National Infrastructure Commission for Wales Recommendation: flood management

Summary

In October 2024, the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) recommended to the Welsh Government that nature be given a voice in decision-making for flood policy and implementation. The NICW report states “The recommendation to consider nature as a key stakeholder reflects the recognition of the intrinsic link between natural ecosystems and flood resilience. Our research indicates that the importance of integrating nature-based solutions and environmental considerations into governance frameworks is currently not as rapid or systemic, and therefore effective, as it could be.”

Recommendation 3: Nature As A Stakeholder — By 2028, set up the mechanisms to incorporate nature as a key stakeholder within flooding policy and implementation. “By giving nature a voice in decision-making processes and exploring legal mechanisms to protect natural assets, Wales can enhance its resilience to floods while promoting sustainable environmental practices. Embracing nature as a stakeholder also aligns with our wider goals of moving towards an ecosystem-based approach to flood risk management. This recommendation ensures that nature is taken into account at the highest possible level.”

Recommendation 1: The 2050 Vision — “Wales should develop an anticipatory culture of futures and systems thinking in the government and across communities.” Using futures methods, this workstream developed a vision for a flood resilient Wales involving significant stakeholder input. The project challenged stakeholders to explore potential and preferable future 2050 scenarios. What emerged was used to develop a 2050 Vision based on 6 principles.

They used the River Taff as one of the personas for participants to think about in terms of the future: “As a river, I sense the shift from communities who are using renewable energy, biodiversity, and flood plans to create a sustainable future for the generations to come. Old canals have been opened, teeming with life, and I now have rights to inform every development decision. The voices of ethnic minorities ripple through land justice debates. I watch as sustainable builds rise, with nature-based solutions thriving. This unity of purpose promises a future where all elements of the landscape, including myself, can be balanced.”

The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales is an independent, non-statutory advisory body established in 2018 to provide impartial, long-term advice to Welsh Ministers on Wales’ strategic economic and environmental infrastructure needs over a 5–80 year horizon. As a advisory body, NICW does not take decisions on specific infrastructure projects in Wales or set policy. Rather, it engages in exploratory work and research, which inform recommendations that are made to Welsh Government.

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