Highlights from the International Scientific Conference in Riga

On March 15 of this year, the 82nd International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia took place in Riga, Latvia. The conference was attended by 20 speakers and 5 participants with poster presentations. The conference was attended by over 50 listeners. The most represented topic was river ecology and the improvement of fish spawning opportunities in them, as well as problems of invasive species in the Baltic Sea were also discussed. A couple of speakers also covered topics related to lake ecology.

Poster presenters Anda Prokopovica (from the right) and Alise Bebrite.

In the conference’s subsection “Environmental studies and protection of Latvian waters” project TRUST ALUM was represented with a poster. The conference participants showed high interest in the Trust Alum stand. They were introduced to the purpose of the project and the reasons for the need for treatment, the progress of the project, the immediate plans, and technical and scientific solutions for treatment. They were particularly interested in the duration of the treatment effect of the lake and whether the aluminium trapped in sediments will not migrate. The most common question asked was whether the lake would be safe to use by humans after treatment this is an important recreation place for locals. After talking with the project representatives, people’s attitude was overall positive and supportive.

The conference was a great opportunity to promote the issues of lake ecology among professionals in the field of hydrobiology and to get to know their opinions on the issues of lake restoration. However, it became clear that current research in the field of hydrobiology in Latvia is more connected with the preservation of rivers and the improvement of their ecology. This is a little worrying, knowing that the eutrophication of lakes is a very big problem in Latvian lake management.

Access the poster presentation and conference Agenda here

Article prepared by scientific assistant Anda Prokopovica from the Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology

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