1. A Blue Print for the Sustainable Use of Lakes
The World Lake Vision: A Call to Action is a direct response to the problems confronting the world’s lakes, which hold more than 90 percent of the readily-available liquid freshwater on our planet’s surface. A comprehensive document directed to identifying and addressing the threats facing the millions of natural and artificial lakes around the world, it offers a framework for tackling the daunting management challenges confronting lake users. It will be useful to a variety of audiences involved with managing and using lakes and their resources, with its aim first and foremost being to assist the efforts of citizens inhabiting lake basins. It articulates principles to guide a transition toward managing lakes for their sustainable use, focusing on their unique characteristics and uses, and the threats they face. It also provides a practical road map for addressing the long-term health of lakes and the integrity of their freshwater required by human societies for their survival and economic development and for maintaining the life-supporting ecosystems upon which we depend.
2. World Lake Vision Meetings and Consultations
The document is the result of collaborative effort by many organizations and individuals, prepared by the World Lake Vision Committee.
| Date | Place | Meeting |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 March | Hague, Germany | Meeting at WWF2 (call for the need of Global Vision for Lakes) |
| 2001 Sept. 4-6 | Shiga, Japan | Workshop: Toward a World Lake Vision |
| 2002 July 26-28 | Shiga, Japan | Task Force Meeting |
| 2002 Aug. 1-4 | Shiga, Japan | World Lake Vision Preparation Meeting (1st Draft) |
| 2002 Aug. 27 | Johannesburg, South Africa | World Lake Vision meeting (Proposal of Vision) |
| 2002 Sept. 26-28 | Shiga, Japan | World Lake Vision Committee Inaugural Meeting World Lake Vision Workshop (2nd Draft) |
| 2002 Oct. 15-19 | Cleveland, USA | World Lake Vision Consultation Meeting (3rd Draft) |
| 2002 Dec. 15 | Shiga, Japan | World Lake Vision Symposium |
| 2002 Dec. 16-18 | Shiga, Japan | World Lake Vision Workshop (4th Draft) |
| 2003 Feb. 24-25 | Shiga, Japan | World Lake Vision Committee Meeting (Final Draft) |
| 2003 March 20 | Shiga, Japan | The 3rd World Water Forum (Official Launch of the World Lake Vision) |
3. World Lake Vision Documents in various languages
After launched at the WWF3 in March 2003, the World Lake Vision has been
translated into various languages, most of which are voluntary contributions.
This shows that the World Lake Vision is becoming a real global vision
to be shared among lake people around the world.
Below are the
already-translated versions of the World Lake Vision for the full text and
executive summary.
Complete Version
- English version PDF [1.6Mb]
- Japanese version PDF [214Kb]
(As a combined publication with UNU’s workshop report) - Russian version PDF [1.6Mb]
- Chinese version PDF [1Mb]
- Swahili version PDF [1.15Mb]
- Spanish version PDF [1.15Mb]
- Arabic version PDF [755Kb]
Executive summary
- English PDF [773Kb]
- Japanese PDF [339Kb]
- Spanish PDF [1.62Mb]
- German PDF [1.62Mb]
- Hungarian PDF [4.14Mb]
- Mongolian PDF [419Kb]
- Lithuanian PDF [3.5Mb]
- Korean version PDF [133Kb]
* Translations are reportedly going on for some other languages, including Mongolian, Swahili
4. Local Lake Vision & Related Documents
Influenced and stimulated by the launch of the World Lake Vision, Local Lake Visions are being developed in various countries and regions. Some of them are shown below.
5. World Lake Vision Action Report
The Report is to support the implementation of the World Lake Vision for the Sustainable Management of Lakes and Reservoirs. It includes 30 case studies from around the world and lessons learned from them.
PDF [7.3Mb]