Lake Garda Conservation: 1981 Piccard Letter and Ongoing Monitoring

“Lake Garda is one of the most beautiful in Europe. But it will remain an Italian treasure only if industrial and tourist development do not destroy it, only if the necessary precautions are permanently observed. To this end, the first condition is to be constantly informed about its health status.”

This was expressed by Jacques Piccard in an open letter to the Garda Community in 1981, during his scientific mission on Lake Garda. On the twentieth anniversary, yesterday morning, an exhibition titled “Images from the Depths of Lake Garda” was inaugurated at Villino Campi.

Organization of the exhibition and objectives

The exhibition was organized by the Environmental Department of the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Appa (Agenzia provinciale per la protezione dell’ambiente / Provincial Agency for Environmental Protection), and the Centro di Valorizzazione scientifica del Garda.

“On behalf of the Province of Trento,” recalled Iva Berasi, the assessor who attended the ceremony, “Piccard’s advice was carefully considered, so much so that in 1987 the S. Michele all’Adige Agricultural Institute began a monitoring program to record the trend over the years of the trophic state of Lake Garda.”

This work has continued to this day, although since 1997, the Agricultural Institute has been succeeded by the Provincial Agency for Environmental Protection, which aims to ensure the continuity of data collection on the biology and qualitative state of Garda waters.

Piccard’s images are the best proof that the path pursued by the Autonomous Province in studying, protecting, and valorizing this immense environmental asset that is Lake Garda is the right one.”

Practical information about the exhibition

The exhibition will remain open until September 30 with the following hours: 10 am to 12 pm on all weekdays, excluding Monday and Saturday; 5 pm to 8 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 5 pm to 10 pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.

For further information, you can contact 0464/556968.