Flood risk research supported by Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) captured the attention of New South Wales cabinet members, sparking interest in its potential to shape future policy.
The Australian National University (ANU) project team is studying nature-based solutions as part of the Centre’s Conserving and reconnecting floodplains to mitigate flood risk project.
Learning about the team’s fascinating research, New South Wales Recovery Minister, the Hon. Janelle Saffin MP and staffer Jeremy Hillman were accompanied by the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority CEO Kate Meagher and CFO Andrew Graham in a visit to ANU at the end of October 2025.
Nature-based solutions are measures that protect, manage or restore ecosystems in ways that benefit communities and ecosystems at the same time. This project aims to address key knowledge gaps in implementing nature-based flood risk mitigation strategies in Australia.
Research Leader A/Prof Roslyn Prinsley presented the team’s work on developing guidelines based on an extensive international literature review and Australian catchment studies to using nature-based solutions for flood mitigation.
“I used the example of our research in the Bremer catchment [in Queensland], which showed that combining a range of catchment-based nature-based solutions – riparian revegetation, catchment afforestation, leaky weirs and increased urban permeability – could reduce the impact of the flood from 1.3-metre depth to 0.3-metre depth in a particular street in Ipswich vulnerable to flooding,” Roslyn said.
With a focus on the Centre-funded research in the Richmond catchment in New South Wales – which was the government’s particular interest – she explained that while the research in this catchment was in the early stages, it has involved collaboration with local stakeholders and modelling and assessing the impacts of nature-based solutions on floods.
It will also assess impacts on water quality, biodiversity and carbon sequestration; investigate and recommend institutional and governance structures and changes; and support development of a business case to funders.
“I showed them that our preliminary modelling demonstrated afforestation upstream of Lismore can reduce flood peak discharge from the Richmond River. I also showed them the research we were doing on land suitability for wetlands,” Roslyn said.
“I explained that with careful planning and design that combined nature-based solutions at catchment scale can have a significant impact on both minor and moderate floods [and] may reduce areas of very high flood hazard to medium or low hazard levels for rare events, [for example.] one-in-100-year floods,” she said.
Roslyn said the government representatives were interested in how the research team would model the impact of nature-based solutions on flooding, to which she explained how they were currently modelling the impact of afforestation and riparian vegetation on floods.
“They went away very happy with our research. Minister Saffin said she recognised that nature-based solutions were certainly worth considering given the co-benefits [in relation to] water quality – a huge issue for the Richmond catchment – and biodiversity.”