TEFRIC: Translation of Environmental Flow Research in Cambodia
The TEFRIC project, led by UCL Geography, introduced the concept of environmental flows to Cambodia, developing new tools to support sustainable water management and ecological research.
The TEFRIC project introduced the concept of environmental flows to Cambodian water resources management and environmental research.
It was a collaborative project led by UCL Geography (Professor Julian Thompson), the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Dr Cedric Laize), the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) (Drs Sarann Ly and Ratino Sith), and Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Authority.
Funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Innovation Follow-on Programme, TEFRIC brought together international expertise in hydrology, ecology and climate science to support sustainable river management.
About the Project
The TEFRIC project brought together researchers and practitioners from the UK and Cambodia to strengthen understanding of how river systems support livelihoods and ecosystems. It combined scientific innovation with practical tools to guide sustainable water management across the region.
- Introduce the concept of environmental flows to Cambodian water resources management and environmental research.
- Develop software tools that enable environmental flow assessments using baseline (current) and scenario (future/perturbed) river discharge time series.
The term environmental flows describes the river flow regime required to maintain economically, socially and ecologically important ecosystem services.
In Cambodia, these include rivers’ vital role in sustaining agriculture and fisheries.
A river’s flow regime, its variability, magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change, is central to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
Changes to this regime, driven by climate change or water resource developments, can have far-reaching ecological impacts.
TEFRIC ERFA Software
A core output of the TEFRIC project was the development of the TEFRIC ERFA software — an open-access tool for assessing how changes in river flow regimes affect ecosystems. Designed to be user-friendly and scientifically robust, it supports researchers and practitioners in understanding and managing ecological risks associated with altered water flows.
A central aim of TEFRIC was to create a documented, user-friendly, open-access version of the Ecological Risk due to Flow Alteration (ERFA) environmental flow code. This tool calculates metrics that show how river regimes change under different conditions, helping to assess potential risks to ecosystems and livelihoods.
TEFRIC ERFA compares historical (baseline) and future (scenario) river regimes to identify changes in flow metrics beyond defined thresholds. These changes reveal the ecological risks associated with shifts in both high and low flow conditions, supporting sustainable river and water management decisions.
Originally developed in R and first applied in European and Mekong River studies, the ERFA code was refined and reimagined during the TEFRIC project. A new Shiny user interface was built, with additional flow metrics and user-defined output options introduced following expert feedback from Cambodian hydrologists and ecologists at project workshops.
Download TEFRIC ERFA
Access the open-source TEFRIC ERFA software, with full documentation and example data sets, via the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Download nowWorkshops and Launch
The TEFRIC project engaged local and regional experts through workshops and meetings in Cambodia to refine the software, share knowledge on environmental flows, and provide hands-on training in TEFRIC ERFA.
An early version of TEFRIC ERFA was demonstrated to Cambodian experts in hydrology and aquatic ecology at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia.
Participants represented governmental agencies, ministries, universities, research institutes, and international NGOs.
Using Mekong climate change scenarios (Thompson et al., 2013; Robinson, 2018 (.pdf)), participants suggested refinements such as:
- Additional flow regime metrics
- Defined thresholds for existing metrics
- Improved user interface and outputs
The final version of TEFRIC ERFA was launched at a two-day meeting in Phnom Penh.
Attendees included environmental scientists, practitioners, and consultants from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, alongside international NGOs.
The event featured:
- Lectures on the science of environmental flows
- Demonstrations of TEFRIC ERFA applied to the Stung Sen River system
- Hands-on training in the software
Download TEFRIC ERFA
The TEFRIC ERFA code is available from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Environmental Information Data Centre. It includes a comprehensive manual and example data sets. The software is available under the GNU General Public License (GPL v3 or later), free to use with proper citation.
TEFRIC ERFA codeTEFRIC ERFA Citation
Laize, C.L.R. and Thompson, J.R. (2019). An implementation of the Ecological Risk due to Flow Alteration (ERFA) method.
NERC Environmental Information Data CentreExplore BSc Geography
Study climate change, ecosystems, hazards and global challenges through fieldwork, lab training and research-led teaching in the heart of London.
View the courseGot questions? Get in touch.
Contact us if you have any questions about studying Geography at UCL.
