As part of the EU-funded project "Water and Ecosystem Resources in Regional Development––Balancing Societal Needs and Wants and Natural Resources Systems Sustainability in International River Basin Systems" (WERRD) (www.okavangochallenge.com), work is carried out aiming to improve and develop scientific methods that will facilitate the understanding of fluctuations of hydrological and ecosystem variables and likely human-induced trends concerning key characteristics of the Okavango River Basin in Southern Africa.