As the Government considers how to respond to the Pitt Review the National Trust is calling for a greater proportion of the flood risk management budget to be invested in land management.

The Pitt Review, a major investigation into the floods of summer 2007 recently concluded. Following submissions by the Trust and others, it recommends that land management form part of the package of measures to reduce flood risk. The Review also recognises the nee

d for flood risk management to work with natural processes.

Such an approach is advocated by the National Trust, based on experience of its success. The Trust worked with the Environment Agency to restore the Afon Ogwen in the Nant Ffrancon valley. Naturally a boulder-strewn river in a glacial valley with valley floor peatlands the river was heavily modified in the 1960s. Along a 4 km stretch the channel was deepened to reduce the frequency of flooding and improve livestock grazing. As a result, flood waters passed through with great speed scouring the river clean of any ecological interest and eroding its banks. This work had a major effect on riparian landscape, damaged a wetland SSSI and destroyed some of the valuable ‘bottom land’ that the 1960s project was designed to protect.

The project partners with cooperation from the tenant farmer, Gwyn Thomas, of Blaen y Nant worked on a careful restoration of the historic river-bed materials, elevations and profiles to reduce the amount of floodwater carried in the channel. Boulder cascades, gravel features, stepping stones, islands and a ford were recreated. Up to two metres of fill, using spoil that had been dumped on the river banks was used in the bed to recreate a cascade that proved to be the key to stabilising the river for a distance of 600 metres upstream.

This project demonstrates the possibility and benefits of restoring a river to its natural pattern. The river is not prevented from flooding; rather floods are re-routed over the flood plain fields according to predictable patterns. Re-directing water in this way helps avoid some damaging impacts of flooding in other parts of the catchment.

This river’s pattern of flooding still allows farming to continue. Careful study of the floodplain’s contours and 19th-century ordnance survey maps reveals how sheep folds and land use were laid out to work well within the natural flood patterns. This history of adapting to flooding chimes well with the Pitt review’s aspirations for today.

Bryan Jones, Project Manager, Environment Agency Wales said

Hannah Pitt External Affairs officer said ‘Our research shows that changing to land management has great potential to reduce flood risk. It is particularly beneficial in reducing run off at a small catchment scale. At present there is a lack of incentives for farmers to use their land to reduce flood risk. The focus of current flood defence spending is on hard defences. Agri-environment schemes do not offer the long-term incentives required. A more sustainable approach would be to divert more of the flood risk budget to land management’.

The National Trust believes that new sources of investment in land are needed if it is to provide society with a number of essential services. Encouraging management techniques and land use changes that deliver multiple benefits for the environment, society and economy will also mean that future investment could buy far greater public benefits than is currently possible, making the most of every pound spent on the natural environment.

Flood risk management is just one way land can benefit society- if the right investment is in place. In 'Nature’s Capital' Policy document the National Trust urges the public and private sector to invest new money in helping to deliver major public benefits from land including carbon storage and access to green space.