Working with natural processes (WWNP) or natural flood management
(NFM) protects, restores or emulates the natural functions of
rivers, floodplains, catchments and the coast to reduce flooding
and coastal erosion.
The updated Working with natural
processes evidence directory was published in February 2025.
It summarises the latest evidence for 17 NFM measures relating to
river and floodplain, woodland, run-off, and coast and estuary
management.
The directory shows NFM evidence has grown in recent years,
building our confidence in the flood risk and wider benefits
these approaches can bring. It provides a new evidence baseline
for NFM, helping to inform future investment decisions and
support the selection of measures on the ground.
These benefits vary across measures and help us understand what
works best and where. There is still more to learn about
NFM, but the research gaps are closing and are becoming more
detail orientated.
Among the findings, the evidence is telling us that:
-
catchment woodlands can reduce the height of
flood water, with the greatest reductions during smaller events
- there is growing research that soil and land
management can help with flood resilience, especially in
grasslands
- for some NFM measures, the wider benefits are even greater
than the benefits to flood risk such as with floodplain
or river restoration
-
ponds in floodplain areas can reduce flood
risk by decreasing flows and storing water
-
run-off pathway management can reduce flood
risk by storing water, and slowing the flow downstream and
includes wider benefits related to water resources and
biodiversity
- the flood risk benefits of saltmarsh and mudflat
restoration, dune management and beach nourishment is
consolidating
-
restoring salt marshes and mudflats offers
significant environmental benefits including storing
carbon
- there is emerging science on the flood reduction benefits of
beavers, coastal reefs, and submerged aquatic
vegetation – these are new additions to the directory
Further details about the findings are available in the Working with natural
processes research report and literature review.
Quick guides for each of the 17 NFM measures covered in the
evidence directory are included on the summaries page.
