Lessons learnt NFM
Three pilot projects implemented natural flood management (NFM) measures to lower flood risk in different catchments in the United Kingdom: Medway, Lustrum Beck and Southwell. The following lessons learned were derived from these three pilots.
Work in partnerships to create a shared understanding of problems and solutions. Taking measures in a large catchment, such as the Medway or Lustrum Beck catchment, requires the involvement of several parties such as environmental agencies, nature organisations, local authorities and communities. Working in partnership allows to develop a shared understanding of the problems and solutions, to narrow down the scope of the project while having a long term vision, and match plans and interests to reduce flood risk in the catchment. In these pilots, the partnerships for instance facilitated the decision making of the location for the implementation of the NFM interventions. It also improved the communication between authorities and local communities which in turn resulted in better collaboration among the stakeholders involved in the partnership.
Working within a catchment means crossing political and administrative boundaries. To implement NFM measures, stakeholders from every layer of governance should be involved and collaborate: from knowledge institutes, local and regional governments, and drinking water and sewage organisations, to road management organisations, nature conservation agencies, flood action groups and NGOs.
Understand and combine the political, hydrological, geological and social context of a catchment. Before implementing NFM measures to reduce flood consequences, it is important to understand the geology, hydrology and social system of the catchment where NFM will be applied. In the FRAMES pilots, flood risk assessments to determine flood risk areas were combined with modelling, visual observations, local knowledge and techniques of local communities to select sub-catchments for NFM interventions. NFM interventions are used as preventive measures looking beyond managing floods at household or town level to manage floods at catchment level. E.g. in the Lustrum Beck catchment Tees Valley Strategic Flood Risk Management Group will continue to develop and take a catchment approach to flood risk reduction developing a net gain / land banking approach which will enable farmers to 'deposit' land with a holding company.’
Keep monitoring the NFM measures to demonstrate (additional ecological) benefits.By monitoring the NFM interventions beyond the lifespan of the pilot project, it will be possible to show the effectiveness of NFM in FRM. This knowledge needs should also be passed to other stakeholders in other catchments to increase flood resilience there as well. E.g. the manager of the Medway pilot stated that FRAMES project helped to identify priority areas, to better target measures for further work in the Medway Catchment. The evidence based will continue to improve as a result of the planned long-term monitoring of the NFM measures.
Dissemination is key to ensure the implementation of the NFM intervention. In the Southwell pilot, the Trent Rivers Trust worked together with the Southwell flood forum to raise awareness among communities which are at flood risk and communities that have never been flooded. They provided a flood warden (volunteers) network with infrastructure and communication hub to disseminate information. This has allowed stakeholders to implement NFM in the Trent river area as well as other catchments.