Scientific research on Fijian freshwater invertebrate taxonomy and ecology was used to develop innovative user-friendly, cost-effective, non-technical and easily accessible tools to initiate community-based river monitoring and expansion of invertebrate taxonomy knowledge to grassroot community in Fiji. These innovations include (a) ‘Traffic Light Bioindicator field Guide (TLBG)’ and (b) an age friendly river invertebrate spotting game, ‘Meandering Mate Hunt’ game which introduces the locals to freshwater macroinvertebrate community composition across the stable instream micro-habitats. These tools are rapidly used by the NGOs to establish and empower local indigenous riverine communities. Three successful riverine ecosystem outreach projects directly involving river scientists comprised of one Live Learn Environmental Education (LLEE) Fiji funded ‘Remote Community River Health Assessment’ plus two NatureFiji-MareqetiViti funded ‘Learn from a Scientist Series’ and ‘BioBlitz’. These led to community-based riverine biomonitoring committee, threat mitigation projects and resource management plans that safeguarded the water sources and ecosystem services. These pilot projects are now used as models to extend sustainable use and management of the riverine ecosystem across user communities in Fiji and Oceania with the hope to fill the ‘missing link’ in the ridge-to-reef system approach for community based adaptive management of inland and the connected marine wetlands.