Dam it! Beavers, Flood Resilience and Indigeneity

ClimateInColour Deep Dives

As global temperatures increase, so does the threat and dangerous reality of rain-related flooding. Record rainfall in the Mediterranean - attributed to anthropogenic climate change by experts - recently caused terrible damage across the region, most acutely in Libya, where two dams collapsed and catastrophically unleashed tens of millions of tonnes of water onto the city of Derna.

Whether causing damage and displacement in the UK or devastation in India, the increasing severity of pluvial flooding highlights the need for us to think about flood resilience and attenuation as part of our broader climate struggle and strategy.

Advocates of natural flood management (NFM) - a school of thought which moves away from human engineering-based solutions - seek alternative pathways towards flood resilience and management, centring working alongside and taking lessons from nature. This is where beavers enter the picture.

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Research + Writing: Sam Storey | Editor: Joycelyn Longdon