Natural flood management schemes are to receive £25m of Government funding to mitigate the risks posed by climate change.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has unveiled a programme to support dozens of projects centred around natural processes which restore and replicate the natural functions of catchments, floodplains and coastlines to mitigate flooding and store water.
Defra claims that the £25m package is its largest focused on natural flood management to date.
One of the projects to benefit from the scheme is the Severn Rivers Trust which will focus on implementing a variety of natural flood management measures in the headwaters of Illey Brook, near Halesowen in the West Midlands.
Measures include soil and land management to slow and store surface water runoff, reduce soil erosion and support agricultural practices.
The project also aims to create new woodland areas and hedgerows to improve wetland complexes and provide habitats for local wildlife.
The Ribble Rivers Trust plans to implement projects aimed at mitigating flood risks across the Ribble catchment, encompassing areas in Darwen, Clitheroe, and Lea Green with measures including constructing ponds and leaky barriers along watercourses designed to slow and store floodwater, while vegetation management and forest development will intercept water flow, reducing runoff and enhancing water retention in the soil.
Floods Minister Robbie Moore said: “It’s vital we use nature as an ally in our work to become ready for climate change, helping to restore the natural environment and protecting homes and businesses.
“That’s why we’re funding the biggest-ever investment in natural flood management.”
The initiative builds on the £15m natural flood management pilot programme, which ran until 2021, creating the equivalent of 1.6 million cubic meters of water storage and reducing the flood risk for 15,000 homes.
The Environment Agency is set to manage the new £25m programme, with projects due to take place from now until March 2027.
The programme is in keeping with the goals outlined in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England, which aims to better protect homes and businesses from flooding and coastal changes, while also creating climate-resilient communities.
Research published last year indicated annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than 20% due to the increasing severity of the climate crisis if national pledges to reach net-zero made at COP26 are not met in full.
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