As floods hit the UK and the rest of the world with growing frequency, “natural flood management” (NFM) is increasingly becoming part of the response. Much of the research in this area is in its relative infancy, and a lot of it is UK-based – partly because of the impact floods have on such a densely populated and heavily built-up country.
The Nature Friendly Farming Network – set up as a way for agricultural businesses to share knowledge about nature-friendly farming and holistic climate strategies – has been a central locus for this work, and farmers are joining in increasing numbers. The NFFN also helps farmers sign up to the various UK government environmental farming schemes, so they can receive grants for their work.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The streams, or becks, that run through James Robinson’s Lake District farm used to be cleaned out regularly – with vegetation yanked out and riverbeds dredged, or even completely filled in.
Much of the research in this area is in its relative infancy, and a lot of it is UK-based – partly because of the impact floods have on such a densely populated and heavily built-up country.
The British Geological Survey says more research needs to be done because “understanding how water is stored and released within catchments is vital for predicting the effects of these changes on both floods and droughts, as well as a host of other co-benefits such as biodiversity and agricultural productivity”.
And the European Environment Agency is also looking at NFM, after devastating floods in countries including Greece, Italy, Germany and Spain, which have hit agricultural land and town centres as well as claiming lives.
She farms livestock on 65 hectares (160 acres) in the lowlands of Wales – just 30 metres above sea level and right next to the River Elwy, which floods frequently, putting her livelihood in peril.
“I started coppicing willow trees from around the farm and burying them in the banks, so they would act as root balls for fresh new growth for saplings.
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