Policy paper

Nature-based solutions (NbS) for sustainable water resources: Environment Agency position statement

Published 28 May 2026

Applies to England

1. Purpose

This statement sets out the Environment Agency’s position on using nature-based solutions (NbS) to support sustainable water resources.

This position statement is for:

• water companies
• regional water resources groups
• environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• local authorities
• farmers and landowners

2. Background

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines NbS as solutions that:

address societal, environmental and economic challenges through actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems, benefiting people and nature at the same time

NbS benefit water management by restoring and enhancing the natural water regulation function of catchments. They can:

• capture and slow run-off
• improve infiltration through soil and groundwater recharge
• store water naturally and slow down the rate it enters river systems and the wastewater network
• reduce sediment inputs
• improve water quality

NbS can range from small scale changes in a single field to much larger schemes involving whole catchments or stretches of watercourse and coasts.

For more information on the Environment Agency’s approach to NbS, see our overall position statement.

3. Scope

This NbS for sustainable water resources position statement covers a range of actions, including:

• improvements to soil health and land management to promote infiltration and retention of water
• construction of run-off attenuation features (RAFs) such as retention basins, permeable surfaces, ponds, bunds, trenches and swales
• wetland and peatland restoration
• leaky barriers in water courses and riparian vegetation management
• river and floodplain restoration, including reconnecting floodplains to the river channel

RAFs are a landscape intervention that intercepts and attenuates a hydrological flow pathway to provide multiple benefits, including flood management and improved water quality. They are designed to create features that ‘slow, store and filter’ run-off in the rural landscape.

Funding is not within the scope of this position statement. For guidance on funding for NbS, see our overall NbS position statement.

4. The Environment Agency’s position on NbS to support water resources

The Environment Agency supports the development of catchment-based solutions and NbS for water resources outcomes in the context of planning for sustainable water resources.

The standard measure to mitigate ecological impacts of water abstraction is to reduce or change existing abstractions to increase the amount of water in rivers and groundwater bodies.

Appropriately designed NbS can enhance the ecological benefits of constraining abstraction. You should design them alongside, and in addition to, flow recovery measures based on abstraction reduction.

You should not rely on NbS to recover the current large resource deficits seen in some catchments. However, they may be beneficial in reducing the quantity of some future sustainability reductions, especially as climate change impacts on water availability.

We expect NbS for water resources outcomes to feature in:

• regional water resources plans
• water company water resource management plans (WRMPs)
• environmental land management projects

For guidance on how NbS may be included in options for WRMPs, see the environmental destination for water resources: planning guidance. 

There is potential to use NbS to increase the resilience of environmentally sensitive catchments whilst strategic water resource solutions are being implemented.

In this position statement, resilience is defined as the ability of ecosystems to withstand and recover from disturbance or difficulty. There is also a clear connection with the resilience of services the ecosystem provides including water supply.

In the face of climate change, NbS may increase water resources resilience. Their benefits are greater if implemented at the catchment scale, where they contribute more effectively to resilience in the future.

Further baseline and post-implementation monitoring are needed to increase the certainty of benefits that NbS deliver.

4.1 How NbS for water resources relates to the Environment Agency’s role

Our interest in NbS relates to our roles as a regulator, ensuring the future resilience of water resources.

Where appropriate, we support the implementation of NbS, recognising their multiple co-benefits including the ecological health of the wider water environment by:

• mitigating drought and flood
• contributing to social and economic growth

Our work on NbS varies according to which of these roles we are carrying out.

As a regulator and an operator

We must make sure that statutory environmental standards are achieved to ensure environmental protection.

As part of our strategic overview role and operational responsibilities for managing water resources

We recognise the role of NbS as part of a range of resilience measures to bolster resilience to climate change, including drought and flood risk.   

As an adviser

We work with partner organisations to identify appropriate NbS for a particular area, making use of our expertise, evidence and environmental monitoring. We also support others in the design and implementation of NbS through targeted funding initiatives. 

Stakeholder engagement is central to our work. We actively involve a broad range of individuals and organisations to ensure the success and longevity of NbS interventions, and to develop and share best practice.

5. Guiding principles for the application of NbS

5.1 Planning and evidence

To effectively implement NbS, you should plan at the catchment scale and involve catchment partners, including landowners. Check the local nature recovery strategy (LNRS) which will indicate the recommended land management and land use measures. 

NbS at smaller scales can also be beneficial, such as sub-catchment or farm scale. You need to plan these well and ideally connect them into a wider catchment scale NbS plan. 

Early in the planning stage, you should check if you need permits or consents to carry out the planned work (see section 7). You should consult:

• the Environment Agency (permitting service)
• local planning authorities
• the lead local flood authority (if relevant)
• Natural England (if relevant)

You should aim to re-establish the natural functioning of catchments as far as possible. This is to secure improved ecological climate resilience, physical condition and biodiversity. For more information, see the NbS for nature’s recovery guidance from the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA).

Use local evidence to inform the selection, design and location of NbS. You should consider the:

• geology
• soil type
• topography
• water quality implications
• water resource and groundwater benefits
• wider impacts

Your NbS design should also consider:

• other NbS initiatives in a catchment to ensure outcomes are complementary
• the future impacts of climate change to ensure their long-term viability and effectiveness

We expect planners and investors to prioritise water-stressed catchments for action including NbS, where evidence indicates NbS are likely to be cost-effective.

