Rising waters | Rooted solutions
Wood you believe it - Nature’s role in flood management
A new series of animated films by the CiFR project showcases the power of NFM including themes that closely resonate with our own initiatives here at Ousewem.
At Ousewem, we believe that building flood resilience in our communities is a shared effort, and a new series of animated films by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience (CiFR) project showcases the power of natural flood management (NFM).
These short, engaging films explain how simple actions in our landscape can make a difference in flood risk, biodiversity, and climate resilience - themes that closely resonate with our own initiatives here at Ousewem. We’re especially excited to feature the films on “Wood you believe it” and “Dam fine ideas,” on which Ousewem’s project manager, Vicky Murray, acted as a scientific adviser.
Showcasing nature in action
Through these charming Creature Comforts-style animations, viewers meet woodland creatures like Twiggy the Red Squirrel, who explains how their natural habitats play a vital role in flood management. The films showcase practical steps that make a tangible impact and explore the following techniques:
- improving soil’s ability to absorb water, so it is less likely to run off into rivers
- removing old and dangerous weirs and dams
- using the benefits of trees and their ability to reduce the impacts of rain even in large storms
- exploring what people can do to their own homes and gardens to reduce their impacts
The film “Wood you believe it” is especially pertinent to our project’s mission of integrating nature-based solutions across local landscapes. In the video, Twiggy the Red Squirrel explains how trees absorb water, reduce flood risks, and provide critical shade in high temperatures, helping to combat climate change. This echoes our efforts to increase tree cover along riverbanks, providing natural water absorption areas that can mitigate the impact of heavy rains on downstream communities.
Sharing knowledge
Ousewem project lead, Vicky Murray, who acted as a scientific adviser on the films, highlights the importance of sharing best practices in natural flood management:
These films bring complex concepts to life, showing how practical changes can benefit both people and nature. By collaborating on this project, we’re helping to spread knowledge on how working with our environment can create more resilient communities.
We’re proud to integrate a selection of these videos into our own flood resilience initiatives, specifically our friendly 2-way conversations, designed in collaboration with Hello Lamp Post. This campaign is intended to help familiarise people with flood-related terminology, enhance awareness about NFM, and gently encourage farmers and landowners to explore potential participation in projects on their land.
A broader vision for flood resilience
Like Ousewem, CiFR aims to mitigate flood risks by employing natural flood management measures within the river catchment and exploring new technologies for flood resilience. Both projects are funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
The videos are part of a wider movement to address flood management in the UK, as noted by Andrew Eden, EA-FCIP Programme Executive:
It’s fantastic to see these films engaging people on flood risk in new ways. You can find out more about this project and our other Flood Coastal Innovation Programmes (FCIP) projects in our £200 million flood and coastal innovation programmes: mid-programme report.
You can view the new films on the Cumbria Wildlife Trust website, alongside the original award-winning animations: Cumbria Wildlife Trust - Slowing The Flow.
