Natural Flood Management (NFM) Heat Maps

These heat maps identify locations with the highest economic flood reduction benefits from implementing Natural Flood management (NFM) measures. 

They have been produced to help identify potential project opportunities for the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) investment programme. 

They can also be used to inform the siting of NFM projects supported by other funding streams. This should help stakeholders to align investment opportunities that deliver both flood resilience and wider societal benefits across communities, ecosystems and infrastructure.

The maps are based on the Environment Agency’s simplified national-scale methodology for estimating the benefits of Natural Flood Management (https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/estimating-the-benefits-of-natural-flood-management).

The approach uses assumptions tested against previous modelling studies and considers flood risk from both rivers and surface water. Opportunity areas (hot spots) are defined at a 1 km² grid scale. They typically highlight non-developed green spaces with potential for NFM interventions and sufficient flood risk downstream to justify investment.  

This approach is based on the same method which should be used to calculate the benefits of standalone inland NFM projects under £3 million within the Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCERM) investment programme. The maps therefore highlight locations that are likely to produce a high level of flood benefit using the NFM benefits method and calculator (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-flood-management-benefit-method/natural-flood-management-benefit-method).

The maps do not take account of local features such as pumped catchments, washlands, large reservoirs, roads, or other local infrastructure. These features can influence flooding. They can also affect whether NFM measures are suitable in a given location. They also do not recommend specific measures or assess whether they are achievable. Local knowledge is therefore essential to confirm that proposed measures are likely to function effectively within the specific local context. 

The mapping cannot identify which watercourse or flow path is responsible for flooding. A small upstream catchment near a community at risk may therefore appear to offer high potential benefit, even if the real problem is a much larger nearby river. For this reason, the outputs should always be interpreted alongside a clear understanding of the sources and pathways of flooding.

While the maps provide a valuable guide for identifying priority locations, they do not guarantee that projects in these areas will represent good value for money. You must carefully consider the costs and benefits of any proposed project.  Attribution statement: © Environment Agency copyright and / or database rights 2026. All rights reserved.
© Crown copyright and database rights 2026 OS AC0000807064.
Generated using European Union's Copernicus Land Monitoring Service information; https://doi.org/10.2909/960998c1-1870-4e82-8051-6485205ebbac.
Based on digital spatial data licensed from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © UKCEH, © Cranfield University, and © James Hutton Institute.
Based on analysis using data derived from the Multi Coloured Manual - Online, © 2026 MCM-Online. All rights reserved. 

Tags: Land use, NFM, Natural Flood Management, environment, heat maps, hot spots, land
Organization: Environment Agency