Platform Links & Tools
Your curated directory of every platform, data portal, and software tool used across the eBioNet network and the broader freshwater biodiversity community in southern Africa.
What you'll find here:
- BIO-SMART Platforms — FBIS, INWARDS, FISHTRAC with registration guides and deep dives
- South African Data Portals — DWS hydrology, SANBI biodiversity GIS, IUCMA, WRC research
- Global & Citizen Science — GBIF, IUCN Red List, miniSASS, iNaturalist, transboundary platforms
- Software & Analysis Toolkit — QGIS, R packages, Python tools, field apps, remote sensing
Bookmark this space — it's your go-to reference for everything you need beyond the courses themselves.
- Teacher: Hugo Retief
Templates & Forms
Overview
Use these downloadable templates and forms to standardise fieldwork, data capture, and reporting across eBioNet. Consistent formats make it easier to validate submissions, integrate datasets across sites, and compare results over time. Choose the template that fits your activity (sampling, observations, tagging, reporting), complete it in the field or office, then submit using the agreed data pathways for your course or project.
Contents
- Field data collection forms – structured sheets for site visits and routine monitoring
- Species observation recording sheets – standard fields for sightings and occurrence records
- Water quality sampling forms – sample metadata, parameters, and QA notes
- Fish tagging and tracking logs – tagging events, recaptures, and telemetry checks
- Data submission templates – consistent file structures for uploading and processing
- Reporting format templates – headings and layouts for short reports and summaries
- Teacher: Hugo Retief
Guidelines & Protocols
Overview
This section contains standard operating procedures (SOPs), methodological guidelines, and best-practice protocols for biodiversity monitoring and water-resource assessment. These references are intended to help field teams and partners apply consistent methods across sites, improve data quality and comparability, and ensure that submissions meet agreed standards for verification, analysis, and reporting.
Contents
- Standard operating procedures (SOPs) – step-by-step field methods and workflows
- Sampling and survey protocols – recommended approaches for biodiversity monitoring
- Water resource assessment methods – site assessment, measurements, and interpretation guidance
- Quality assurance (QA/QC) – checks, validation rules, and error prevention practices
- Metadata and data standards – required fields, naming conventions, and submission guidance
- Health, safety, and ethics – field safety considerations and responsible practice
- Teacher: Hugo Retief
Policy Documents
Overview
This section brings together key legislation, international agreements, and policy frameworks relevant to freshwater biodiversity conservation and water resource management in South Africa, Mozambique, and Eswatini. It includes short summaries and links to official sources to support compliant decision-making, consistent implementation, and informed engagement across national and transboundary contexts.
Contents
- South Africa
- National Water Act (NWA), 1998 – Primary legislation governing water resources
- National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 – Framework environmental legislation
- National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), 2004 – Biodiversity conservation and alien species management
- Ecological Reserve Determination Guidelines – Technical guidance on environmental water requirements
- Resource Quality Objectives (RQO) Guidelines – Framework for setting water resource quality objectives
- National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (NFEPA) – Strategic spatial priorities for freshwater conservation
- Mozambique
- Water Law (Lei de Águas), 1991 – Primary water resources legislation
- Environmental Law (Lei do Ambiente), 1997 – Framework environmental legislation
- Regulation on Environmental Impact Assessment – EIA procedures and requirements
- Fisheries Law – Regulations governing inland fisheries
- Conservation Areas Law – Protected area management framework
- Eswatini
- Water Act, 2003 – Water resources management legislation
- Environment Management Act, 2002 – Environmental protection framework
- Flora Protection Act – Plant conservation regulations
- Game Act – Wildlife management and conservation
- Regional / International
- SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses (Revised), 2000 – Regional framework for transboundary water cooperation
- UN Watercourses Convention, 1997 – International law on non-navigational uses of international watercourses
- Ramsar Convention – International treaty for wetland conservation
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – Global framework for biodiversity conservation
- INMACOM Agreement – Incomati and Maputo Watercourse Commission establishing agreement
- KOBWA Treaty – Komati Basin Water Authority bilateral agreement (South Africa–Eswatini)
- REMCO Framework – River and Environmental Management Cooperation initiative
- Policy briefs & summaries
- Water Governance in the Inkomati Basin
- Environmental Flows in Transboundary Context
- Biodiversity Data Sharing Obligations
- Compliance Monitoring Framework
- Teacher: Hugo Retief
Publications & Reports
Access project outputs, scientific publications, and technical reports from the BIO-SMART project and partner organisations — powered by the AWARD Data Library. New publications are loaded automatically via live CKAN integration.
What You Will Find:
- BIO-SMART Project Reports — Progress reports, deliverables, MERL outputs
- TBLN Meeting Reports — Records from Transboundary Learning Network meetings
- Scientific Publications — Peer-reviewed journal articles on FBIS, FISHTRAC, freshwater ecology
- Technical Documentation — User manuals and data standards for core platforms
- Full AWARD Library Search — Browse 190+ resources across all programmes
- Teacher: Hugo Retief