A charity is calling on people to join together “to save our great lake, Windermere”.
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA), which is based on the shores of Windermere and has been for over 92 years, is welcoming the heightened public awareness of the deterioration in water quality and loss of biodiversity in England’s largest and most iconic body of freshwater.
The FBA say that the recent and widely reported water quality issues on Windermere “not only pose a risk to both human and ecological health, but also the area’s water-based economy”.
Further to this, wetter and warmer winters (driven by climate change) combined with population/visitor demands and expectations are now creating conditions where the occurrence of algal blooms is becoming a year-round issue.
While there has been some significant water company investment to improve water quality within the catchment, “it’s clear that more needs to be done”, the FBA said.
The FBA calls for the development of ‘collaborative approaches’ on Windermere that are inclusive, innovative and action-focused. By working together, the FBA says, the public, private, third sector, academic and local community stakeholders will be able to:
- Better understand the sources, pathways and impacts of pollution;
- Co-create a credible action plan to address these pressures; and
- Secure the necessary long-term investment required to deliver ecological improvement and monitoring programmes.
“Programmes to restore the water quality of the Great Lakes of North America clearly demonstrate that the approach we are calling for on Windermere would deliver success,” said Simon Johnson, Executive Director of the FBA.
“The FBA has confidence that a ‘coalition of the willing’ supported by an inspiring vision, academic and citizen science, strong leadership, committed stakeholders and the correct levels of investment will deliver better and faster outcomes for the people and nature of Windermere.
“Together, we must act now if we are to save our ‘great lake’, Windermere.”
