High nature-value floodplains, with multifunctional habitats such as floodplain meadows, are a vital component of a healthy ecosystem, which can provide a multitude of services. They not only conserve diversity, but also mitigate flood risk, manage nutrients, store carbon, support pollinators and provide inspiring places for people.
Currently, however, our floodplains experience a range of constraints that prevent them from functioning effectively. Current estimates of land-use on floodplains in England and Wales indicate that nearly 70 % is under intensive agricultural use and only 11% supports semi-natural habitats such as floodplain meadow. We plan to use this workshop to explore the following questions:
o Is current floodplain management in the UK sustainable?
o Do current policies encourage sustainable floodplain management?
o What would we like to see?
o What up-coming policy programmes can be used to deliver our aspirations?
We will end the session with a ‘road map’ to delivering better outcomes for sustainable floodplain management.
Contact Olivia.Nelson@open.ac.uk for more information and to attend.