ATREE unveils LakeRevive tool for science-based lake restoration

The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) recently unveiled the LakeRevive 1.0 tool, a portal designed to aid professionals and civic activists in making informed decisions on nature-based solutions (NbS) for lake restoration. ATREE's senior fellow and convenor of Water and Society Programme, Priyanka Jamwal, emphasized the need to move beyond one-size-fits-all interventions and adopt context-specific planning for scientific lake restoration.

She argued that restoration goals should be based on context-specific lake health indicators, including water, biodiversity, and community, rather than uniform water quality standards.

The LakeRevive 1.0 tool functions as a decision-support tool, assisting users in selecting appropriate NbS based on user-input parameters. It uses total phosphorus (TP) levels as a restoration benchmark and recommends step-by-step solutions, such as wetlands and artificial islands, best suited to the specific conditions of any given lake.

K. Jaiprakash, retired secretary to the Government of Karnataka's Water Resources Department, highlighted the need for an integrated approach to lake restoration, involving scientific planning, technology, government support, and community participation. The unveiling of LakeRevive 1.0 occurred during a workshop attended by several stakeholders, including government agencies and citizens from communities surrounding lakes, who provided feedback on the tool as ATREE prepares to develop the more advanced LakeRevive 2.0.