Expert panelists will come together in Hull at 6pm on Tuesday 18th March to discuss the role that nature can play in protecting communities from the devastating effects of flooding.
Tickets are now available for The Wildlife Trusts’ WildLIVE event which will see speakers from the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, environmental consultants Stantec, and RSA Insurance explore the benefits that Natural Flood Management initiatives can bring in tackling flooding.
The Environment Agency reports that one in six properties in England are at risk of flooding and that flood risk is expected to at least double by 2050. Hull City Council suggests that ‘it is likely that your property is at risk from at least one source of flooding. It is also likely that you have already been impacted, either directly or indirectly, from a past flood event, or will experience a flood in your lifetime’.
Using natural flood management means investing in beaver dams, creating ponds, restoring bogs, rewilding rivers and de-paving areas so that they can soak up water and hold it back in times of high rainfall.
There will be an opportunity to put questions to the panel, who will discuss the extent to which these lower-cost schemes can complement traditional ‘hard’ flood defences to best help protect communities from the effects of river, coastal and surface water flooding.
The discussion will take place at the University of Hull and be chaired by The Wildlife Trusts’ Chief Executive, Craig Bennett. It will opened with a welcome speech from Professor Stuart McLelland, Professor of Water Science and Deputy Director of the Energy and Environment Institute.
Panelists joining the event will be Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust; Mike Morris, technical director at Stantec; Eleanor Heron, natural flood management manager at the Environment Agency; and Craig Monks, national flood claims co-ordinator at RSA Insurance.
Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: “There’s a wealth of data and experience demonstrating the effectiveness of natural flood management, delivered through partnerships of charities, landowners and the Environment Agency. It is clear that interventions which increase the function of natural systems can hold back and slow the flow of water in flood events. Natural flood management is needed now more than ever. Our WildLIVE on Tuesday evening promises to be a lively event – and an important and relevant discussion for the people of Hull.”
WildLIVE: Could nature be our best flood defence will take place at 6pm on Tuesday 18th March at the University of Hull, Canham Turner, Cottingham Road. Register here to secure an in-person place.