A new report commissioned by RSA Insurance, an Intact company, and The Wildlife Trusts shows that every £1 invested in natural flood management (NFM) is expected to deliver £10 of benefits over 30 years. Nature is one of the best defences against flooding in a changing climate, but the partners behind the report believe that more investment, data and support is needed to increase its long-term positive effects.

Natural flood management means investing in beaver wetlands, creating ponds, restoring bogs, rewilding rivers and de-paving so that these areas can soak up water and hold it back in times of high rainfall*. Evidence collated by the Environment Agency shows that natural flood management is effective at reducing the overall damage from flood risk; the new report has gone further to focus on wider benefits including better habitats for wildlife, carbon storage, and improvements to health and wellbeing.

Alongside the devastating impacts that flooding can have on people, it is the UK’s most expensive natural hazard, costing approximately £2.2 billion annually. This is projected to rise by a range of 19-49% by the 2050s according to the UK’s latest Climate Change Risk Assessment.