Quantifying the Co‐Benefits From Nature‐Based Flood Management: A Scoping Review of Evidence in the UK

ABSTRACT Hydrological, morphological and ecological processes can be used as nature‐based solutions to manage the movement of water, known as nature‐based flood management (NFM). NFM can contribute to flood resilience and adaptation, while also delivering multiple ecosystem service co‐benefits. However, a lack of evidence on the range, scale, and value of these benefits is a key barrier to NFM uptake. Quantifying the type and extent of ecosystem co‐benefits is therefore critical in communicating the opportunities that NFM provides to people and nature. We undertook a scoping review of the peer‐reviewed and grey literature to identify evidence for the co‐benefits and disbenefits of different types of NFM activities in the UK. The findings were categorized within a natural capital framework, and the quality of evidence was assessed using a bespoke critical evaluation tool that considered the reliability, validity, and relevance of the data collected. A total of 205 pieces of evidence from 27 sources were identified, describing the co‐benefits, disbenefits, or neutral outcomes of different NFM activities. Benefits for regulating services, water quality, and biodiversity were the most frequently measured. Although multiple benefits from NFM are often claimed from anecdotal observations, this review revealed evidence gaps across most categories of ecosystem services and a range of NFM activities. Future priorities for increased experimental quality, consistent use of indicators, and the appropriate spatial and temporal scale of monitoring NFM benefits and disbenefits are discussed, and will be critical to support the widespread implementation of nature‐based solutions for water management. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness