FEATURES OF DRIFT

DRIFT enables the user to

  • Simulate a river ecosystem and the interplay of multiple factors affecting its ecological status and ability to deliver social goods and services

  • Assess the impact of water-resource development scenarios in the form of altered flow and sediment time-series and/or longitudinal barriers on individual components of a river and its overall status

  • Export and import response curve relationships for ease of updating and/or re-use in different projects

  • Be transparent about the reasoning used to make predictions

  • Upload and insert maps of study area and assessment sites

  • Provide evidenced-based motivations of response curve relationships driving DRIFT assessments

  • Incorporate variable hydrological time-series for assessment of operating rules, such as intra-daily fluctuations in flow associated with peaking hydropower plants

  • Incorporate management or protection levels for specific resources (e.g., reduced fishing, mining or harvesting pressures) into scenario assessments

  • Save set up models and re-run on updated software versions.

Benefits and Costs Comparison

DRIFT aims to provide the ‘missing information’ for a whole picture of the costs and benefits of water development
Scenarios of increasing development
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BENEFITS:
Regional economy+++++++
Power generation+++++++++
Crop production++++++
COSTS
Fisheries++++++++++
Biodiversity+++++++
Wetland functions++++++++++
Decision-making involves trade-offs+ = Beneficial Use

For more information

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