Welcome

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The Organising Committee, the Finnish Limnological Society, the University of Helsinki, the City of Lahti and the Finnish members of SIL invite you to participate in the 29th Congress of the International Association of Limnology in Finland between Sunday August 8th and Saturday August 14th 2004.

The International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (Societas Internationalis Limnologiae, SIL) is the key scientific organisation concerned with the understanding and management of inland aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Finland, the country of thousands of lakes, is also rich in rivers and ground waters and is partly surrounded by the Baltic Sea, a large brackish water system. The City of Lahti, gateway to the Finnish Lake District, will provide an inspiring congress venue for discussion, debate and evaluation of the scientific progress of limnology as well as the environmental issues raised by the use or abuse of fresh waters.

Sustainable and wise use of aquatic ecosystems and water resources has become a matter of widespread and intense concern leading to new international legislation in the spirit of the Rio Earth Conference. For instance, implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, will require better understanding and evaluation of the ecological and biological quality of aquatic ecosystems as well a holistic, catchment approach to their management and rehabilitation. Unhealthy aquatic ecosystems, and seriously diminished and unequal availability of clean freshwater, call for high-quality limnological research and expertise to underpin the development of sustainable water policies and management actions worldwide.

Boat designs, such as the one in our logo, occur frequently in Finnish rock paintings dating from the Stone Age. Ancient Finno-Ugrians typically painted these designs at the water's edge, demonstrating the importance to their culture of lakes and watercourses. We are still in the same boat seeking new innovations and common experiences.

Timo Kairesalo
Chairman of the Organising Committee