Know a tool, dataset or guide that belongs in this catalogue? Tell us about it — the team reviews every suggestion against the inclusion criteria.
Tell us which tool has a broken or outdated link — the team checks every report and fixes the catalogue in the next update.
There is a lot of information available on freshwater conservation and restoration, and not enough time for everyone to read and become experts. Nor is it necessary for everyone to become a freshwater expert.
The goal of the Freshwater Toolkit is to provide resources — tools — that enable users to undertake a particular task related to integrating freshwater considerations into planning processes.
We have relied on experts to help curate these tools, and have consulted with end users during the development process to better understand their needs.
We began with a list of roughly 50 candidate tools, identified by experts within Freshwater Challenge partner organisations as being potentially relevant.
This initial list included a mix of analytical software, interactive data explorers and portals, guidance documents and manuals, and case studies.
"Task orientation" was used as an initial screen to separate tools from what we have classified as supporting resources — sources of topical information that can be consulted, but do not contain sufficiently clear steps to guide the user on a defined task.
Tasks include assessing baseline conditions; setting targets and prioritising sites; implementing freshwater conservation and/or restoration projects; and monitoring and reporting.
Additional criteria for inclusion: an explicit link to freshwater ecosystems, applicability at a national or basin scale, and adequate documentation.
This classification was discussed and refined through individual consultations with end users selected from Freshwater Challenge member countries and their government focal points.
End users were separately consulted about the user interface — how they prefer to navigate the tool catalogue, the amount of information they need to know about a particular tool, and any other features they would like to see.
© Michel Gunther/WWF
© Meg Gawler / WWF
The toolkit is not designed to be exhaustive, nor an aggregator of all relevant informational resources.
It is not an endorsement or ranking of the tools within the catalogue. External tools can become updated, modified or deprecated — to keep the catalogue up to date and inclusive of new tools and upgrades to existing ones, it is reviewed on a quarterly basis.
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Have a useful tool to suggest or a broken link to report? Let us know.
Know a tool or resource that should be included in the catalogue? Let us know.
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