Natural and nature based features international guidance

On 16 September 2021, the United States’ Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will publish an international guide on using Natural and Nature Based Features (NNBF) to reduce flood and coastal erosion risks.

NNBF is an American term used to describe measures that can be used to restore the natural function of rivers, estuaries and coasts. In the UK, this approach is known as Natural Flood Management (NFM).

We are a partner in the project to produce this guide alongside USACE and Rijkswaterstaat (part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management). We have co-authored chapters, shared our scientific knowledge and supplied 10 case study examples from the UK.

The guide will be used by an international audience and throughout its development, we worked with experts from around the world. We discovered that although the countries involved were different in many ways, the environmental challenges faced and the approaches used to resolve the challenges are surprisingly similar.

A virtual launch event for the NNBF guide will start at 4pm BST on YouTube