Professorial Lecture by Professor Deniz Özkundakci

We know why many lakes became polluted. We know much more about how to restore them. But what does recovery look like in a changing climate?
About this Event

'The long road to Lake restoration: Lessons from the past, challenges for the future' by Professor Deniz Özkundakci.

For much of the last decades, freshwater science has focused on understanding why lakes became degraded. Nutrient pollution from agriculture, urban development, and other human activities has transformed many lakes, leading to algal blooms, declining water quality, and the loss of ecological and cultural values. This understanding has driven major advances in lake restoration, with scientists, communities, iwi, and environmental managers working together to improve the health of our lakes.

But restoring lakes is becoming increasingly challenging.

Climate change is altering the way lakes function, bringing warmer waters, changing rainfall patterns, more frequent extreme weather events, and increasing ecological uncertainty. Even when nutrient inputs are reduced, many lakes do not simply return to the condition they were once in. Instead, they are recovering under a new and changing set of environmental conditions.

In this lecture, Professor Deniz Özkundakci reflects on more than two decades of studying lakes, tracing the evolution of freshwater science from understanding the causes of degradation to tackling one of today's biggest challenges: defining what successful recovery looks like in a changing world. Drawing on research from New Zealand and overseas, he will explore how new technologies, ecological forecasting, and ecosystem modelling are helping scientists and communities make better decisions about the future of our freshwater ecosystems.

This 45-minute public lecture will be held at the at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, starting at 5.45pm. Ticket scanning and Opus Bar will be open from 5pm.

Free parking is available on campus via Gate 2B, Knighton Road, Hamilton from 4.30pm.

Please register your attendance by clicking on the 'reserve a spot' button above and bring your eticket, with you on the evening to be scanned.

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is Professor of Freshwater Ecology at the University of Waikato. His research explores how lakes respond to human activities and climate change, combining environmental monitoring and ecosystem modelling to support lake restoration and freshwater management. Working closely with iwi, regional councils, government agencies, and international collaborators, his research helps inform decisions that protect and restore freshwater ecosystems. Deniz first came to New Zealand as an exchange student, beginning a journey that led to a career dedicated to understanding and restoring lakes.