the hydrological basin of Lake Titicaca, the Desaguadero River, Lake Poopo and the Salt Lake of Coipasa, collectively designated by the acronym TDPS (Figure 1). Through good management, the system can be regulated for the benefit of the people who live in the region. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Toba: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (613 KB)
Lake Toba is Indonesia’s largest lake, located in the province of of North Sumatra, 176 km to the west of the provincial capital, Medan. Lake Toba can be reached by car from Medan within three hours. By plane, Medan is 40 minutes away from Singapore and two hours from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. As the largest volcano-tectonic lake in the world, Lake Toba is 87 km long in the northwest to southeast direction, and has a width of 27 km. Located 904 meters above sea level, and with a maximum depth of 505 meters, the lake is one of the country’s important tourist destinations. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileTucurui Reservoir: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (584 KB)
In the last 50 years, extensive construction of reservoirs in many countries and watersheds in Latin America and particularly in Brazil, has produced a great number of artificial systems, which have interfered with the hydrology and ecology of several basins, sub-basins, and large rivers. Most of the reservoirs were built up initially for power generation but lately they have been used for multiple activities, such as irrigation, recreation, navigation, sheries and/or aquaculture. In Brazil, there has been large-scale construction of reservoirs for the purpose of hydroelectricity production, as shown in Table 1. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Victoria: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (652 KB)
Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world by area (Figure 1), and has the world’s largest freshwater fishery, largely based on the introduced of Nile perch, which supports an economically and socially important export fishery for the riparian countries. The lake basin supports about 30 million people and is the source of the Nile River. The threats facing the lake include eutrophication, over-exploitation of fisheries, introduced exotic species, and climate change. The population in the catchment is growing rapidly, with the lake itself attracting people because of the economic opportunities it offers. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileLake Xingkai/Khanka - Experience and Lessons Learned Brief (Lake Basin Management Initiative). 2005. (655 KB)
Lake Xingkai/Khanka, a transboundary lake shared by the People’s Republic of China (China) and the Russian Federation (Russia), is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast Asia. The lake supports high biodiversity (especially migratory birds) and is characterized by complex hydrology and naturally-occurring high turbidity, as well as a fragmented institutional authority responsible for its management. The lake experiences large seasonal and annual fluctuations in size, with the maximum and minimum area, depth and volume being 4,510 km2, 3,940 km2, 10.6 m and 22.6 km3, respectively. The lake is called Lake Xingkai in China and Khanka Lake in Russia; it will be referred to here as Lake Xingkai/Khanka to highlight its transboundary nature, with no preference implicit in the order of the names. Main_LBMI_report--http://www.iwlearn.net/publications/ll/lbmi_main_report_2005.pdf/view Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileManaging Lakes and their Basins for Sustainable Use, a Report for Lake Basin Managers and Stakeholders. 2005. (5.4 MB)
This report is the main output of a Medium-Sized Project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) known formally as Towards a Lake Basin Management Initiative: Sharing Lessons and Experiences from GEF and Non-GEF Lake Basin Management Projects.Ž The project was conceived after the Second World Water Forum in The Hague in 2000 and launched at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto in March 2003. This report was launched in October 2005 at the 11th World Lake Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, and also disseminated at the 9th Meeting of the Ramsar Convention in Kampala, Uganda in November 2005. Detailed experience and lessons learned briefs on 28 lake basins are available on the companion CD-ROM. All project materials, including 17 thematic papers, are available at http://www.ilec.or.jp. These final outputs will be launched at the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico in March 2006. Please cite this report as: ILEC. 2005. Managing Lakes and their Basins for Sustainable Use: A Report for Lake Basin Managers and Stakeholders. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation: Kusatsu, Japan. Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
FileManaging Lakes and their Basins for Sustainable Use, a Report for Lake Basin Managers and Stakeholders. 2005. (5.4 MB)
This report is the main output of a Medium-Sized Project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) known formally as Towards a Lake Basin Management Initiative: Sharing Lessons and Experiences from GEF and Non-GEF Lake Basin Management Projects.Ž The project was conceived after the Second World Water Forum in The Hague in 2000 and launched at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto in March 2003. This report was launched in October 2005 at the 11th World Lake Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, and also disseminated at the 9th Meeting of the Ramsar Convention in Kampala, Uganda in November 2005. Detailed experience and lessons learned briefs on 28 lake basins are available on the companion CD-ROM. All project materials, including 17 thematic papers, are available at http://www.ilec.or.jp. These final outputs will be launched at the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico in March 2006. Please cite this report as: ILEC. 2005. Managing Lakes and their Basins for Sustainable Use: A Report for Lake Basin Managers and Stakeholders. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation: Kusatsu, Japan. Original_LBMI_website--http://www.ilec.or.jp/eg/lbmi/index.htm
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