April 2023 – Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation

Historically, flood and erosion risk management techniques have relied largely on “grey” infrastructure solutions, such as flood walls, dikes, and river channel modifications, to control natural processes and reduce risk. Many of these techniques resulted in negative impacts on river ecosystems.

In contrast, nature-based solutions (NbS), such as restoring wetlands or upland forests, can be used to manage river flooding and erosion in a way that provides benefits for both people and nature. This paper puts forward three recommendations to support future implementation of NbS for flood and erosion risk management by governments in Canada:

• Development of a consistent approach to integrated watershed management
• Funding of watershed-scale flood and erosion strategies that address high-risk areas
• Routine consideration of NbS for river flood and erosion management

Go to resource: Managing Flooding and Erosion at the Watershed Scale: Guidance to Support Governments Using Nature-Based Solutions