Where a catchment scale programme of NbS is proposed, we expect quantitative evidence to inform the design and assess effectiveness of NbS to achieve the intended aims and objectives. Supporting evidence for NbS at any scale should be proportionate to the likely investment.

5.2 Outcomes and objectives

NbS can help you to meet regulatory requirements and environmental outcomes while delivering wider benefits, such as carbon storage and recreational opportunities. They should not prioritise secondary benefits over the delivery of statutory water objectives.

You should identify the expected outcomes and benefits at the planning stage.

Consider using tools such as the common value framework from the Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions programme to capture the broad range of benefits. This is designed to support decision making by valuing the benefits in a consistent and transparent way.

You should also identify the risk and likelihood of secondary impacts such as mobilisation of contaminated groundwater or increased flood risk. Identify and implement appropriate mitigations for any impacts as needed.

For information to help you identify risks, contact the Environment Agency, Natural England and local authorities. For guidance on protecting groundwater, see Protect groundwater and prevent groundwater pollution.

If you are uncertain about the effectiveness of an NbS project, you may proceed in line with the principles of adaptive management.

Adaptive management is an iterative process for making decisions and solving problems in the face of uncertainty. Natural systems are complex and can respond with uncertainty to human actions. In such cases, adaptive management can be a useful, learn by doing approach.

You should monitor and assess the effectiveness of NbS implementation and take action to maximise the benefits.  

Your level and detail of planning should be proportionate to the scale of investment proposed.  

Some NbS are self-sustaining but others will need ongoing maintenance to ensure continued effectiveness over time. Where maintenance is needed, you should secure agreements for the lifetime of the NbS such as through conservation covenants. Agreements under government grant schemes such as Countryside Stewardship or private nature funds may also help you to secure ongoing funding for maintenance and land access.

6. Benefits of NbS for water resources

NbS usually have a range of benefits. The main benefits we are seeking in the context of water resources are:

• improved groundwater resources (due to improved groundwater recharge)
• more sustained river flows during dry seasons (due to increased baseflow from groundwater)
• improved resilience to drought in the land and water environment (due to more sustained river flows, more natural river morphology and better water retention in soils and features on land)
• more resilient ecosystems in rivers, lakes and wetlands due to more naturally functioning hydrology and geomorphology
• mitigating the effects of climate change, including drought and flood risk

Depending on the type and location of actions, NbS projects designed primarily for water resources may also:

• reduce flood risk
• benefit water quality and biodiversity

For more information on the benefits of NbS in other contexts, see our overall position statement and our report on the multiple benefits of NbS (section 2.3.2).

7. Permits, consents and permissions

You may need permits, consents or both for activities in an NbS project. This will depend on their type, location, duration and risk. If your project will involve diverting water or impounding a watercourse, you may need a water resources licence or permit.

Use our pre-application advice service to make an informed choice on whether to apply for a licence or permit.

Our regulatory position statement (RPS) Low risk impounding activities: RPS 302 explains when you do not need to apply for a licence for a specified impounding activity. These are activities we have assessed as being of low risk to the environment and other water users so long as all conditions can be met.

You may also need permissions and consents or assents from Natural England on:

• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• sites covered by The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017)

If your actions could impact a protected species, check with Natural England whether you need a species licence.

For guidance on relevant activities we regulate in England, see Check if you need an environmental permit.

8. International evidence 

The 2020 UK government-sponsored technical report Nature-based solutions and water security draws on international studies, including the UN world water development report on NbS for water. This report concludes that NbS can:

• improve water supply and quality
• contribute to disaster risk reduction
• provide a number of co-benefits

The report found that NbS approaches often use or mimic natural processes to manage water storage, infiltration and transmission. 

The report also identified that NbS for water can simultaneously:

• improve the timing, location and quality of available water
• address water security challenges related to water availability, quality and risks (such as floods and droughts)

Examples from the report show that NbS can support water security in both rural and urban settings and for a range of purposes including:

• agricultural production
• drinking water supply
• sanitation and hygiene

Examples also show that a blended approach including varying levels of both green and grey infrastructure may be appropriate in some circumstances. Combining both can also improve the climate resilience of grey infrastructure.

9. Summary of evidence from catchments in England

There is a substantial evidence base for the effectiveness of NbS for flood risk management in England, but fewer studies have focused on water resources.

We have initiated the following work on NbS for water resources.

Modelling of recharge potential in 5 selected catchments indicated that NbS are likely to enhance groundwater recharge and baseflow in some catchments. This depended on geology, location, coverage and design of solutions (Otter, Cam, Bure, Wensum, Test). The actions modelled included RAFs, tree planting, soil improvement and land use change (for example, arable to grassland).

Field trials are being conducted in the Stroud catchment and are ongoing in the Wensum and Cam catchments during 2025 to 2026 to gather data on the effectiveness of RAFs.

The results from pilot recharge modelling of the Otter Permo-Triassic sandstone catchment showed a 4% increase in recharge with 50% coverage of soil improvement measures alone and a 5% increase with 100% coverage.

The updated evidence directory Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk 2024 includes water resources as one of the components in the benefit wheel shown for each category of intervention.

The Environment Agency plan to publish their handbook on NbS for water resources in Summer 2026. This will set out how to use NbS to support water resources and design NbS projects to realise the benefits described in this position statement.

10. Contact the Environment Agency

General enquiries

National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY

Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Telephone 03708 506 506

Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.