Lake restoration: capabilities and needs

Lake degradation results from excessive nutrient inputs, toxic substances, habitat loss, overfishing, species invasions and extirpations. The scientif ic basis of lake degradation is generally well understood, although each re storation project requires some level of new site-specific research. Remedi ation may require management actions which are difficult to implement for s ocial or institutional reasons. Even where large-scale remediations are att empted, it is difficult to sustain scientific assessments for long enough t o evaluate success. Collaborations of scientists and managers have sometime s succeeded in overcoming limitations to lake restoration, and produced imp ortant advances in our capability to restore lakes.