14th World Lake Conference scheduled Oct 31-Nov. 4
Posted by University News Service
July 25, 2011
The River Systems Institute at Texas State University-San Marcos and the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), Shiga Prefecture, Japan, will co-sponsor the 14th World Lake Conference, at the Austin Convention Center from October 31 to November 4.
The conference is an international forum for the exchange of information and experiences on important environmental, socioeconomic and governance issues regarding lakes and reservoirs around the world. It will include a range of innovative presentations on lake-based problems, their root causes, and possible solutions.
In contrast to previous conferences held in Argentina, China, Denmark, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya and the USA, the 14th World Lake Conference adds to the international water dialogue by also considering water bodies that are connected to lakes, including the upstream and downstream rivers, the groundwater aquifers underlying them and the downstream coastal areas into which they drain.
In addition to a wide range of technical sessions, the conference will feature addresses from two Stockholm Water Prize Laureates, Dr. Jörg Imberger (1996), University of Western Australia, an expert in how water and pollutants move and mix in lakes, estuaries and other waterbodies, and Professor Emeritus Sven Jørgensen (2004), University of Copenhagen, a pioneer in the development and use of ecological models of lakes and wetlands in sustainable water resources management.
Another highlighted speaker will be Dr. Jorge Illueca, former Executive Secretary of the Panama National Commission on the Environment and Director of the Division of Environmental Management at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Illueca will discuss how managing the Panama Canal watershed involves consideration of complex interactions between the water systems comprising the watershed.
Yukido Kada, Governor of the Shiga Prefecture, Japan, home to the ILEC Secretariat, will speak on significant water issues in the Lake Biwa basin in Japan.
Anticipated conference participation includes international, national and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private sector representatives and other water stakeholders. There also will be exhibits by representatives of governmental agencies, professional engineering and scientific societies, non-profit organizations, and research institutions.
For more information contact the Texas State University River Systems Institute at (512) 245-9200 or visit the conference website at http://www.wlc14.org/ .