The UK’s water sector has been inundated with challenges over the last year, from sewage spills and associated pollution, ageing infrastructure and increasing costs.

With further reports from the National Audit Office stating that a quarter of new flood defence projects will not be going ahead.

As a result, nature-based solutions have become a more appealing alternative to safeguarding water based environments and improving upon their resilience in a way that offers ecological and societal benefits.

Nature-based solutions have the potential to deliver upon water security fears, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

At the latest British Water Annual Conference in Manchester, United Utilities announced plans to increase expenditure on nature-based solutions from £20m in AMP7 to more than £500m in AMP8.

Matthew Ling, nature-based solutions lead at GHD and John Hensman, UK water market lead at GHD fear “failure to embrace alternative approaches will jeopardise our chances of keeping global temperatures below 2°C.”

A fear that encourages them to advocate for the benefits of switching to nature-based solutions, ensuring the UK reaches its targets in a way that safeguards its natural infrastructure and native wildlife.