Water-related Free Online Courses

Forest and Water Nexus – Introduction

This course is intended to provide on overview of forest and water relationships, and an understanding of the impacts of changing landscapes on water resources. It can be used as a stand-alone course for those interested in learning about the forest-water nexus, or as an introduction for those who will engage in workshops using the FAO capacity development facilitation guide on Advancing the Forest and Water Nexus. You will learn about

• Basic relationships between trees, forests and water
• The role that forests play in regulating water quality, quantity and timing
  
• Environmental, economic and socio-cultural benefits resulting from forest-water relationships
• Effects of land use changes on water quality, quantity and timing
• The importance of including water considerations in sustainable forest management

IWRM for Climate Resilience

The course aims to improve practitioners' understanding of planning for integrated water management in the context of climate change. The course discusses how to plan for climate resilient measures in the water sector. Financing sources are presented and guidance of how to implement IWRM for climate resilience is provided, using examples of planning tools, technologies and practical ways forward. The various management and technology tools and approaches for adaptation and mitigation are also discussed. By the end of the course the participants will be able to plan integrated interventions in the water sector which ensure an equilibrium between water security, development and climate-risk management. The course contains the following modules:

1. Water resources management for climate change adaptation and mitigation
2. Frameworks for action: from global to national
3. Integrated approaches to planning and management of water
4. Adaptation and mitigation technologies for increased water sector resilience
5. Financing sources

Big Data Analysis for Water-related Applications

This online course introduces the participants to Earth Engine Code Editor platform, explore some basic programming concepts, Earth Engine data structures and methods, functions, and algorithms, and implementation of surface water detection algorithm. After completing the course, the participants will be able to:

• Understand the GEE Code Editor platform
• Analyze big data on cloud platform using geospatial Earth Engine Objects and their associated functions (images and image collections, features and feature collections, and geometries).
• Develop an understanding of various methods to detect surface water at the national, regional and global scale.

Integrated Water Resource Management

Water Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Water and Health Programme

• Course 1: Introduction to Water and Health Course, History of Water and Civilization, and Water Management
• Course 2: Water Quality, Quantity, Contamination, and Risk and Environmental Analysis
• Course 3: Water and Wastewater treatment, Source Protection, and Advanced Methods of treatment
• Course 4: Social Perspectives on Water and Health, Governance and WASH

Integrity basics: Understanding Corruption in Water and Sanitation

This online self-paced course revisits the main principles and concepts of water integrity, as an essential component for good water governance and sustainable water and sanitation services. It aims to enable participants recognise the need for incorporating water integrity, transparency, and accountability in their regular work within the water sector, as much as strengthening national institutions to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course offers an insight into the impacts of corruption and poor integrity in the water and sanitation sector and provides initial orientation for the practical application of integrity in the daily life of water professionals.

Water and Migration

This course aims to work toward this need and contextualize "water" within the migration debates and inform practitioners, policymakers and researchers to develop novel mechanisms for the assessment of and response to water-related migration. After completing the course, the participants will be able to:

• Understand the complex relationship between water and migration through real-life examples of water-related migration
• Differentiate between different types and drivers of water-related migration.
• Develop capacity building skills to address and assess multiple dimensions and root causes of water-related migration.

Gender and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

The course aims to improve practitioners' understanding of the benefits of integrating gender meaningfully through integrated water management practices. The course discusses the tools required to fully integrate women and vulnerable participants, and the potential negative impacts of ignoring gender components when planning for water and sanitation, climate resilient measures, and inclusive participation in the water sector. The modules provide examples of tools and practical ways forward, as well as real-life case studies. The various monitoring and gender-specific indicators are also discussed.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to design and implement integrated and inclusive interventions in the water sector which ensure strong recognition of marginalised groups, leverage their knowledge towards adaptive measures to climate change, and work towards inclusive representation and access for sustainable management practices.

A guide to developing a resilient watershed management plan

This course presents the basic principles and concepts related to resilient watershed management, and, through the description of a case study, practically illustrates the process for formulating a resilient watershed management plan, from the analysis of the enabling environment to the definition of the risk management measures to implement. You will learn about:

• General principles and approaches upon which to integrate a disaster and climate risk perspective into watershed management.
  
• The phases of the resilient watershed management cycle.
• The steps to conduct an enabling environment analysis and a risk assessment.
• How to structure the resilient watershed management plan.