RDE562: Natural Flood Management (NFM) Benefits estimation methodology

Estimating the economic benefits of natural flood management (NFM) in a proportionate and nationally consistent way is challenging and remains a barrier to mainstreaming Natural Flood Management (NFM). Through a previous FCRM R&D project we worked with a supplier to develop a prototype tool to estimate both flood risk and wider environmental economic benefits. This tool provides a high-level analysis which will allow targeting of NFM to places with good NFM opportunity and potential for flood risk benefits and quantification of wider environmental benefits. The tool is reliant on England wide GIS analysis and an excel spreadsheet which combines this information with estimates of wider environmental benefits based on the values in the EHOV lite tool. Deliverables are expected to be England wide heat mapping, updates to the methodology and a report (suitable for publication) outlining; evidence behind the tool, methodology & areas for further future development. The primary customer for this tool is the NFM Programme who will use it as part of full business case development. It will also be used for shadow pipeline development and potentially to value the flood risk benefits of ELM. In the future it may also be adopted to support economic analysis for business cases for other NFM projects.