FreshWater Watch

Welcome to FreshWater Watch! – you are joining a global Citizen Science project investigating the health of the world’s fresh water ecosystems on a scale never seen before.

Fresh water is essential for sustaining all life while freshwater ecosystems provide fundamental benefits for people and nature. Yet this crucial resource is very limited and can be easily degraded. As the world’s population grows, ongoing urban expansion and agricultural intensification will increase the pressure on this resource.

To successfully manage the world’s fresh water, we need to improve our understanding of how water quality varies across landscapes and over time, yet surprisingly little data are available. Such information is difficult and time consuming for scientists to gather, which is where you come in. With your help we can vastly increase the amount of data to fill gaps in our knowledge across the globe.

The information that you will help collect will directly inform fresh water policy and practice, meaning that the world’s vital water resources are better understood and conserved. You will be joining a network of over 20 research projects that are being facilitated by Earthwatch with the support of the HSBC Water Programme.

Thanks for your help!