SEAFDEC/AQD Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center | Aquaculture Department
By Development Communication Section
SEAFDEC/AQD was represented by scientist Dr. Maria Lourdes Aralar during the 15th World Lake Conference (WLC) with the theme “Lakes: Mirrors of the Earth (Balancing Ecosystem Integrity and Human Well-being) held at the University of Perugia in Italy from 31 August to 7 September.
The conference was kicked-off by a plenary lecture by UNESCO-IHE and Governor of World Council Dr. Andras Szollosi-Nagy entitled “Water: The Key to Sustainable Development – The Challenge of the Century?” wherein he discussed how water-related challenges have been tackled globally. University of Genova’s Prof. Giovanni Seminara also have a keynote lecture. There were parallel lectures on various themes such as water quality & pollution control, chemical & physical processes, harmful algal blooms and lake basin management. Dr. Aralar presented her paper on “Fish biodiversity and incidence of invasive fish species in an aquaculture and non-aquaculture sites in Laguna de Bay, Philippines” which was included in a parallel session on lake ecosystem & biodiversity assessment and conservation.
The participants also went on a technical tour to Lake Trasimeno, the fourth largest lake (in terms on surface area) in Italy. There’s a freshwater fish breeding center that breeds trouts, carps and other species.
WLC is a biennal international conference organized by the International Lake Environment Committee based in Japan. This year’s conference was co-organized by the Umbria Scientific Meeting Association.
