The Freshwater Center of Excellence (FCOE) is a publicly accessible, online knowledge hub for freshwater biodiversity research, data and information to inform river basin planning and conservation in Nepal. The portal is hosted by Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Environment Science. The FCoE is a repository for knowledge products and tools prepared by USAID’s Paani Program, Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Environmental Science  (CDES-TU), and other research institutions, and is accessible to Nepali policymakers, planners, researchers, donors/development partners and other stakeholders. 

The FCOE integrates an information database, GIS visualization and a user-friendly interface managed by a Multi-user Content Management System (CMS). The FCOE is integrated within CDES’s web domain and TU’s existing central IT system, which is fully funded by the Government of Nepal (GON), thereby ensuring that information supporting conservation of aquatic biodiversity will continue to remain accessible to the public.