National Living Lakes Network Italy: "Living Lakes Italia"

During the Sport-Environment-Conference at Lake Trasimeno, the Italian lake network "Living Lakes Italia" was founded on 15 June 2007. This network, which is coordinated by GNF’s partners at Lake Trasimeno, is to facilitate the collaboration between members and spread the organisational burden. The members plan joint activities and projects in environmental and nature conservation.

Next to Lake Trasimeno, the lakes Bolsena, Garda, Piediluco and Maggiore are also members of this new partnership.

In spring 2008, Lake Vico and Lake Orta became also members of the national network Living Lakes Italia. In July 2008, the lakes Bracciano, Albano and Nemi were accepted as members in the network.

The "Living Lakes Italia" partner lakes are introduced on separate webpages.

After a year of changes and restructuring processes in the Province of Perugia, who is the coordinator of the Living Lakes Italy Network, the President of the Province of Perugia took the chair of Living Lakes Italia in order to start a new phase of the national network.

A number of activities has been realised. At Lake Garda, the environmental education programme “Sagami” was carried out in collaboration with junior high schools and high schools of the region. The aim of this programme is the monitoring of water quality of rivers and lakes in the water catchment on the basis of chemical, physical and biological parameters. The partners at the lakes Albano, Nemi, Vico and Bracciano Martignano were active in the field of renewable energy by installing solar energy on roofs of schools and promoting photovoltaic and solar thermal systems for tourism facilities and farms. At Lake Bracciano Martignano, a path for bicycles and pedestrians around the lakes has been constructed with information panels on cultural and natural highlights around the lake. Together with the University of Tuscia, the Province of Viterbo initiated a programme for the protection of biodiversity and the lake ecosystem, particularly beaches and shallow zones of the lake. Legambiente, the NGO partner of Living Lakes Italy, realised an ambitious monitoring programme related to climate change and lakes. The programme is concentrating on monitoring anomalies in indicator plant species in bloom in order to understand potential negative impacts of climate change on plants.

Coordination of the network Living Lakes Italia

Provincia di Perugia

International Relations

Contact person: Francesco Allegrucci

Piazza Italia, 11

06100 Perugia, Italy

Phone: + 39 - 0 75 - 36 81 338

Fax: + 39 - 0 75 - 36 81 596

E-mail: francesco.allegrucci@provincia.perugia.it; livinglakes@provincia.perugia.it

Websites: www.livinglakesitalia.it; www.globalnature.org/Network-Italy

Additional information about the network in Italian and English under:

www.livinglakesitalia.it