I International Scientific Conference Closer to Lakes – report

Between September 2025 and April 2026, a series of eight lectures entitled Closer to Lakes took place. Its culmination was a scientific conference organized on 22 May at the headquarters of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute. The event was under media patronage of Wodne Sprawy.

The conference organizers, i.e. IMGW-PIB and the Polish Limnological Society, chose this date deliberately – 22 May is the United Nations International Day for Biological Diversity. Similarly, it is no coincidence that the organizer has “limnology” in its name rather than “hydrobiology”, because most presentations had only a loose connection to biological diversity. Some of them to a certain extent repeated content previously presented in the lecture series, although this was not the norm. Presentations also usually shifted the emphasis somewhat compared to the lecture versions.

Closer to Lakes, a conference combining industry and science

The conference was designed as a meeting between the worlds of science and administration, and therefore had a practical character. Its goal was not necessarily to announce the latest discoveries to the world, although information from publications still in preparation also appeared, mainly in the form of interesting examples. Due to the wide range of both active and passive participants, some repetition or obvious statements were unavoidable. One example was the rather classic issue of the restoration of the Kartuskie lakes, which illustrates the complexity of the problem. On the other hand, this ensured a broad spectrum of topics, and everyone could certainly find something interesting for themselves.

The conference was opened by Piotr Klimaszyk, president of the Polish Limnological Society. During this part, honorary guests were welcomed: Jolanta Piotrowska, chair of the Parliamentary Team for Lake Protection, Mateusz Balcerowicz – president of the State Water Holding Polish Waters, Tomasz Wenecki – deputy director of the Water Management Department of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Anna Łoboda – secretary of the Committee on Water Sciences and Water Management of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and Petre Bretcan – secretary of the board of the Romanian Limnogeographical Society (an association with which PTLim cooperates regularly). Sponsors and media patrons, including Wodne Sprawy, were also welcomed.

Lakes – nature, economy and administration

The substantive part of the conference was opened by a lecture by Agnieszka Kolada on the causes of the poor condition – at least according to reports – of Polish lakes. Readers of Wodne Sprawy could get an outline of this topic from her article. The next presentation was given by Mateusz Balcerowicz. It concerned formal aspects of lake use. A certain counterpart to it was the final presentation by Beata Karolinczak (Warsaw University of Technology) on legal instruments for lake protection.

The remaining presentations concerned nature related to lakes – both living and non-living – as well as the relationships between them and human activity. For example, some addressed situations in which lakes are the foundation of the economy, as in the presentation by Marika Kornaś-Dynia (Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – NRI), or where humans are the main factor shaping the condition of lakes, as in the talk on restoration by Jolanta Grochowska (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn). Some presentations showed changes in lakes resulting from biological invasions or hydrological transformations under the influence of pollution, climate change and human activity.

This group included presentations by Dariusz Ficek (University of Pomerania in Słupsk) on the optics of lakes, Michał Rybak (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) on changes in physico-chemical water parameters, Marcin Biernaczyk (West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin) on ichthyofauna, Wojciech Tylmann (University of Gdańsk) on the paleolimnological record, Łukasz Sługocki (University of Szczecin) on the ecosystem of Lake Dąbie, and again Piotr Klimaszyk on the disappearance of the Aral Sea. The lecture by Petre Bretcan had a broad, cross-sectional character – not limited to Romanian lake waters.

Between lectures, several discussion panels were scheduled. They were not limited to mutual praise; instead, different interpretations of presented findings were confronted. The presentation by sponsors – distributors of lake research equipment – also attracted attention. It went well beyond a standard commercial presentation.

In addition to lectures, the conference included a poster session. It involved short presentations by authors, culminating in the selection of the best paper and awards for young scientists. In the first category, the winner was Radosław Wąs (Centre for Environmental Education and Lake Restoration – Educational Complex in Szczecinek) with the poster Lake as a teaching aid in the education of children, youth and adults in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems – experiences of the Centre for Environmental Education and Lake Restoration – Educational Complex in Szczecinek. In the second category, Julia Piesczek (Student Scientific Circle of Geographers named after Stanisław Pawłowski, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) won, presenting the use of satellite data in monitoring eutrophication of lakes in Wolin National Park.

Closer to lakes – commitments for the future

The closing speech was to be delivered by Robert Czerniawski, director of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute, the second organizer of the conference, but as he was absent that day, it was delivered by Piotr Klimaszyk. When describing the conference, one cannot omit the Closer to Lakes Declaration. It was signed by honorary guests and other participants. The signatories committed themselves to guiding their activities by the welfare of lake ecosystems.

The conference title included an ordinal number. According to the organizers’ announcements, this is not merely a marketing gimmick, and further editions can be expected in the future.