Ousewem helps communities across York and North Yorkshire understand how rivers, land and flood risk are connected -and what catchment‑scale natural flood management means for the places people live and work.
By looking at whole river catchments, Ousewem supports a shared understanding of how flooding happens, why it varies from place to place, and how different actions across landscapes can help build long‑term resilience.
What Ousewem means for communities
Flood affects people, places and livelihoods. Understanding how water moves through catchments – from the upland dales to the streets of York – is the first step toward long-term resilience. Ousewem’s work across the Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse catchments contributes to that understanding in three ways:
Understanding risk – Ousewem uses advanced modelling to explain how land use and river management affect flood risk downstream, helping communities and decision makers see the bigger picture
Connecting landscapes and communities – from upstream land management to downstream flood impact, Ousewem helps people understand how rivers connect us and what catchment -scale thinking means in practice
Building for the future – the evidence, tools and partnerships Ousewem is developing are designed to support flood resilience planning across York and North Yorkshire well beyond the programme
Flood resilience is a shared effort
Flood resilience relies on collaboration across whole catchments. Ousewem brings together local authorities, delivery partners, land managers and communities across York and North Yorkshire to improve understanding and inform action.
This film explores how that partnership works in practice.
From upstream to downstream: how catchments connect communities
Rivers connect communities over long distances. Decisions made upstream -about land use, drainage and river management -can influence flood risk and water quality many miles downstream.
In this short film, professionals working with rivers and flood risk reflect on why understanding whole catchments matters. They discuss the challenges of explaining how catchment systems work, how misunderstandings about flooding can arise, and why a shared understanding is essential for long‑term flood resilience.
The film also explores the role natural flood management can play as part of a wider catchment‑scale approach.
Explore the York rivers trail
The York rivers trail is a riverside learning route that helps people explore how rivers, landscapes and community action are shaping a more climate‑resilient future. Designed with local people and delivered in partnership, the trail connects Ousewem’s evidence to real places you can walk and wheel through.
