Natural Flood Management
© Jon Milliken
Living near a river or stream has many advantages, from employment and recreation to opportunities for wildlife-spotting. But for some residents the proximity has another, less positive outcome: a risk of localised flooding.
In the right circumstances flooding can be a good thing - floodplains offer nutrient-rich soil and valuable wildlife habitat - but over time various factors have increased the risk for local homes and businesses. As the human impact upon the streams increases, so does the need for us to help them cope with times of high flow.
As part of the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme, we're exploring ways to address this issue through our Natural Flood Management project. This method uses nature-based solutions to reduce the risk of flooding; you may also have heard it called 'Working with Natural Processes' or simply 'NFM'.
Exploring nature-based solutions
We're supporting the important research of scheme partner Hampshire County Council into natural flood management. As part of Watercress and Winterbournes, the council are collecting the views of Hampshire residents and landowners to better understand how flooding affects local communities.
The Wildlife Trust recently hosted an online questionnaire on behalf of Vicki Westall, the council’s Strategic Flood and Water Management Co‐ordinator - many thanks to everyone who shared their views. Insights into the results will be published as part of Vicki's MSc in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management. For full details please see the questionnaire's participant information sheet.