River and floodplain management

A report has been published by CREW on prioritising research and development gap opportunities for river woodlands. The report was authored by a team of scientists from the James Hutton Institute and University of Aberdeen. River woodlands (RW) play a crucial role in protecting river ecosystems, for example by reducing flooding, storing carbon, filtering pollution, and benefiting local communities. However, nearly 55% of surveyed riverbank in Scotland show poor RW health. This highlights a need for RW restoration. This project aimed to:

A paper has been published on the development of a decision framework for selecting between riparian management measures for farmed land. The open access paper and tool is published in Water and Environment Journal and is authored by a team of scientists from the James Hutton Institute and Teagasc (Ireland). Agricultural mitigation measures should be correctly designed and sited to make effective barriers for diffuse pollution.

A paper has been published on the hydro-geomorphic effects of wooden leaky barriers (LBs) in a steep headwater stream. The open access paper is published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms and authored by a team of scientists in the James Hutton Institute. It focuses on a series of leaky barriers installed in a steep headwater channel of the Tweed. Detailed field monitoring and two-dimensional hydraulic modelling (HEC-RAS 2D) were used to assess the hydraulic impact of the structures and associated geomorphic changes.

A webinar recording is now available that summarises the new Working With Natural Processes Evidence Directory update. 

Working with natural processes (WWNP) aims to protect, restore and emulate the natural functions of catchments, floodplains, rivers and the coast to reduce flood risk. It is also referred to as natural flood management (NFM). The 2025 update report brings together evidence from natural flood management studies published after 2017. 

The webinar was hosted by the Environment Agency.

The next Scottish Freshwater Group (SFG) meeting will take place on 30 October 2025 as a hybrid event. The meeting will feature a focused agenda discussion on “Nature-based solutions for freshwater restoration” led by SFG Guest Coordinator Alan Law (University of Stirling)

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen and James Hutton Institute have just published a paper on a new approach for characterising temporary storage area (TSA) functioning. The open access paper published in the Journal of Hydrology looks at multiple TSA and assesses their drainage rates. A new tool was developed called the TSA Drainage Rate Analysis tool; a novel data-based mechanistic method that only requires rainfall and TSA water level data to describe individual TSA drainage rates.

The Environment Agency have published an update to the Working with Natural Processes evidence directory. This was developed in collaboration with JBA Consulting. 

The Working with Natural Processes Evidence Directory was first published in 2017 and captures what research says about NFM. Evidence of NFM has grown in recent years, building our confidence in the flood risk and wider benefits these approaches can bring. Therefore this update report brings in the latest evidence. 

Scotland’s Flood Resilience Conference 2025 was held in Edinburgh on the 28th and 29th January. The theme of the conference was on taking action to implement the Flood Resilience Stratergy. Organised by Verture, the event built on Scotland’s first National Flood Resilience Strategy, published in December 2024. With sub-themes of People, Place and Process and multiple breakout sessions, the event aimed to share good practice, inspire and provide learning opportunities to establish a new level of cross-sector collaboration.

SpongeScapes is a Horizon Europe project uniting 14 case studies across Europe to advance the understanding and implementation of sponge measures—nature-based solutions that restore landscapes' natural capacity to absorb, temporarily store, and slowly release water. These measures play a vital role in mitigating floods, droughts, and other climate impacts while delivering co-benefits such as improved water quality, biodiversity, and community well-being.

Visit our website (link below) to explore the science, case studies, and training opportunities

The Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) is now establishing a long term monitoring programme in the UK. FDRI is an innovative long-term programme which, for the first time in the UK, will monitor the whole hydrological system, to improve resilience to floods and droughts. FDRI will advance our understanding of how, when and where floods and droughts occur, enabling improved predictions, robust assessment of impacts and implementation of appropriate mitigation measures.