Category Archives: Working Together

Working Together

Living Lakes Partners invited to seminar on sediment use

Comment
lake in hungary

The Lake Balaton Development Coordination Agency is organizing an online event on May 6 2021 entitled ‘What shall we do with the dredged sediment? International experiences and good practices for the disposal and utilisation of sludge at large shallow lakes’.

In shallow lakes, sediments play an extremely important role in the nutrient cycling. As a result of high external loads of nutrients in the past, sediments became storages of such substances. Removal of the most active, most polluted surface sediment layer (10-30 cm) by thin layer dredging is a common technique in water quality/eutrophication control. In addition to overall water quality improvement of a shallow lake, dredging may contribute to providing better quality and utility value for beaches and small-boat harbours.

In the previous seminar, we reviewed the scientific background of sediment dredging in shallow lakes, and the experiences at Lake Balaton and good dredging practices from abroad. This time, we would like to focus on the disposal and utilisation of removed sediment. In the seminar, firstly we will briefly introduce the current situation at Lake Balaton and, as an international outlook, the current situation at Laguna de Bay in the Philippines.

Then we will review the concerns and questions about the disposal of sediment, and introduce some alternative solutions and technologies available for the utilisation of sediment based on international experiences. In addition, we would also like to analyse whether dredging can provide a permanent solution for keeping good water quality in long-term.

The language of the event will be Hungarian and English, with simultaneous interpretation.

The seminar will be organized on ZOOM platform. The direct link, meeting ID, and passcode, which are required to join the online event, can be found below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85761807414?pwd=UUtPY1k5SDNzcFF4c0hBRmFoK0FoZz09
Meeting ID: 857 6180 7414
Passcode: 012957

 

Working Together

Living Lakes Network launches new video on saving lakes of the world

Comment

Living Lakes is a worldwide network for the protection of the invaluable natural resources that our blue planet holds. Inland waters are elemental to sustaining life on earth – but in many places they are under threat. More than 130 partner organisations around the world are joining forces to preserve what sustains us. Join us and help to save the lakes and wetlands of the world!

Watch the new video for an insight into Living Lakes and what we stand for.

Conference, Global Nature Fund, Working Together

Invitation to the “Water Film Club” on 23 March 2021

Comment
hand in water

The Lake Balaton Development Coordination Agency is organizing an online event on March 23, 2021 to mark World Water Day. The aim of the event is to raise the awareness of participants on the importance of water and to increase their knowledge about the global hydrological cycle, water footprint, human water consumption and the water management developments and investments in the Lake Balaton region.

The presentations in the morning session will be in Hungarian (and interpretation will not be available). However, in the afternoon, as closure of the event, we will organise a “Water Film Club”, where we would like to introduce short video films on the protection of water habitats and water management of lakes from all over the world.

First of all, we would like to say thank to those of you, who had already sent video films for this session. Secondly, we would highly appreciate, if you could join us in the Water Film Club as participants.

The event will be implemented by using the ZOOM webinar software.
Time: March 23, 2021 at 14.00 (CET)
Direct link to join the event:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88125669290?pwd=U2xseXlDRG5LK01sbFlKSjF6VXJNZz09
Meeting ID: 881 2566 9290
Passcode: 593359

 

Conference, Global Nature Fund, Working Together

Invitation to join webinar on tackling eutrophication in lakes

Comment
lake balaton hungary

The Lake Balaton Development Coordination Agency has invited Living Lakes partners and friends to join a free online seminar on ‘Experiences and good practices to tackle eutrophication in shallow lakes applying thin-layer sediment dredging technologies’ which takes place on March 16 2021.

With about 600 km2 surface area, Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe and it is one of the most important natural treasures of Hungary. Just like in case of other shallow lakes, sediments play an important role in the nutrient cycling of Lake Balaton.

As a result of high external loads of nutrients in the past, sediments became storages of such substances. The surface layer of sediments of shallow lakes can readily be resuspended due to wind induced wave action and contribute to the nutrient load (internal load) and, eventually to eutrophication which is manifested in harmful algal blooms.

Removal of the most active, most polluted surface sediment layer (10-30 cm) by thin layer dredging is a common technique in water quality/eutrophication control. In addition to overall water quality improvement of a shallow lake, dredging may contribute to providing better quality and utility value for beaches and small-boat harbours.

In the seminar, we would like to draw attention to the importance and impacts of sediment dredging on large shallow lakes, and to introduce Hungarian and international dredging best practices and experiences. The planned programme of the event can be found in the attachment. The language of the event will be Hungarian, English and Japan, with simultaneous interpretation.

The seminar will be organized on ZOOM,  the direct link, meeting ID, and passcode to join the meeting are found below: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88647427533?pwd=YXdtNlFvUy8wN2hHeWdwSmk2enFSQT09
Meeting ID: 886 4742 7533
Passcode: 937450

Global Nature Fund, Working Together

Invitation to join STREAM webinar series hosted by Living Lakes Canada

Comment
lake canada

Living Lakes Canada has invited Living Lakes partners and friends to join in a free STREAM webinar series in March, April and May 2021.

The purpose of this four-part webinar series hosted by Living Lakes Canada is to introduce the STREAM (Sequencing The Rivers for Environmental Assessment and Monitoring) project to anyone interested in community-based water monitoring.

There are four webinars in the series which will be hosted on Zoom.

  • 1. An introduction to STREAM (25/03)
  • 2. An introduction to CABIN (08/04)
  • 3. STREAM Users – featured case studies (29/04)
  • 4. Indigenous-led STREAM projects (27/05).

For more information and to register for the webinars please visit the Living Lakes Canada website.

