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Natural Flood Management For infrastructure Owners
turn catchment data
into flood protection
investment decisions
Flood risk is no longer just an engineering challenge — it is a strategic investment challenge.
Infrastructure owners need to know where flood risk exists today, how it may change in the future so they can prepare for different climate scenarios, and which investments will deliver the greatest reduction in risk for every pound spent.
Nature Equity's Natural Flood Management (NFM) platform combines high-resolution terrain analysis, catchment hydrology and infrastructure intelligence to identify, prioritise and optimise nature-based solutions across entire river catchments. Our integrated economic model provides the cost benefit analysis for flood prevention.
Whether you manage water assets, rail networks, highways, energy grids, nationally significant infrastructure or large commercial estates, our approach provides the evidence needed to support resilient investment decisions to protect your built assets.
River catchment and rail corridor - flood risk is both a network-scale and a catchment-scale problem.
Only by using high resolution modelling at regional scale do we find the optimal flood investment interventions.
Working With
NSIP OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS RAIL
WATER COMPANIES POWER GRID / ENERGY
HIGHWAYS LOCAL AUTHORITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS DATA CENTRES
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS WAREHOUSING
Landowners and Farming Consortia
01 - COntext
the challenge
Most organisations already possess significant amounts of environmental and asset data.
The challenge is transforming that data into clear, defensible investment decisions.
questions we help answer include
Which assets are most vulnerable to flooding?
Which upstream catchments contribute most to that risk?
Where should Natural Flood Management interventions be located?
Which interventions deliver the greatest reduction in flood risk?
How should investment be prioritised across an entire region?
How can decisions be supported with transparent technical evidence?
Traditional flood mapping identifies where flooding may occur. Our approach goes further by identifying where investment should be made to reduce future risk.
02 - method
our approach
Nature Equity has developed an integrated workflow that connects terrain, hydrology, infrastructure and investment analysis into a single decision-support process.
01
terrain foundation
model
Everything begins with a detailed physical representation of the landscape. Using high-resolution LiDAR, river networks, catchments and terrain analysis, we construct a governed Terrain Foundation that describes how water moves through the landscape. This provides a consistent physical framework for every subsequent analysis.
02
CATCHMENT HYDROLOGY
We model the natural behaviour of each catchment including:
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drainage pathways
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flow accumulation
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river connectivity
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floodplain interaction
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upstream influence
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catchment boundaries
This creates a digital understanding of how flood water propagates through the landscape.
03
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACT ATLAS
Infrastructure assets are then integrated with the terrain and hydrological models. Examples include:
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water treatment works
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pumping stations
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commercial businesses
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railways
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stations
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bridges
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highways
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energy infrastructure
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public assets
The result is an Infrastructure Impact Atlas showing where assets are exposed to current and future flood risk.
04
NATURAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY MAPPING
Potential interventions are identified across the catchment, including:
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offline flood storage
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online attenuation
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floodplain reconnection
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wetland creation
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woodland planting
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river restoration
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reconnecting natural processes
Each opportunity is evaluated within its wider catchment context rather than as an isolated project.
05
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO OPTIMISATION
Potential interventions are combined into investment portfolios. The platform evaluates:
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engineering feasibility
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estimated storage
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downstream benefit
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infrastructure protected
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indicative implementation cost
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environmental opportunity
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delivery constraints
This enables organisations to compare multiple investment strategies objectively.
06
DECISION SUPPORT
The final outputs include:
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prioritised intervention programmes
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asset risk summaries
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investment maps
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catchment reports
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economic evidence
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technical documentation
These outputs support business case development, funding applications and long-term resilience planning.
03 - our difference
why our approach is different
Most flood assessments begin with flood maps. We begin with the landscape itself.
Our Terrain Foundation creates a physically consistent representation of terrain and hydrological behaviour before analysing infrastructure or investment options.
This allows every recommendation to be traced back to the underlying characteristics of the catchment.
The result is greater confidence, greater transparency and more robust investment decisions.
