**Abstract**

Lake Kinneret and its watershed have undergone significant structural modifications. Some of them are anthropogenic, and others are natural. Among natural modifications, the climate change is prominent. Among man-made changes, the drainage of the Hula Valley, construction of the National Water Carrier designating Lake Kinneret as a national resource of drinking water, construction of the Dam on the lake south outlet, agricultural developments in the Hula Valley, and others are included. Additional factors that recently have a significant impact on the management of the lake ecosystem are the development of ocean water desalinization capabilities. Nevertheless, these two ecosystems were carefully studied directed by limnological and wetland-agricultural scientific trait. One parameter was not yet accounted intensively, the assurance of long-term sustainability. This paper provides an overviewed insight into the conducted principles of management toward sustainable management after the establishment of the modifications as an attempt of predictive development outline.

**Keywords:** Kinneret, watershed, land use, climate change, sustainability

### **1. Introduction**

The Lake Kinneret and its Drainage Basin had been widely investigated [1–6] aimed at enhancing basic scientific knowledge as well as ensuring submission of management recommendation to responsible national authorities. Vast majority of the studies were aimed at ad-hoc tracking ecological and anthropogenic changes. Insufficient attention was given to predictive design of systems sustainability. Anthropogenic management interventions are aimed at both, protection, and sustainable maintenance of the ecological structure and services. Nevertheless, ecosystem structures highly depend on the utilization trait. If a natural structure of an ecosystem is not threatened by anthropogenic intervention and/or by natural constrains, protection is smoothly implemented. Global climate change, increase of human population density, and consequently increasing demands for food production while tackling acute water scarcity became critical over larger global zones. Global promotion of desertification (decline of soil fertility) and afforestation amplified human intervention in natural ecological structure. Therefore, ecological management became a critical parameter which has a significant impact on human society. The ecosystems of Lake Kinneret and its watershed are subject for national

and international concerns as sources for water supply, agricultural development, commercial fishery and aquaculture, territorial land for living (population dispersal), and more. During the last 80 years, natural and anthropogenic modification were accurately carried out over these ecosystems and consequent management operations were implemented aimed at efficient utilization of the natural resources of land and water while ecosystems sustainability will be preserved. A survey of the history and implementation of achievements which accompanied the ecological modifications in lake Kinneret and its watershed to ensure undamaged and sustainable ecosystem functionality is presented in this paper.
