General informations
Description
Natural and Nature-based Features have been used for decades to support a variety of objectives in coastal and fluvial systems. Beach, dune and river and lake restoration projects have been a longstanding part of flood risk reduction strategies in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. Restoration projects supporting floodplain, wetlands, seagrass, oysters and other habitats and communities have been undertaken around the world to restore ecosystem functions. In more recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing a technically sound engineering approach for integrating NNBF, in combination with conventional flood defense systems (e.g., levees, seawalls, etc.), for more comprehensive and sustainable flood defense. This interest was further stimulated by the outcomes of recent storm and flood events, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in the United States as well as England’s floods in Somerset and Cumbria, which have given rise to a range of studies and projects focused on the role of landscape features in flood risk management. The global dialogue that has been underway for several years, including within the Engineering with Nature (EWN) Program in the United States and the Building with Nature (BwN) approach in The Netherlands. Ultimately, these communications have revealed a demand for authoritative guidance on the use of Natural and Nature-Based Features in support of Integrated Water Resources Management.In order to address the need for guidelines, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) initiated a collaborative project to develop and publish international guidelines on the development and implementation of Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) to support engineering functions in the context of the overall sustainability and resilience of our coasts, bays and estuaries. Based on subsequent discussions with the Rijkswaterstaat and Deltares in the Netherlands and the Environment Agency and HR Wallingford in the UK, it was proposed to extend the scope to accommodate fluvial systems. The guidelines are planned to address the full project life cycle, including conceptualization, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance. One of the key criteria for the success of the guidelines will be their ability to support technically sound use of NNBF based on best science and engineering practices. Developing these international guidelines will be a multi-author effort that draws from organizations across all of the relevant sectors, including government, academia, NGOs, engineering firms, construction companies, etc.To facilitate clear communication within and across the participating organizations, a Scoping Document was prepared. The document sets out both the business case for producing the NNBF Guidelines as well as the overall plan for producing them. The Scoping Document can be found on this webpage. Additionally, information on in-person meetings that have occurred in support of the NNBF Guidelines may also be found as links in the sections listed below.