Search

Copyright of Geografija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper seeks to classify the lakes of Lithuania by their functional use. The paper is based on the previous research experience. The classification is prepared with the view that currently the basic functions of Lithuanian lakes are considered to be recreation and communication while additional ones are commercial fishing, industry and energy, agriculture and domestic use. The following categories of lakes were differentiated according to the efficiency of functional usage: category I - lakes in which recreational activities are developed; category II - lakes which are used for communication and commercial fishing; category III - lakes that are used for energy and in industry, agriculture and for domestic needs. In order to put the lakes into groups the essential factors that have the greatest impact on the lake function choice were determined. It was found that the lake area and landscape of the lake shore mostly influence the choice of spectrum of potential lake functions. It is noted that the functional usage of a lake grows with the increase of a lake area (in particular the change is prominent at the 50 hectare threshold) and the change of the landscape of a lake shore in the following sequence: swamp ? forest ? grassland ? populated area. These factors (lake area and the landscape of a lake shore) are 1 level factors. The conservation status of the territory and the accessibility of a lake by road have less impact on the functional use of a lake. The lakes that are difficult to access by road usually have a narrower potential of functional use. The lakes that are in protected territories formally lose some of their potential functions, but in reality the ban to perform them is often neglected. The access of lakes by roads and conservation status of territory are considered to be the factors of the 2 level in terms of the choice of development of potential lake functions. It was found that at present Lithuanian lakes can be divided into three types according to their functional usage. The lakes with swampy shores that have very limited possibilities of usage are attributable to the first type. The lakes of second type are smaller than 50 hectares and their shores are dominated by forests or grasslands. Lakes of this type are most suitable for the development of recreational activities. The third type includes lakes smaller than 50 hectares that are by populated areas and the lakes that are bigger than 50 hectares. These water bodies have the most extensive spectrum of potential functions but they often do not correspond to the conservation status of the territory and general environmental regulations. It is concluded that it is necessary to take the following measures to develop the functional usage of lakes in Lithuania in an orderly way: a) to consider lake priority functions, the ones which have the lowest and most manageable impact on the lake ecosystem, b) to try to adjust the range of lake functions in such a way that they are consistent with each other (this is particularly important for the lakes that are by protected areas, towns and large lakes which currently perform many functions), c) to regulate the system of lake management and protection according to the situation in Lithuania (current EU directives are often not suitable for the conditions of the country). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]