Case Study
south west England natural flood management programme
3 dimensional Terrain & Hydrology Model of the South West England identified 44 river priority catchments and flood impact on Network Rail, South West Water and Wessex Water Assets, and then identified where, what and which NFM interventions would alleviate these flood risks
challenge
Identify where Natural Flood Management could most effectively reduce downstream flood risk while protecting critical infrastructure.
approach
Nature Equity developed an integrated workflow combining:
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Terrain Foundation
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Catchment Hydrology
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Infrastructure Impact Atlas
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Opportunity Identification
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Engineering Assessment
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Investment Portfolio Optimisation
outcomes
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Prioritised intervention corridors
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Flood storage opportunities
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Engineering programme
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Infrastructure benefit assessment
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Investment prioritisation
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Technical evidence supporting future delivery
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Executive Flood Investment Report
APPLICATIONS
04 - sectors
Our approach can support organisations responsible for:
water utilities
Protect treatment works, pumping stations and wastewater infrastructure while identifying catchment-scale opportunities that complement conventional engineering.
rail
Reduce flood disruption through catchment-scale resilience planning that protects rail corridors, bridges and operational assets.
highways
Understand upstream flood drivers and prioritise interventions that reduce network disruption.
energy and power grid
Improve resilience of substations, transmission corridors, renewable energy assets and associated infrastructure and assess biodiversity impact and uplift requirements.
nsip owners and developers
For nationally significant (critical) infrastructure we evidence flood risk, drainage and nature-based mitigation for Development Consent Order applications and deliver catchment-scale resilience across the asset lifecycle. We provide BNG impact assessment and BNG sourcing guidance.
data centres
Quantify fluvial and surface water exposure to campuses, substations and access routes, and identify upstream measures that protect uptime. We can combine that with water demand and water supply resilience modelling under climate change conditions as well as provide BNG impact assessment.
logistics, distribution and warehouses
Protect distribution hubs, yards and access corridors from disruption, and support site selection and capital planning.
local authorities
Support Local Flood Risk Management Strategies, capital investment planning and partnership funding.
Nature and environmental organisations
Prioritise projects that maximise both flood resilience and wider environmental benefits including biodiversity net gain, carbon removal and habitat development & restoration.
high resolution terrain and hydrology model showing the flow accumulation and prioritised location for flood water storage in the landscape
technical capabality
05 - capability
Our Nature Intelligence Platform combines:
high resolution lidar terrain modelling
CATCHMENT HYDROLOGY
river network analysis
infrastructure intelligence
FLOOD HAZARD ASSESSMENT
ECONOMIC PRIORITISATION
investment optimisation
STORM AND CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS
The result is a transparent, evidence-based workflow capable of supporting decisions from individual catchments through to regional investment programmes.
start with an investment case study
06 - next step
The best way to understand our approach is through a real project.
We provide detailed technical and economic case studies that demonstrate how Nature Equity applies terrain intelligence, hydrological modelling and investment optimisation to solve real infrastructure challenges.
Our case studies include methodology, workflow, technical outputs and investment insights. So that you can with confidence identify what flood prevention measures are best to protect your assets and how much will it cost and what is economic benefit.
from case styudy to rapid catchment assessment
07 - then
Every organisation has unique assets, catchments and investment priorities.
Following an initial discussion, we can undertake a Rapid Catchment Assessment to demonstrate how our methodology applies to your organisation.
A TYPICAL RAPID CATCHMENT ASSESSMENT CAN INCLUDE
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Terrain Foundation creation
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Catchment hydrology analysis
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Infrastructure Impact Atlas
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Natural Flood Management opportunity mapping
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Prioritised intervention portfolio
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Executive report and technical outputs
The objective is to provide a practical evidence base that enables organisations to evaluate future investment with confidence before committing to larger programmes.
how we work together
08 - engagement
01
ORDER investment case study
FREE. ORDER ONE OF OUR PREPARED CASE STUDIES
Methodology, workflow, technical outputs and investment insights from a real project.
02
rapid NFM investment assessment
FIXED PRICE. 4 WEEKS. INVESTMENT REPORT FOR CATCHMENT
A discovery workshop that leads on to a tangible, professional deliverable applied to your own assets and catchments.
03
REGIONAL INFRASTRUTURE IMPACT ATLAS
PROJECT DELIVERY
Region-wide asset exposure, opportunity mapping and prioritised investment programme.
04
ENTERPRISE NATURE INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM
LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Governed terrain, hydrology and asset and nature intelligence maintained across your estate covering natural flood management, natural capital accounts, biodiversity, water quality, and carbon accounting.
request aN NFM investment case study
09 - enquiry
We provide detailed technical case studies to infrastructure owners, regulators, consultants and delivery partners. To request a copy, please complete the enquiry form.
before the next storm!
let's build more resilient infrastructure
Nature-based solutions have enormous potential — but only when they are planned with robust evidence.
Nature Equity provides the terrain intelligence, hydrological understanding and investment analysis needed to turn catchment data into practical, prioritised programmes that deliver measurable resilience.
Whether your organisation is beginning its Natural Flood Management journey or seeking to optimise an existing programme, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how our platform can support your objectives.