Conserving and reconnecting floodplains to mitigate flood risk | Natural Hazards Research Australia

Conserving and reconnecting floodplains to mitigate flood risk

Photo: John Morton (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Research theme

Sustainable, safe and healthy natural landscapes

Project type

Core research

Project status

In progress

This project will address key knowledge gaps towards implementing nature-based flood risk mitigation strategies in the Australian context. Nature-based solutions can offer effective and environmentally sensitive flood mitigation alternatives, ensuring meaningful stakeholder involvement and community engagement. Conserving and reconnecting floodplains through nature-based strategies can provide shared benefits, such as increasing biodiversity, and improving water quality and community wellbeing.

 
Research team
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A/Prof Roslyn Prinsley
Research leader
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Dr Jack Coates-Marnane
End-user
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Michael Bartkow
End-user
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Luisa Magalhaes
End-user
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Mary Anne Smith
End-user
Project details

This project was proposed by Healthy Land and Water.

The research will be conducted in three stages:

  • Stage 1) Review and synthesis – this stage will review Australian floodplain conservation and restoration initiatives and decision support tools in the context of flood mitigation.
     
  • Stage 2) Case study application – this applied research stage will explore floodplain conservation and restoration scenarios within several case study catchments in:
    • The Hawksbury-Nepean catchment, NSW
    • The Bremer-Brisbane catchments, Qld
    • The Maribyrnong catchment, Vic
    • Livingstone Shire Council area, Qld
  • Stage 3) Synthesis and translation – this stage synthesises the findings from the first two stages to develop tangible research outcomes.

This project will:

  • Improve understanding for the functional value of un-disturbed catchments and floodplains in risk mitigation, supporting land-use and urban planning.
  • Improve confidence in the application of nature-based solutions to mitigate flood risk in highly populated areas.
  • Improve the approach in identifying suitable areas for floodplain conservation and restoration.
  • Identify incentives and barriers for communities, industry and government to implement nature-based solutions for mitigating flood risk.
Resources
Date Type Title
19 June 2025 Presentation Jason Alexandra - Natural Hazards Research Forum 2025 presentation
Participating organisations
Healthy Land and Water
Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Seqwater
Unity Water
Livingstone Shire Council
NSW Reconstruction Authority
Australian National University

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