Lakes have great economical, recreational and ecological importance for the area and people therein. Several lakes suffer from eutrophication which threat the sources of livelihood as well as attractiveness of the area. The project aims at improving the ecological status of lake environment by developing lake restoration methods in a holistic way. The holistic approach takes into consideration both external and internal loading, which means actions both in the lake and in its catchment area.
Hola Lake (Holistic approach in lake restoration) is a transnational cooperation project between 4 Finnish LAGs, 1 Swedish LAG, and 4 research oriented organisations. Opportunity is also reserved for Hungarian managers of Lake Balaton to join in the project later, if it benefits the project.
Profound cooperation between organisations well-experienced in lake restoration will create a fruitful platform for sharing information and gathering best practises as well as developing new ideas for the most efficient measures for lake restoration. In successful lake restoration time scales needed are usually long and the involvement and commitment of local people in the management of their own environment is of crucial importance.
International cooperation provides unique possibilities to widen the area of project implementation and increases possibilities to find new ideas and knowhow. Combining local networks of project partners will attract more people in local areas and solidify existing relationships between people who actively participate in lake management activities. Project is also vital for increasing international cooperation between LAGs and geographically ideal in terms of future cooperation possibilities and finding new ideas for future projects.
Main goals for the project are following:
- Improve the knowledge and methods on the reduction of external loading
- Improve the efficiency of methods on the management of fish stocks
- Enhance the local and commercial use of fish management catch
- Improve the understanding of nuisance algae and the measures how to prevent mass development of nuisance algae
- Improve the knowledge and methods of management of reed beds
- Enhance the use of harvested reed as raw material
- Increase the knowledge and involvement of local people in lake monitoring
- Increase cooperation between local residents and surrounding organizations
- Increase international cooperation and create professional networks
Main project activities
1. Joint activities
- 5 workshops:
- Autumn 2017: Reduction of external loading (Lake Vesijärvi Foundation)
- Spring 2018: Fish management (LUVY)
- Autumn 2018: Plankton and water quality (Regito AB)
- Spring 2019: Reed management (Lake Vesijärvi Foundation)
- Autumn 2019: Final workshop (LUVY)
- A synthesis of best practices on each theme of the project
- Simple instructions for citizens and land owners on each theme
- A joint web page
2. Local activities at the regions of Etpähä ry and Päijänne Leader
- Functioning and improvement of water protection structures
- Promotion and communication about natural based field drainage
- including a pilot example for the farmers.
- T-Bar –marking of fish to reveal their migrations
- Development and construction of management fishing gears
- Participation on the creation of a web based service for collecting
- fishing data by LUVY
- Targeting the management efforts in different parts of Lake Vesijärvi
- Monitoring of net fouling algae together with local fishermen
- Involvement of local residents in water protection and monitoring
- Development of reed management plans
- Winter mowing and the development of mowing methods and logistics
- Enhancing the use of reed as raw material
- International cooperation and networking for finding and sharing best
- practices and knowhow
- Gathering information for synthesis of best practices
3. Local activities at Ykkösakseli’s region
- Involving local residents in water protection
- Involving local residents in fisheries management and monitoring
- 15
- Creating a web based service for collecting fishing data
- Improving the utilization of local fish
- Enhancing the predatory fish population in Lake Enäjärvi
- Protecting eel migration in River Karjaanjoki
- Gathering and sharing information of experiences related to
- management of fisheries
- International cooperation and networking for finding and sharing best
- practices and knowhow
4. Local activities at the regions of Pyhäjärviseutu
- Inventory of conditions and efficiencies of existing water protection
- measures and improving structures with local non-governmental
- organizations
- Collecting the information of best and new practices of reduction of
- external nutrient load
- Evaluating the effects of the predatory fish population on water quality
- Strengthening of the use of local fish as food
- Collecting and combining the information and results of water quality
- analysis and presenting the results in popular form
- Collecting the information of phytoplankton blooms
- Collecting the information of cutting and use of reed. Piloting new
- cutting methods
5. Local activities at the region of Leader Skånes ESS
- Describe the deterioration of the water quality of Lake Immeln.
- Investigate the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in Lake Immeln in
- combination with physical and chemical factors with the purpose of
- finding explanations to their developments.
- Performing studies on the external load related to the brownification of
- Lake Immeln.
- Collect information on efficient methods for the reduction of brown
- compounds in running waters.
- Organize a workshop on plankton and water quality in the region of
- Lake Immeln.
- International cooperation and networking for finding and sharing best
- practices and knowhow in lake restoration.
Anticipated results for beneficiaries of the operation and for the areas concerned
Main anticipated results of the project:
- Better knowledge and understanding of the most efficient methods in reducing external loading
- Increased knowledge and more efficient management fishing methods
- Enhanced piscivorous fish stocks
- Better local and commercial use of less valuable fish
- Increased understanding of nuisance algae
- Better reed management methods
- Enhanced use of reed as raw material
- Increased awareness of management fishing and lake ecology amongst local residents, fishermen and recreational fishers
- Synthesis reports of best practices that gathers all existing information about project themes from each country and provide essential knowledge for future needs
