During May 16^th –17^th, 2019, England’s Environment Agency and USACE’s Engineering With Nature (EWN) Initiative hosted a Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) Symposium at Edinburgh’s Centre for Carbon Innovation, Edinburgh, Scotland. Over 100 people from 15 different countries attended the symposium, which offered a range of topics including, but not limited to: the UK’s Building With Nature (BwN) Program, Natural Flood Management in the UK’s Cumbria, UK’s Land4Flood Program, NNBF practices in the United States, and sandy reinforcement of Houtribdijk in the Netherlands. The symposium also offered a breakout session for participants to learn more about specific ways to deliver nature-based solutions through more focused discussions about projects and associated best practices, which were derived from this international community. The symposium concluded on Friday (May 19^th) with site visits to the Eddleston Water Project and Belford Natural Flood Scheme Project. The Symposium was offered in conjunction with a planned, in-person meeting of the working group for the International NNBF Guidelines Project that occurred May 13^th-15^th, 2019. Please see the NNBF Guidelines Project – Spring 2019 to learn more about the agenda and exhibits associated with the meeting.

May 16, Symposium Presentations

Natural Flood Management the English context, Julie Foley – Director of Flood Risk Strategy & National Adaptation, Environment Agency. (PDF)

Keynote speaker – Holding Water in the Landscape: Working with communities in India and Latin America, Minni Jain – Director, The Flow Partnership. (PDF)

Communicating about Opportunities and Best Practice: Engineering With Nature – An Atlas 2 and Natural and Nature Based Features Guidelines, Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist, USACE. (PDF)

Recovering from Storm Desmond, the role of Natural Flood Management in Cumbria, Daniel Bond, Area Flood Risk Manager, Environment Agency. (PDF)

Sandy Reinforcement Houtribdijk, Rinse Wilmink, Advisor Coastal Flood Risk, Rijkswaterstaat. (PDF)

Building With Nature, Chris Spray, Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor, Dundee University. (PDF)

Natural and Nature Based Features the US context, Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist, USACE. (PDF)

Case Studies. (PDF)

May 17, Symposium Site Visits

Belford Natural Flood Management Scheme, Northumberland (PDF)

Eddleston Water Project in the Scottish Borders north of Peebles (PDF)

Additional Information

To learn more about natural flood risk management in the UK please watch High Water Common Ground, A film from TheTopofTheTree. (external link)

To learn more about the international NNBF symposium and associated workshop follow @NNBFedinburgh on Twitter.

Learn more about the International NNBF Guidelines Projects Spring 2019 meeting.