Be part of the 2025 Sustainable Lake Management (SLM) programme!

Online Course



The course aims to improve practitioners’ understanding of SLM and equip them with the tools to create and implement a lake recovery plan that considers diverse stakeholder input and is tailored to the participants’ unique environmental and socioeconomic conditions. The course discusses the main threats facing lakes and existing Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) and Principles of Ecosystem Restoration approaches that form the basis of sustainable lake management. Ways to identify existing baseline conditions, challenges and information gaps are presented, together with opportunities for financing and possible solutions regarding transboundary lake basin challenges. By the end of the course, participants will be able to design, implement, and refine participatory lake recovery plans that promote the sustainable use of lake resources.


Learning objectives


The course will enable participants to:


  • Gain an overview of the key threats impacting lakes, the new proposed definition of SLM and fundamental principles underlying it.
  • Identify existing baseline conditions, current pressures on and gaps in the system, and key components of a lake recovery plan.
  • Implement effective monitoring and evaluation to track progress of their recovery plan and identify tools and technologies they can use to achieve this.
  • Understand the importance of effective institutions and policies in SLM and gain strategies for stakeholder engagement and transboundary lake management.
  • Implement the gradual, cyclic process of SLM and evaluate appropriate financing opportunities for the situation they face.

Contents and approach



Contents are structured in modules. In each module participants will find readings, videos, suggested web sites, forum discussions and quizzes.

The course consists of five modules, each comprising an introductory video, mandatory and recommended readings, recommended web sites and videos, and a discussion forum. In the forum, questions will be provided to facilitate knowledge sharing. Participants will need to complete a short quiz at the end of each module. The quiz will be based on the introductory video and mandatory readings. Each module should take 3-4 hours to complete.

Module 1: Introduction - Introduces the new proposed definition of SLM, why SLM is needed, the international momentum behind it and fundamental principles.

Module 2: Determining the Baseline - Presents standards, key components of a lake recovery plan and a tool for conducting a baseline assessment.

Module 3: Guidelines, Tools and Technologies for Monitoring and Evaluation - Highlights standards, steps and tools for conducting effective monitoring and evaluation when a lake recovery plan is implemented. Nature-based solutions will also be highlighted for consideration in this stage.

Module 4: Institutions, Stakeholder Engagement and Policies - Attributes of effective institutions and policies in SLM will be showcased, along with tips for stakeholder engagement and strategies for managing transboundary lakes.

Module 5: Implementation and Financing- How to implement SLM, along with key considerations when doing so; the variety of financing mechanisms available will be highlighted.




From 30 Jul - 15 Nov 2025
Event format: Online Webinar.
Organized by: Cap-Net, UNEP-DHI, ILEC, UNEP

Be part of the 2025 Sustainable Lake Management (SLM) programme — registration is now open!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lakes play a key role in maintaining biodiversity, offering a habitat for countless species of fish, plants, and wildlife.

Image
Natural and artificial lakes contain more than 90% of the Fresh water on the surface of the Earth. Up to 80 % of global wastewater is estimated to enter water bodies untreated with adverse impacts on human and ecosystem health. Rain washes the nutrients in fertilizer into waterways and lakes which can lead to damaging algal blooms, which are predicted to increase by at least 20% by 2050. In half the world’s countries one or more types of freshwater ecosystems are degraded, including rivers, lakes and aquifers.
Read more

Glaciers, lakes and the global hydrological cycle.

Image
To understand the fate of lakes , we need to zoom out to the global hydrological cycle – the invisible thread linking glaciers, rivers, wetlands, aquifers and seas. Glaciers , often called “water towers of the world”, feed many of the planet’s lakes and rivers. Nearly 1.9 billion people depend on these frozen reserves for drinking water, irrigation and hydropower. But climate change is melting glaciers at unprecedented rates . Recognizing this, 2025 marks the United Nations International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation . The year 2024 was the warmest year on record, and in 2023 alone, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of ice – the greatest loss in five decades. As they retreat, a new phenomenon is reshaping mountain landscapes: the explosive growth of glacial lakes . These lakes can be both lifelines and risks. They store meltwater, acting as buffers during drought . But they also pose catastrophic risks through glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) , which can devastate entire ...
Read more

Why it matters for all of us?

Image
Lakes may seem remote, but their health determines our own . They are essential parts of the global hydrological cycle – a topic that is on the table for discussion at the Seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly , to be held in December 2025. Like other freshwater ecosystems , lakes are important buffers against drought, engines of local economies and cradles of biodiversity. They are also sentinels, warning us of the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis . Protecting freshwater ecosystems like lakes is not optional . It is central to biodiversity, water, energy and food security, and offers climate resilience . Member States, guided by the leadership of Indonesia, must adopt an integrated water resources management approach to enhance lake protection and restoration . Greater investments in infrastructure, data and innovative solutions are crucial to meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 – clean water and sanitation for all – and ensure long-term...
Read more