Celebrating ten years of Natural Flood Management in the Ouse Catchment- 5 year achievements of SFI 2017-22

The Sussex Flow Imitative (SFI) provides working examples of Natural Flood Management (NFM) techniques and best practice NFM projects. We promote a landscape scale approach to reducing flood risk and water shortages, and to promoting the wider uptake of NFM in other suitable catchments. Over the past five years SFI has delivered a large number of NFM projects, demonstrating a range of different NFM techniques. These provide case studies and working examples of how NFM can be practically applied in lowland catchments.
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The main NFM methods SFI have used over the last five years are:

​Restoring natural processes through reconnecting river channels, meanders and floodplain washlands - area equivalent to 4.95 hectares of floodplains have been reconnected. 

​Providing advice on land use and controlling excessive run-off and erosion - advice given to 11% of catchment area.

​Increasing the roughness of the catchment through enabling the expansion of woody areas and planting 10.2km of native hedgerows, primarily across slopes and on floodplains. 

Black Poplar Planted

77.3% of planting was within Buglife's B-Line area.

Using and managing natural woody material in watercourses to slow down flood flows. 

Native trees and shrubs planted, which will sequester 2,474 tonnes of CO2 annually

Leaky dams built

Increasing space for water within the catchment, through creating ponds and scrapes that store surface water - area equivalent to 1.92 hectares of freshwater habitat created.

litres of flood water stored in series of ponds and scrapes across the catchment.

The success of the SFI in reducing flooding at a landscape scale is through the strength of the partnership and collaboration with other organisations, communities, land owners and farmers. 

hours give by volunteers

This is just a snapshot of the incredible achieves of the SFI project over the last five years, please read the full report to find about all the other amazing things we have done - full report.