© Jon Milliken
Natural Flood Management
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'.
Volunteers implementing natural flood management measures
Collecting community views
This project supported research by Vicki Westall, Strategic Flood and Water Management Co‐ordinator for scheme partner Hampshire County Council, into the use of Natural Flood Management. In spring 2021, we gathered the views of Hampshire residents and landowners via an online questionnaire, in order to better understand how flooding affects local communities. You can now read the key findings from Vicki's research, as well as her full final dissertation.