With commission by Shiga Prefecture, ILEC held an online seminar in cooperation with JICA Nicaragua Office on the “Lake Biwa Model,” a water environment conservation initiative that Shiga Prefecture has been working.

Following the Lake Biwa Model Seminar for JICA Nicaragua Office staff held last year, this seminar was attended by 90 participants from more than 35 local institutions, including Nicaraguan government officials, universities, and business people.

The seminar was held for three days on July 30, August 6, and August 13. On the first and second day, Dr. Masahisa Nakamura (Vice President of ILEC), and Mr. Shigekazu Ichiki (ILEC Technical Advisor) gave lectures online. On the last day, Mr. Alejandro Juarez Aguilar (Scientific Committee member for the South American region of ILEC) gave a lecture.

Topics of the seminar were what has been happening in Lake Biwa, the laws, ordinances, and policies for environmental conservation in Lake Biwa, the concept of Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM), and the efforts to promote ILBM in Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico.

The seminar participants commented, “The message in the lecture was very encouraging and gave us hope,” and “The experience in Lake Biwa will be helpful in promoting lake management in Nicaragua in the future.

The 18th World Lake Conference (WLC18) is scheduled to be held online in Mexico in November this fall, co-hosted by ILEC and the local University of Guanajuato. It is strongly expected that the “Lake Biwa Model” and ILBM will be promoted in Latin America as well as by the participants of this seminar.