OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- The sustainability of the world's lakes will increasingly depend on private investment and closer cooperation between scientific and governmental agencies, according to the keynote speaker at the ninth International Conference on the Conservation and Management of Lakes.
The opening session Monday of the five-day conference was attended by some 900 people from more than 100 nations. Held biennially, this year's conference is the second to be held in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on the shores of Lake Biwa. Otsu hosted the first conference in 1984.
Keynote speaker Margaret Catley-Carlson said the world's growing population, accelerated urbanization and rapid changes in socioeconomic structures around the globe have put severe stresses on lakes and rivers.