Using Landscape Connectivity to Identify Suitable Locations for Nature-Based Solutions to Reduce Flood Risk

Abstract

Climate change and population growth are exacerbating environmental challenges and natural hazards. Extreme events such as flooding due to heavy precipitation are occurring more frequently and becoming more severe throughout the world. Future projections indicate increasing risks and serious threats to human societies, particularly those living in urban areas. To mitigate associated socio-economic challenges and support sustainable urban development, nature-based solutions (NBS) are being introduced in mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, NBS need to be carefully located and suitably designed to achieve their full potential in terms of flood mitigation. Landscape connectivity, addressing various landscape processes and components, can potentially be utilized for land management and biodiversity conservation. For instance, hydrological connectivity within a catchment, as part of the landscape connectivity, describes the main water flow pathways and areas where runoff tends to accumulate, and can thus be useful in identifying the best locations for NBS from a hydrological viewpoint. In this chapter, we describe use of landscape connectivity to identify suitable locations for NBS to reduce flood risk in urban areas, and exemplify the process for two distinct urban catchments, located in Sweden and Portugal. The results showed good usefulness of the method and revealed the importance of integrating connectivity mapping into future NBS planning practices and decision support systems.