5. Conclusion

This brief overview of the lake environment and its evolution under human influence shows the richness and fragility of these ecosystems. For over a century, under the initial impetus of François-Alphonse Forel, scientific knowledge of lakes has progressed enormously. We now know the biophysical and chemical processes that characterize the functioning of a lake; we know how to characterize the interactions that exist between a given lake and its watershed; we know how to identify (and sometimes quantify, including financially) the services provided by these ecosystems, as well as the anthropogenic causes of lake degradation and the associated loss of services and uses; Finally, we have mastered the tools and methods of remediation and ecological engineering, making it possible to restore satisfactory environmental quality, in terms of overall functioning of the lake ecosystem, ecological...