UK floods - reduce risk through rewilding, says new report

A new report from Rewilding Britain highlights the positive impact which rewilding the UK’s landscapes can have upon flood risk. The report comes as MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee consult on better ways to manage the UK’s environment post-Brexit, with many calling for an approach which places nature centre stage.

Flooding costs the UK economy more than £1 billion annually, a figure which can rise to nearer £5 billion in a bad year. Traditional approaches to flood defence have focused on managing flood risk using hard defences such as flood walls and river revetments.