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 developmentScenarios of increasing development | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
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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