Understanding the effectiveness of natural flood management (NFM) research programme is funded and directed by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It aims to:
‘improve understanding of the suitability and effectiveness of different NFM measures for a range of flood risk scenarios’
Outputs from the programme will improve the NFM evidence base, and help policy makers, businesses, and local communities make best use of NFM measures; stakeholder engagement is an important element of the work.
National partners need the science to help inform their policy and practise. They have co-designed the programme. The programme partners are: Defra, Environment Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, ARUP and the National Trust. They are helping to shape direction and scope, providing support in-kind, and together with NERC, oversee the programme. The £4m NFM programme is funded by NERC for 4 years from 2017-2021.