Cross border cooperation for sustainable management of lake areas in Kurzeme and Lithuania (LAKES FOR FUTURE)
Project name – Cross Border Cooperation for Sustainable Management of Lake Areas in Kurzeme and Lithuania
Project leader in Lithuania: Dr. Ričardas Paškauskas
Project objective – to promote sustainable management and conservation of nature resources in lakes and its basin areas in Kurzeme region and Lithuania cross-border area.
Project has 3 sub-objectives:
- To develop the infrastructure for the management and protection of nature resources in order to prevent possible threats and improve accessibility to lakes.
- To ensure exchange of experience between different actors and stakeholders involved in management of lakes, as well to provide decision makers with actual information and data on state of environment in lakes and its basins in cross-border area.
- To promote public involvement and information about protection and management of lake areas and disseminate the results of the Project.
Project duration 28 months (2012-04-02 till 2014-08-01)
Project activities covers area of Kurzeme Region in Latvia and Klaipeda, Telšiai, Šiauliai, Panavežys Counties in Lithuania. Project focuses on lakes as inland waters, what are important resources for sustainable development. Almost all lakes in Latvia and in Lithuania are affected by anthropogenic factors and have problems of eutrophication. Project is dealing with problems of lakes and its basins – lack of appropriate infrastructure, not enough resources for implementation of existing management plans, limited available data on environmet quality in lakes, weak interaction between policymakers and researchers, low citizens involvement and information on protection and management of lake areas This is resulting in problems for consevation of species and habitats, as well water quality especially in lake basins, therefore problem solving must be targeted at cross border level. Many lake areas are designated as Natura 2000 sites on the basis of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and Birds Directive 2009/147/EC. Lakes and its basin areas are also seen at the scope of Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC which requires protection for all waters with the objective to achieve good water quality by 2015. Project overall objective is to promote sustainable management and conservation of nature resources in lakes and its basin areas in Kurzeme region and Lithuania cross-border area.
Main activities are preparation of guidelines for sustainable management of lake areas, construction works and planning and establishing the appropriate infrastructure, study visits, research and monitoring activities, public environment minotoring of lakes (‘Lake Watch’) both in LV and LT, travelling photo exhibition ,information materials and conference.
