Floodplain Meadows Partnership

In 2006 the Floodplain Meadows Partnership was established with a mission to address the urgent need to conserve Britain’s floodplain meadows. Led by Professor David Gowing, OU Professor of Botany, the Partnership has since established itself among conservation organisations and landowners as the go-to source for advice on floodplain meadow management and restoration.

Britain lost 97% of its floodplain meadows during the twentieth century and they remain at risk from climate change and a lack of appropriate management. Alongside carbon sequestration and helping to reduce flood peaks, the meadows improve water quality and support over 200 species of flora and fauna, benefitting wildlife conservation, flood management, and food production.

An OU-led consortium, the Partnership is made up of ten highly-experienced organisations in the environmental and wildlife field: the OU, Natural England, Environment Agency, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Field Studies Council, National Trust, People Need Nature, and Natural Resources Wales.

The Partnership is undertaking an ambitious programme, successfully advocating that floodplain meadows be recognised as a specific land type under new land-management schemes and securing an enhanced restoration target in England of 72,000 ha. In order to deliver this target, the Partnership is starting to work with farmers using a new support scheme with a significant payment rate, as well as increase public and policymaker engagement.

£9m of funding would enable the Partnership to restore and protect 72,000 hectares of landscape across the UK, increase public engagement, and advocate for floodplain meadow restoration as a tool for tackling climate emergencies, becoming an exemplar for the rest of the world as it looks to build adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

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Email Gillian Hosier or call on 01908 858285 to discuss this project