Be part of the 2025 Sustainable Lake Management programme — registration is now open!
Apply here!
Deadline: 15 November 2025
About this Course
Natural and artificial lakes store nearly 90% of all liquid surface fresh water on the planet and are vital to economies, societies and ecosystems worldwide. Yet, these ecosystems face increasing pressure from biodiversity loss, pollution and rising temperatures. Recognizing these threats, in March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on Sustainable Lake Management (SLM). It calls on countries to protect, conserve, restore, and sustainably use lakes and reservoirs, while integrating them into national and regional development plans. In this course, participants will be introduced to the new proposed definition of SLM and its foundational principles. Participants will also learn how to determine lake baseline status, and develop components of a lake recovery plan, including effective monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, various tools and technologies, including nature-based solutions and components of effective governance and stakeholder management will be explored. Finally, various financing mechanisms available for SLM, and guidance on accessing, them will be presented.
Objective
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.
Course approval criteria and certificate
60% correct responses on the set of multiple-choice questions in each module. Participants who complete all modules will receive a certificate granted by the course organizers.
Answering multiple-choice questions at the end of each module is a condition to move on to the next module, completing the course, and receiving a course certificate. Participants have up to three chances to obtain at least 60% correct responses, and in all cases the platform will indicate the wrong answers.
Certificate
After completing the 5 modules, participants are invited to answer a short feedback survey of the course. Once this survey is answered, participants may download their certificate. Participation in the course, as well as the download of the certificate, has no costs for the participants.
Find more information here.