The MedWet inventory method was developed during the MedWet 1 (ACNAT) project and presented in the Pan Mediterranean Wetlands Conference, Venice, 1996 marking the closure of the project. Since then, many countries have applied it using the MedWet Database for storing their national data on wetlands.

However, most of these attempts have not been undertaken with a view to create a common knowledge base on Mediterranean water-related ecosystems. As a result there has not been an attempt to link together these efforts. At the same time MedWet is currently putting increased effort to further promote this tool through big or small projects led by MedWet partners (MedWet 2, MedWetCoast, Albanian Wetland Inventory, INTERREG/MEDOC and SUDOE projects etc). During these projects it became obvious that the MedWet inventory method should be updated in order to incorporate information in line with the European legislation (Water Framework Directive) and to adapt state-of-the-art technologies on inventorying, monitoring and data management and processing.