What are the dos and don'ts when it comes to natural flood management? The Environment asked the experts:

• Do make the most of NFM’s multiple benefits to access a diverse range of funding sources and delivery mechanisms. Measures such as planting trees, restoring moorland and remeandering rivers can help to deliver many different organisations’ aims; speak to prospective partners about how to work together to achieve shared goals
• Do manage expectations carefully. NFM can be effective if you build the right measures in the right place at the right time – and if you build enough of them. However, not all measures are appropriate for all flood-risk situations. Sometimes, an effective scheme may combine NFM features and more traditional engineering solutions
• Do start building some NFM features early in your programme, once you understand the catchment and have identified sites where the opportunities are good and the costs are low. Early construction can be invaluable for raising awareness of the overall scheme and explaining to stakeholders what you are doing. A rolling construction programme has the added benefit that you can test and refine approaches as they develop
• Don’t underestimate the challenges of modelling the flood-risk benefits of lots of NFM features across a large area. Credibility and trust in model outputs is key to justifying the scheme to landowners and funding partners. Be open in the assumptions you need to make and invest early to ensure you have reliable input data
• Do recognise that NFM schemes tend to require a lot of land and talking to a lot of people to bring them with you. Engage early with landowners and be open and flexible in your discussions on the funding for NFM schemes on their land. Be prepared to discuss the impacts on existing stewardship arrangements, construction and maintenance responsibilities, and options to remove or modify features in the future
• Do make sure you understand each other’s limitations when it comes to delivery; tree-planting season runs from October to March, which can clash with busy periods for farmers such as spring lambing
• Don’t assume that because you are working with natural processes there are no environmental risks. Without proper consideration, earthworks for embankments and bunds can damage heritage features, in-channel features could interrupt sediment movement, and tree planting can alter sensitive habitats and provide habitat for predator species
• Do involve the right specialists from your organisation and partners to identify and mitigate environmental risks appropriately. These are often the best people to point out extra opportunities for improved environmental outcomes, potential funding partners and greater community engagement
• Don’t fall into the temptation to over-engineer solutions, and do remember that for best results, the emphasis needs to be on natural. Woody material can deliver much better results for flood risk and biodiversity than engineered wooden structures if the materials are available locally
• Do factor in time and costs for monitoring from the start. Accept that while there are many things that could be monitored, in practice you may be restricted to a few key variables, and will need to make the most of monitoring systems already in place such as local flow gauges. Recognise that the more limited your monitoring, the greater the importance of a reliable model to demonstrate if and how your scheme has worked.

Dr Ian Dennis is a chartered geomorphologist and technical director for catchment management at Royal HaskoningDHV. Clare Rodgers MCIWEM leads the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Assessment and Sustainability (NEAS) team for northeast England

Learn more about NFM:

The Environment Agency’s Working With Natural Processes evidence base:

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Natural Flood Management Handbook: