by Lily Gut September 11, 2021 The Laguna Lake, to be taken care of by the Center for Lakes Sustainable Development (CLSD) starting October ...
September 11, 2021
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| The Laguna Lake, to be taken care of by the Center for Lakes Sustainable Development (CLSD) starting October 2021. (Photo from DOST) |
SAN PABLO CITY - The well-known Laguna Lake and the Seven Crater Lakes of San Pablo will be taken care of by a new research and development (R&D) agency funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).
It will later be called the Center for Lakes Sustainable Development (CLSD), which aims to develop solutions and strategies for the effective management and maintenance of various lakes in the Calabarzon Region, comprising the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas. , Rizal and Quezon. It will start in October 2021.
This project will be implemented by Assistant Professor Christian Paul de la Cruz of Laguna State Polytechnic University on the Los Baños campus, along with LGUs in Calabarzon, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 4A, University of the Philippines Los Baños-School of Environmental Science and Management, UP Diliman, Laguna Lake Development Authority, and the Southeast Asian Limnological Network, a nonprofit organization.
CLSD was made possible through P53-million support from the Niche Centers region for DoST’s R&D (Nicer) program.
Under DoST’s “Science for Change” program, Nicer stimulated R&D in the region by funding higher education institutions in the regions to address their development needs through research.
Bunot Lake, Calibato Lake, Mohicap Lake, Palakpakin Lake, Sampaloc Lake, Yambo Lake, and Pandin Lake are located in San Pablo, Laguna. According to the Laguna Lake Development Authority website, Yambo and Pandin are known as The Twin Lakes and are popular tourist destinations. The remaining areas are well-known fishing grounds.
Laguna Lake is surrounded on three sides by Metro Manila, Laguna, and Rizal. Laguna Lake is the country's largest freshwater lake and the third largest in Southeast Asia, with its only drainage being the Napindan Channel through the Pasig River.
All of these lakes provide a variety of ecological and economic services. Many communities rely on these freshwaters for daily sustenance, primarily for aquaculture and tourism.
CLSD hopes to improve these lake communities' resilience and adaptation to the impending climate crisis. In addition, alternative income opportunities from selling eco-products and eco-tourism services are a win-win for communities and local governments.
Better lake water quality, which CLSD intends to manage, translates into higher yields in aquaculture and capture fisheries.
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