Freshwater Health Index
A basin-scale scoring framework that combines ecosystem vitality, services, and governance into a single health picture.
description
The Freshwater Health Index helps decision-makers measure and track the health of freshwater systems at the basin scale. It integrates biophysical indicators with assessments of the ecosystem services people rely on and the governance arrangements that manage them, producing comparable scores that can be tracked over time.
application
Used to establish a baseline before restoration work begins, prioritise sub-basins for intervention, and communicate progress to funders and communities in a consistent, transparent way.