Global Nature Fund, Working Together

Invitation to join Global Nature Fund’s World Wetlands Day 2021 online seminar

Comment

The Global Nature Fund has invited Living Lakes partners and friends to participate in a free online event on 2nd February, World Wetlands Day 2021, from 1pm – 2pm GMT.

The event on Threatened Lake Areas is the start of an online seminar series of the Working Group on Water in the Forum Environment and Development: “City – Country – Waters: Water for All?!”

The event will be organised on the ZOOM platform. Further information on registration and a detailed agenda will be provided on our website and social media soon.

Best Practice, Conference, Global Nature Fund, International, Science, UKILN Conference Papers, Working Together

UK and Ireland Lakes Network Conference 2019 Papers

Comment

The UK and Ireland Lakes Network Conference – Lakes Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring was held in Westport, Ireland.

The conference papers are here:

Global Perspective on Lakes  Udo Gattenlöhner, Global Nature Fund

Lake Water Quality and the Water Framework Directive – Maths and Facts.  Dierdre Tierney, Environmental Protection Agency

Lough Forbes and challenges for safe drinking water.  Andrew Boylan, Irish Water

Odds and sods: Irish lakes and the Habitats Directive  Aine O Connor, National Parks and Wildlife

WFD and Fish in Lakes Monitoring – Methods, Trends and Climate change.  Fiona Kelly, Inland Fisheries Ireland

Lough Carra: past, present and future.  Chris Huxley and Tom Byrne, Lough Carra Catchment Association

The Local Authority Waters Programme–Lake Local Catchment Assessments in Action.  Bernadette White, Local Authorities Water Programme 

The Group Water Scheme sector in Ireland: An under-utilised resource for improving ecosystem services delivery?  Alec Rolston, Dundalk, institute of Technology

Cranes, drains and net carbon gains –working towards sustainable wetland management in the Broads National Park, UK, Dan Hoare, Broads Authority

Predicting in-lake responses to change using near real time models Tadhg Moore, PROGNOS PROJECT, DKIT

Remote sensing – a tool for lake assessment. Gary Free , Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing for the Environment

Assessing the potential of drones to take water samples and physicochemical data from open lakes. Conor Graham, Galway Mayo, Institute of Technology  

The Blue Dot Catchment Programme – preserving Irelands high status lakes. Cormac Mc Conigley, Local Authorities Water Programme

The Clones Lakes: How water quality decline is captured in charophyte lakes.
Mr Nick Stewart, Consultant 

 

On the second day conference delegates were treated to site visits to Loch Carra where this film was shared t.co/0wQJWwALPX  and a tour of Burrishoole Research Station.

 

Competition, Pressures, Science, Uses and Values, Working Together

Award for Haweswater

Comment

The Swindale Valley Restoration Project, a partnership involving United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the RSPB has won a major nature conservation award, the ENDS Environmental Impact Award for 2017.
A tributary of the River Eden, Swindale Beck, runs through Swindale Valley, forming part of the RSPB’s landholding at Haweswater. A sizable stretch of the river was straightened at least 200 years ago in an attempt to provide more land for grazing and hay making.
However, this modification has caused serious problems for Atlantic salmon as the straightened and fast flowing channel does not provide the different habitats, normally found in natural meandering rivers, which they need to successfully spawn.  The UK is a stronghold for Atlantic salmon, however, the numbers returning to spawn have halved since the 1970s.
Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, landowners United Utilities and Natural England, the RSPB is restoring part of this artificial stretch of the river, enabling it to revert to its former slower-flowing, meandering course.
This is being achieved by digging a new channel along a carefully mapped route, redirecting the water flow, then filling in the old straightened section to create a more suitable and productive meadow that will help support the farm, as well provide a home for wildflowers and insects.
The restoration of Swindale Beck is jointly funded by the Environment Agency, Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust and United Utilities.

Oliver Southgate, River Restoration Project Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “River restoration projects like this can provide multiple benefits for both people and wildlife. By working in partnership with other organisations and landowners, we can truly make a difference and return some of our constrained rivers back to their former natural glory.
“The Cumbria River Restoration programme is working across the whole of the region in a bid to safeguard our special areas, enhance wildlife and create a better place for people.”

Paul Phillips from United Utilities said: “This will bring big benefits to water quality as well as wildlife. A more natural channel will be broad and shallow in times of flood and slower to deliver water into the River Lowther. Sediments and gravels will be deposited more naturally with less reaching Haweswater reservoir.

by Tony Dean

Competition, International, Uses and Values, Working Together

Are you creating shared value? Have you seen this opportunity to be recognised?

1 Comment

As the world’s population grows, innovating to enhance quality of life and contribute to a healthier future of all becomes even more essential. Ashoka and Nestle are looking for initiatives in Nutrition, Water and Rural Development to support and take to scale. Are you the next CSV Prize Winner?

Find out more about it here: Link

International, Working Together

Do you know a wetland? Can you help with a worldwide survey?

Comment

Knowledge about the status and trends of the worlds remaining wetlands is very patchy and limited. To improve this knowledge, and to better inform wetland policy and decision-making,  a simple worldwide questionnaire survey to gather better knowledge on the state of wetlands is being undertaken now.

 Who is organising the survey?

The survey is a collaborative initiative between the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS Ramsar Section), the World Wetland Network (WWN) and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), with the help of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

How can you help?

Are you familiar with a wetland? If yes, then you can help: the survey is open to anyone who can tell us about the state of a wetland(s), small or large, about which they know. The questionnaire asks for your opinion about the state of a wetland, and should take no longer than 10 minutes of your time to complete.
The survey will be open until the 30th September 2017, and results shared at the 2018 Ramsar Conference.

Find out more from the World Wetland Network here.

Or start the survey in English here.

 

 

© United Kindom & Ireland Lakes Network (UKILN) - looking after our lochs, loughs, lakes and llyns.