The Welsh Government have announced a £4.6m programme to prevent floods by utilising nature-based solutions. The Welsh Government’s Natural Flood Management Accelerator Programme was jointly announced by Julie James, the Climate Change Minister, and Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales. The plans is par of a previous commitment in the Programme for Government and the two year programme will look specifically natural means of holding and slowing water flow.
The programme will allow Risk Management Authorities to work with farmers, landowners and third sector organisations to reduce the possibility of harm to people, landscape, property, and wildlife that comes with flooding through means such as tree planting and changing land use. The scheme will fund 23 projects across 8 Risk Management Authority areas with the hope that this will lead to a reduction in flood risk for 2,000 homes.
Julie James, the Climate Change Minister said:
‘As Wales contends with the growing impacts of climate change and the devastation flooding can inflict, the need to reduce risk to communities now and into the future is more apparent.
Developing and delivering wider nature-based sustainable solutions to reduce flood risk is critical to protecting and enhancing our environment, homes, and communities.
Today, we are very pleased to announce the launch of the Natural Flood Management Accelerator Programme.
The programme is a 2-year £4.6 million investment which will further expand our commitment to working collaboratively with Welsh farmers, landowners and third sector organisations across Wales.
This scheme will build upon our learning from previous successful projects and bring together multiple innovative solutions to develop nature-based solutions through our rural catchments.’
Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales said:
‘With the support of farmers, foresters, land managers and food businesses we can develop the rural economy and our natural environment in a sustainable way. This will further enhance our knowledge and experience in delivering co-ordinated collaborative projects within known flood prone areas. Through continued delivery and knowledge gained from schemes like this, we are also reducing instances of pollution, reducing surface water runoff and encouraging new methods to adapting to a changing climate.
We all recognise the need to be more collaborative in our thinking whilst exploring and encouraging new ways of working that will deliver at pace and scale. This investment will allow Risk Management Authorities and local communities to lead on projects and reduce the risk of flooding within their area.’
The announcement by the Welsh Government did not note the exact locations of the individual projects, the houses that would be protected or what the timetables would be for these individual projects. Keep an eye on Arsyllfa to find the latest regarding this scheme and others like it.
