Floodplain meadows project wins OSC Challenge Us! competition funding award

The National Trust’s "Tools to Realise Socio-Economic Benefits from Floodplains Under Restoration" (TREASURE) project has won one of The Open University’s Open Societal Challenges (OSC) Challenge Us! competition funding awards for 2024. This award highlights the project's innovative approach to using nature-based solutions, focusing on floodplain meadows to combat both flooding and drought, and bringing ecological, cultural, and socio-economic benefits.

Floodplain meadows are an underutilised yet powerful tool in addressing critical environmental challenges. They have the natural ability to store and filter large amounts of surface floodwater, a vital ecosystem service that can reduce and delay flood peaks while slowing the speed of flood waves. This is crucial in light of increasing instances of extreme weather events and flooding across the UK – such as those in the last few weeks.

By restoring these meadows, the project aligns with the Environment Agency’s "Working with Natural Processes" framework, which acknowledges the potential of such restoration efforts as effective nature-based solutions to climate extremes. However, despite their enormous potential, floodplain meadows remain underutilised. The TREASURE project stands as a vital effort to realise this potential on a large scale.

A collaborative and multi-disciplinary effort

The project’s success is a result of collaboration between leading academics at The Open University, the National Trust, and tenant farmers. The National Trust, with over 250,000 hectares of land, provides a unique platform to demonstrate the practical benefits of floodplain restoration. Tenant farmers on this land will play a key role, as they transition towards more sustainable, low-carbon, and nature-friendly practices.

The TREASURE project will also explore how the National Trust’s historical collections can promote a broader understanding of floodplain meadows’ cultural significance. Engaging the public in creative activities and cultural heritage will enhance awareness of how these landscapes can help address both the climate and biodiversity crises.

Floodplain meadows as nature-based solutions

Floodplain meadows also offer multiple ecosystem services. Beyond floodwater management, they provide habitat for diverse plant and animal species, contribute to carbon sequestration, and improve water quality by filtering nutrients. These services directly support new ecosystem markets like Biodiversity Net Gain and nutrient mitigation.

Restoring floodplain meadows as part of the TREASURE project will demonstrate how farmers can maintain productivity while adopting nature-based practices. Guidance will be developed to assist farmers in securing financial support through public and private funding, such as the UK government’s post-Brexit agricultural schemes. This approach is vital for transitioning farms toward sustainable operations that balance profitability with environmental stewardship.

A cultural and educational element

An exciting aspect of the TREASURE project is its integration of art and cultural heritage to engage a broader audience. Creative activities and the use of the National Trust's collections will help interpret the ecological and historical importance of meadows, bringing the story of these landscapes to life for visitors. This artistic angle aims to deepen public appreciation for the meadows and their critical role in combating both the climate and biodiversity crises.

Dr Stewart Clarke, National Trust specialist for freshwater, catchments and estuaries commented, “Floodplain meadows represent a traditional farming model that could help us face some of today’s greatest challenges. For over a thousand years farmers have valued the nutrient-rich floodwaters that provided a rich hay crop, today we value the rich plant communities, carbon being locked away in floodplain soils and reduced downstream flood risk. This exciting project will see us step up our restoration of these unique systems and at the same time bring the story of their place in the British countryside to life through the National Trust’s unique collections.”

A model for future projects

As a pilot for how large NGOs can engage in floodplain restoration, the TREASURE project is expected to have far-reaching impacts. Its success will set a precedent for similar initiatives across the UK, further cementing floodplain meadows as an essential component in the country’s strategy to tackle climate resilience.

The OSC Challenge Us! funding award represents an endorsement of this visionary project and highlights its potential to deliver real-world solutions through collaborative research and innovative environmental management. The project is a shining example of how interdisciplinary efforts can address the urgent challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, with the added benefit of cultural enrichment.