The conference will be held in English language without translation. 

More information: nagytavak@gmail.com
Partners: European Environmental Bureau, Friends of Fertő Lake Association, Wild Europe Foundation, Great Lakes and Wetlands Association.

AGENDA

DAY1 - 12th Sept. - THE STATUS OF OUR FRESHWATER RESOURCES

8:00 - 8:45 Registration

9:00 Opening of the conference:

• Introduction to the Civil EU Presidency concept and to the logistics of the conference - Zoltan Kun, Great Lakes and Wetlands Association

9:10 Introductory session: Setting the scene

• Pressures on European water resources - Caroline Whalley, European Environment Agency (EEA)
• Introducing the EU Water Resilience Strategy (online) - Daniela Buzica, EU Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV)
• Shallow Lakes, Deep Changes - Viktor Tóth, Balaton Limnological Research Institute

10:30 Coffee break

11:00 Policy session 1: How to guarantee good quality water - pollution of our waters

• The importance of implementing the EU Water Pollution regulations - Ewa Leś, Clean Baltic Coalition, River University
• Water pollution threats to our freshwater resources - Gergely Simon, PAN Europe
• Water quality protection in Hungary - Péter Kajner, WWF Hungary, Living Rivers Programme project manager

12:30 Lunch break

14:00 Policy session 2: The Water Framework Directive

• The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt - Gábor Várbíró, Ecolres, HUN-REN

• What improvements are needed to deliver the Water Framework Directive commitment - Sara Johansson, European Environmental Bureau
• NGO call for a new EU climate and water resilience law - Paul Brotherton, Wetlands International

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Reality session: Our freshwater resources in Hungary

• Modeling for a change in water management - Zsolt Pinke, Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Physical Geography
• Loving them to death - How we can save our lakes from over development - Zoltán Kun, Great Lakes and Wetlands Association
• Linking law and ecology - the example of Balaton Green Minimum - Nóra Aujeszky, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

DAY 2 - 13th Sept. - OPPORTUNITIES AND LESSONS LEARNED

9:00 Policy session 3: Restore our freshwater habitats

• Rewilding Oder Delta - the benefits of large scale restoration of freshwater habitats - Artur Furdyna, Rewilding Oder Delta
• The economic benefits from restoration - Gábor Ungvári, Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research
• Re-establish freshwater wilderness - Toby Aykroyd, Wild Europe Foundation

10:30 Coffee break

11:00 Dreaming session: Water resilience across borders

• Thinking big to restore biodiversity and carbon sequestration in middle Danube region - Tamás Rédei, HUN-REN Ecological Research Centre
• Fertő/Neusiedlersee - Seewinkel - Hanság - the grand vision for nature - Bernhard Kohler, WWF Austria

12:30 Lunch break

14:00 Science session 1: International projects

• Improving the status of our lakes through the European Living Lakes Association - Udo Gattenlöhner, European Living Lakes Association/Global Nature Fund
• Introducing the Peatland Alliance - Eliza Óhegyi, CEEweb
• Retain water and nutrients in small agricultural catchments - the OPTAIN project - Brigitta Szabó, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Institute for Soil Sciences

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Science session 2: International projects

• The living laboratories of Alfa wetlands - Liisa Ukonmaanaho, Luke - Natural Resources Institute
• Introducing EuroLakes - Paul Brotherton, Wetlands International Europe
• Life Logos 4 Waters Hungarian case study - Fruzsina Markó, Municipality of Bátya

17:30 Wrap up and conference closing