02/18/2022: Communities and cities at Lake Constance are committed in many ways to keeping the lake clean. The region lives and profits from this as a drinking water reservoir, leisure destination and tourist magnet. However, Lake Constance is also a habitat for numerous animals and plants and must be protected as efficiently as possible. Pollution that endangers water quality or biodiversity must be prevented at all costs. Microplastics have only recently been identified as a threat. Although the situation at Lake Constance is currently not yet alarming, vigilance and precautions are sensible so that it does not worsen.
As part of the EU-funded LIFE Blue Lakes project, the Global Nature Fund (GNF) together with the Lake Constance Foundation, both based in Radolfzell on Lake Constance, have formulated a lakes paper to reduce and prevent microplastics and plastic waste pollution in and around lakes. The lakes paper contains a voluntary commitment that calls on municipalities to protect lakes and their tributaries from plastic waste and microplastic pollution and to take measures to prevent the waste from accumulating in the first place. Municipalities can specify under the voluntary commitment what means they will take and by when.
The most important aspect of the voluntary commitment is to set a good example and actively involve citizens. The municipalities are supported in this by the Lake Constance Foundation. Marion Hammerl, Executive Director of the Lake Constance Foundation, says:
"The voluntary commitment is not lip service, but a starting signal to avoid further microplastic discharges at Lake Constance at an early stage." The lakes paper describes the current problem situation and is primarily a tool for municipalities, she said.
"Demands alone do little to help the environment or the lake," Hammerl continued. "With the lake paper, we want to give municipalities a tool that describes measures, what can be done concretely."The measures presented in a matrix are divided into different areas of public life and range from fishing to weekly markets. For all 15 areas described, examples are given of what municipalities can do. The matrix is intended as a suggestion, explanation and aid for the development of one's own implementation strategy. The municipalities in the Lake Constance catchment area have been sent the self-commitment, the lake paper and the matrix. The Lake Constance Foundation will support the municipalities in planning and implementing measures in the coming years and hopes for a close partnership in the fight against the threat of microplastics.
From Lake Constance to the whole world - the Lake Paper becomes a global "Lake Paper" Lakes in Germany are not the only bodies of water affected by microplastic or plastic waste pollution. The lake paper developed at Lake Constance therefore serves as a template for other lake regions worldwide. Udo Gattenlöhner, Managing Director of the Global Nature Fund, describes the situation as follows: "In Germany, we know the pollution relatively well and have technical possibilities to avoid microplastics. In many other lake regions of the world, conditions are much worse. The insidious thing about microplastics is their invisibility. This is where the lakes paper helps us, as it also addresses plastic waste as a source of microplastics." Global Nature Fund is disseminating the document as the "Lake Paper" among members of the Living Lakes global network it coordinates, supporting communities in lake regions worldwide.
Municipalities are key players in reducing and preventing microplastics and plastic litter in lakes worldwide. They can lead by example, develop concepts and reach their citizens through public relations. The Global Nature Fund and the Lake Constance Foundation expect a strong signal from the municipalities and numerous signatures of the Lake Paper - first at Lake Constance, then worldwide.
The German lake papers and other publications on the topic of microplastics are available for download on the Global Nature Fund website.