Six year study of lakes under way

A conference held recently in Lake Windermere addressed the problems facing England’s lakes.

Climate change, pesticides, and fertilisers are causing the lakes to dry up or flood and are also destroying natural wildlife.

The Environment Agency declared that it will assess the 730 most notable lakes across England, study the extent of damage and assess how it can be improved over the next six years.

The Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency, Tricia Henton, said that when it comes to lakes in the UK, their importance is often overlooked when it comes to climate change effects.

Lake Windermere in Cumbria, which was the setting for the meeting, is currently struggling to maintain its ecosystem, with pesticide pollution and invasive species such as New Zealand Pigmyweed ‘choking’ fish species and leading to their removal to locations where they can thrive once again.

The European Union Water Framework Directive is also working on the issue of preserving Lakes around Europe which are already facing difficulties due to a change in drainage from global warming.

New directives are set to be in place by the year 2015.