Co-designing and delivering bespoke science and solutions that protect both people and landscapes.
4B – Nature-based Solutions
Natural disasters currently cost Australia $38 billion annually, with projections suggesting this could double by 2060. Flooding, one of the most frequent and damaging hazards, is intensifying due to climate change, urbanisation, and historical land-use decisions. Prevention is not only possible – it’s more cost-effective. Every $1 invested in resilience can save up to $10 in recovery.
Despite their proven benefits, widespread adoption of nature-based solutions has been constrained by gaps in evidence, decision-making tools, funding, and the complexity of coordinating action across multiple land tenures and beneficiaries. NRM organisations are uniquely positioned to overcome these barriers, working across sectors to deliver scalable, tailored solutions.
While rainfall is vital for sustaining Australia’s freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services, disaster-scale flooding has increased since European settlement. Although the role of catchment attributes in flood behaviour is well understood, natural mitigation remains underutilised as both an alternative and complement to structural interventions like levees and dams.
We are forging cross-sector partnerships that accelerate environmental improvements by leveraging unlikely partnerships to foster nature-based solutions to build flood resilience and addressing the growing toll of disasters on Australia’s landscapes and communities.
Backed by 25 years of data and on-ground expertise, our science-led approach focuses on restoring and strengthening ecosystems – wetlands, riparian corridors, and forests – that act as natural buffers, absorbing and slowing floodwaters.
We will share how, through strong partnerships with councils, governments, industry, and communities, we are co-designing and delivering bespoke science and solutions that protect both people and landscapes – working with nature, not against it.
