GovWire

Natural flood management (NFM) uses natural processes to reduce the risk of flooding. These processes protect, restore, and mimic the natural functions of catchments, floodplains and the coast to slow and store water.

NFM measures can include:

• soil and land management
• river and floodplain management
• woodland management
• run-off management
• coast and estuary management

NFM can also provide wider benefits including enhancing habitats and biodiversity, improving water quality and availability of drinking water, carbon capture as well as boosting health and wellbeing.

The NFM programme

In September 2023 the Environment Agency and Defra announced 25 million funding for improving flood resilience through a new NFM programme.

We (the Environment Agency) are managing this programme.

The NFM Programme will help meet the aims of the:

• governments policy statement on flooding and coastal erosion
• National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (FCERM) for England
• governments Environmental Improvement Plan

The programme will build on and embed what we learnt from the 15 million NFM pilot programme, which included 60 projects between 2017 and 2021.

Government has committed to double the number of government-funded projects that include nature-based solutions to reduce flooding and coastal erosion risk. Our target is for 260 NFM projects in 2021-2027. The NFM programme will help us achieve this target.

We want people and places to make greater use of nature-based solutions. This will help enhance flood and coast resilience and nature recovery as set out in the FCERM Strategy Roadmap to 2026.

The programme aims

The programme aims to:

• reduce local flood risk using NFM
• provide wider benefits to the environment, nature and society
• accelerate new and existing opportunities for NFM delivery and financing
• further improve evidence of NFM by filling knowledge gaps

Who can apply

Any person can apply as the lead applicant including a company, partnership, or any other legal entity. Likely lead applicants include:

• risk management authorities
• farmers, land managers and landowners
• third sector organisations including environmental Non-Governmental Organisations - for example river trusts and wildlife trusts
• businesses
• community groups

When and how to apply

You can apply now until 10 November 2023.

Email us to get your application pack. You can also read the NFM prospectus which explains more about the application process.

Government and Environment Agency will announce the successful projects in early 2024. Work on these projects will take place between then and 31 March 2027.

Please email NFM_Programme@environment-agency.gov.uk for any other enquiries.