{"id":668663,"date":"2025-05-12T15:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/uk-towns-harness-nature-to-combat-rising-flood-risk\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T15:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:05:15","slug":"uk-towns-harness-nature-to-combat-rising-flood-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/uk-towns-harness-nature-to-combat-rising-flood-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"UK towns harness nature to combat rising flood risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aceec7c8c8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aceec7c8c8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/uk-towns-harness-nature-to-combat-rising-flood-risk\/#%E2%80%98Urgent_problem\" >&#8216;Urgent problem&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/uk-towns-harness-nature-to-combat-rising-flood-risk\/#Overcoming_skepticism\" >Overcoming skepticism<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-volunteer-constructs.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-volunteer-constructs.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-volunteer-constructs.jpg\" alt=\"A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester\" title=\"A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a stream near Leicester in central England, six volunteers in waterproof overalls and boots busily reinforced mini wooden structures designed to combat the rising flooding threat.<\/p>\n<p>The city, like many others in the UK, has experienced several intense rainfall events in recent years, which have caused significant damage.<\/p>\n<p>Alert to climate change, which intensifies these events, authorities are strengthening their defenses and turning to solutions more sympathetic with the environment.<\/p>\n<p>With their feet firmly planted on the bed of the Saffron Brook, a tributary of the River Soar that runs through Leicester, the volunteers ensured the structures&#8217; wooden bundles were securely anchored.<\/p>\n<p>These structures create bends that &#8220;change the behavior of the river&#8221; and slow down water in stretches where it currently flows &#8220;straight and very fast,&#8221; said Dan Scott, who leads the program at the Trent Rivers Trust, a local group working to protect rivers.<\/p>\n<p>He regularly oversees the installation of new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>A few months ago, the trust dug a pond on a river near the town of Loughborough and installed dozens of leaky wooden barriers to better protect downstream houses that flooded in the past.<\/p>\n<p>These techniques are &#8220;complementary to traditional flood defenses&#8221; such as retention basins and canals that are increasingly under strain, Scott said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-brash-bundle-sits-in.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-brash-bundle-sits-in.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A brash bundle sits in a swale which forms part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-brash-bundle-sits-in.jpg\" alt=\"A brash bundle sits in a swale which forms part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough\" title=\"A brash bundle sits in a swale which forms part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                A brash bundle sits in a swale which forms part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>They &#8220;help to store some of that water upstream so that those traditional flood defenses don&#8217;t get overwhelmed, and if they do, it&#8217;s not as quickly as if these features weren&#8217;t in place,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>They also help to maintain biodiversity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Urgent_problem\"><\/span>&#8216;Urgent problem&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>More than 6.3 million properties are at risk of flooding in the UK, and this figure will rise to more than eight million by 2050, according to a recent government report.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Flooding is a really urgent societal problem,&#8221; said Steven Forest, director of the Flood Risk Management Program at the University of Hull.<\/p>\n<p>Climate events resulted in UK insurance payouts of more than \u00a3400 million ($532 million) in 2022 and more than \u00a3570 million in 2023 and 2024, half of which was related to flooding, according to the Association of British Insurers.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond traditional defenses, &#8220;we need to think about living with water, and we need to think about integrating water within our urban spaces,&#8221; Forest added.<\/p>\n<p>He cited the Netherlands, which allocates space for rivers to drain during heavy rainfall, and the United States, where vegetation &#8220;buffer zones&#8221; were created after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Straight-jacketing&#8221; waterways with various infrastructure is no longer sufficient, Forest said, especially since 7% of such structures were assessed to be in &#8220;poor&#8221; or &#8220;very poor&#8221; condition by the UK Environment Agency in 2022.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/walkers-look-at-leaky.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/walkers-look-at-leaky.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Walkers look at leaky dams which form part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/walkers-look-at-leaky.jpg\" alt=\"Walkers look at leaky dams which form part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough\" title=\"Walkers look at leaky dams which form part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Walkers look at leaky dams which form part of a natural flood management scheme at Beacon Hill near Loughborough.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overcoming_skepticism\"><\/span>Overcoming skepticism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But convincing residents and authorities is not always an easy task as it often needs explaining that &#8220;just because we&#8217;ve not built a concrete solution, that it isn&#8217;t going to be as effective,&#8221; Scott said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s also about re-educating people in government because it&#8217;s easier for them to sell something (to voters) that&#8217;s physical and much more prominent within the landscape,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional developments attracted the lion&#8217;s share of the \u00a32.6 billion announced by the government in March to fund new flood defense systems over the next two years.<\/p>\n<p>But Scott noted a greater interest in natural flood management over the past five years, with the previous government launching a \u00a325 million program last year.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, Leicester will be able to develop several waterways southeast of the city, and 35 other projects have been selected in England.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is encouraging that our successful <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach to natural flood management measures is continuing to be supported,&#8221; Geoff Whittle, a local councilor responsible for the environment, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>Contemplating the fruits of her labor in Saffron, 50-year-old volunteer Lis Gibbs told AFP that &#8220;it feels like you can make a difference,&#8221; in contrast to climate change in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, which &#8220;can feel really overwhelming&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUK towns harness nature to combat rising flood risk (2025, May 12)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 12 May 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-05-uk-towns-harness-nature-combat.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-05-uk-towns-harness-nature-combat.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. In a stream near Leicester in central England, six volunteers in waterproof overalls and boots busily reinforced mini wooden structures designed to combat the rising flooding threat. The city, like many others in the UK, has experienced several intense rainfall events&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":668664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-volunteer-constructs.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-668663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}