Our Managing Director, Tony Webster, led the economic stream for this Australian National University (ANU) project to design an evaluation framework for assessing Nature-based Solutions for use in flood mitigation projects.

Australia’s flood risk is increasing due to climate change and development that is reshaping the landscape. Nature-based Solutions offer a practical and cost-effective approach to working with natural systems, rather than against them, to reduce flood impacts while delivering broader environmental and community benefits.

Tony is a Fellow at the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions.

What are Nature-based Solutions?

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) include planting trees, restoring vegetation along waterways, rebuilding old stream channels, and adjusting how land is used near rivers.

NbS can help mitigate flooding by detaining floodwater, reducing the energy and extent of floods and diverting floods.

Nature-based Solutions for flood mitigation in Australia

The guidelines, which were funded by the National Emergency Management Agency, include:

• Frameworks and processes to evaluate options to minimise the impacts of floods.
• Useful information about the types of Nature-based Solutions and how they can be used for flood mitigation.
• Methods to evaluate the impacts and co-benefits of integrating the Nature-based Solutions.
• Innovative and practical approaches to flood risk mitigation in each community.

Book 1: National Guidelines provide practical, evidence-based advice and tools to support the design and implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for flood mitigation. The guidelines translate evidence sourced from the international literature, together with Book 2: Catchment Studies in partnership with local councils and communities.

Book 3: Practical Guide serves as a concise, actionable companion, designed for practitioners, policymakers, and decision-makers. It distills the most critical guidance on implementing Nature-based Solutions for flood mitigation.

The Guidelines were developed by an interdisciplinary team from the ANU, local council experts, and communities in regional Australia. They specifically focus on applying NbS to Australia’s unique ecosystems.