CIRIA's 7th annual debate
Natural flood management the silver bullet?

Heavy rainfall led to swathes of Europe suffering devastating flooding last July, resulting in more than 240 fatalities and considerable damage to infrastructure. Subsequently the UK government announced a record £5.2 billion of investment over six years including over £860m investment in flood alleviation schemes in 2021-2022 as part of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan.

Natural flood management (NFM) is a tool to help reduce flood risk whilst providing additional co-benefits. NFM works with natural processes to reduce flood risk, often across a catchment area and begins by protecting or restoring the natural response to rainfall and reintroducing rivers’ natural processes and features.

How does NFM fit into a risk-based approach to flooding and is it receiving adequate support and investment compared to ‘grey’ engineered infrastructure solutions to manage flood risk issues?

While NFM is gaining in popularity, will it have the desired impact on reducing flooding compared to traditional flood defence systems and how should investment be directed? All this and more was discussed by leading experts as they debated the value, role and efficacy of NFM in flood risk management at CIRIA's annual debate.

CIRIA has just published the widely anticipated ‘The natural flood management manual’ (C802). Click here to order a hard copy of the manual or alternatively download a free copy from the CIRIA Bookshop.

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