The charities Trent Rivers Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust are working to restore landscapes and rivers using natural flood management, as part of a partnership between WWF UK and Aviva ,WWF’s lead partner in the pensions and insurance sector.
A blue spaghetti-shaped ribbon weaving through a patchwork of fields, roads, cities and towns – that’s the image that comes to mind when thinking of a river. On World Wetlands Day, we believe it’s time to think beyond. Our rivers embody much more – and with their future hanging in the balance, it’s imperative that we connect river issues to a landscape that could do so much more for the benefit of nature and people.
Rivers start wherever rain falls. Pavements, roads, grasslands, forests or fields, eventually water will find its way to a main river and, ultimately, the sea. Depending on what it encounters en route will determine the speed, volume and quality of water traveling downstream.
Vast changes in land use have meant that crucial features such as wetlands, ponds, blanket bogs and floodplains have been depleted. The UK has lost over 90% of its wetlands in the last 100 years and currently, approximately 10% of UK freshwater species are at risk of extinction.
With the loss of wetlands and other habitats, such as woodlands, we’re missing a vital tool that can help us cope with pollution and extreme weather. Natural features like wetlands play a pivotal role by temporarily holding flood water, retaining excess nutrients on land, and simultaneously providing vital habitat for at-risk species.
Increasing flood risk
As the environmental pressures on our rivers and communities increase, we’re ignoring the benefits of nature-based solutions at our own peril. The Environment Agency states that 1 in 6 properties are currently at risk of flooding. While some are protected via flood defences, flood risk is only going to increase as weather becomes more extreme.
The Climate Change Committee makes it clear – it is all hands on deck if we don’t want an increase in flood damage. In their report, the advisory body states that a comprehensive programme aimed at boosting flood resilience can effectively mitigate the risk of flooding.
Nature is our most important ally in the fight against climate change. That’s why Trent Rivers Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust have partnered with WWF and Aviva to raise awareness of the power of nature-based solutions and the benefits they can bring to communities in the Midlands and East Anglia.
Using a method called natural flood management, the two local rivers trusts focus on an often-overlooked solution that boosts flood resilience in the early stages of a river’s journey. By adding ponds, wetlands, planting trees or hinging wood into small brooks, the two local river charities slow the flow and hold water before it travels at destructive speeds down a main river.
For communities, the nature-based approach lowers the likelihood of flooding and provides vital time to prepare. For rivers, a catchment that can hold pollution, store water and provide a mosaic of habitats, provides much-needed resilience in the face of an uncertain future.
Find out more about the project and how to get involved by clicking this link here
