UK flood risk management: policy recommendations

The Society has launched a set of 14 recommendations for UK policy-makers illustrating the important contribution of geography to sustainable flood risk management.

The UK government is currently reviewing its approach to flood risk management, recognising the large and increasing risks posed by flooding to communities across the country. To contribute to this developing policy area, the Society convened practitioners and researchers from across the breadth of geography, representing the significant expertise on flood risk management that exists within the community.  

The result is a set of recommendations that illustrate the importance of taking a holistic view of this complex issue. Recommendations include: better communication of residual risk to communities ‘protected’ by existing flood defences; better access to data on flooding for the public and researchers; the need for catchment-scale modelling of Natural Flood Management measures to assess their effectiveness at larger scales and for larger magnitude flood events; and greater awareness of flood risks amongst the public, media and parliamentarians. 

The recommendations were launched at a 21st Century Challenges Policy Forum at the Society on 8 November, where BBC Environment Analyst Roger Harrabin chaired a lively discussion between leading geographers, flood experts and a 100-strong audience of professionals from across relevant sectors.