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How We Work: Floods and Floodplains
 Every year floods cause massive damage to homes and communities. © The Nature Conservancy. Floodplain Management -
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In Harm's Way
Floods impact more than 500 million people each year, resulting in 25,000 deaths, extensive homelessness, crop and livestock damage, and serious disease outbreaks. This situation is expected to worsen considerably as the number of people vulnerable to catastrophic floods could increase from 1 billion today to 2 billion by 2050. Climate change, deforestation and population expansion in flood-prone areas are all to blame for this growing flood risk.
More than 6,000 large dams have been built to control floods. Unfortunately, these dams have caused serious ecological damage to many rivers and their aquatic life. Floods play important roles in delivering nutrients to floodplain forests and enabling fish to access food-rich areas on floodplains. When floods are completely eliminated, river species suffer.
New Management
The Conservancy, through the Sustainable Rivers Project, is working with dam engineers and flood management agencies to restore some semblance of natural flood patterns in rivers while protecting human settlements and livelihoods. Conservancy scientists begin by helping to define the level and timing of flooding needed to sustain river ecosystems. They then work with dam operators to release “controlled floods” in a manner that will bring ecological benefits while avoiding damage to cities, farms or roads.
The Conservancy also promotes other natural means of providing flood protection. This work is undertaken on three continents through the Great Rivers Partnership. By maintaining healthy catchments and protecting natural flood storage areas such as floodplains and wetlands, flood damages can be minimized. Most important, homes and other structures should be built out of harm’s way.
