By Emma Stallworthy, Project Officer for Natural England, explains her role in Ousewem
Using nature-based solutions to benefit both agriculture and wildlife while reducing flood risk is the aim of an innovative project in North Yorkshire. Ousewem is a local partnership, working with farmers and landowners across the Swale, Ure, Nidd and Ouse (SUNO) catchments.
This project is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate. By working with nature - not against it - Ousewem is helping manage flood risk in a way that supports farming, communities and climate resilience.
I am an officer in the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire area team, working with the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) team on the Ousewem natural flood management (NFM) project. My experience in both land management and landowner engagement enabled me to join Ousewem in June 2024, where I manage NFM projects from inception to delivery in the River Ouse catchment.
I spend most of my time exploring the catchment with the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, meeting landowners, stakeholders and contractors, ensuring that practical flood resilience can be delivered across this varied landscape.
Being part of the Ousewem project allows Natural England to contribute to a shared vision: restoring landscapes for farming, nature and people. It’s been an exciting opportunity to build stronger relationships with partners such as Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and JBA Consulting, and to work collaboratively on where and how NFM should be delivered.
Working with farmers and landowners
One of the landowners we have worked with on the project, Andrew Fagg, who farms in the Hawes and Appersett area, said:
“The Ousewem delivery team have been like angels. I am very thankful to them for helping my small new farm business. The work they have done will make the land capable of holding more water, and will hopefully make the mire even better for snipe and other waders. The restored boundaries, buffer strip and new water trough will help me manage the cattle, enabling me to keep them off the wettest areas of the land during times of high rainfall."
NFM is an approach that works alongside natural processes to reduce flood risk. Rather than relying solely on traditional flood defences, it uses techniques like tree planting, wetland creation and river re-meandering to slow the flow of water through the landscape. It can also involve installing ‘leaky dams’ - carefully placed woody material that mimics natural debris in river channels. These structures help slow down high flows, provide habitat for wildlife, and allow fish to move freely.
Turning mapping into action
Over the last year, the Ousewem project has established focus areas across the SUNO catchment: Appersett, Hunton, Masham, Bishop Monkton and Arkengarthdale. Three projects are now complete, with more than 20 in development - thanks to the positive response and enthusiasm from farmers and landowners.
As part of the team, I lead my own NFM projects and support wider landowner engagement. This helps identify the best places to install interventions such as:
- leaky barriers
- run-off attenuation scrapes
- tree and hedge planting
- buffer strips
Each of these methods helps increase roughness in the landscape, slowing and storing surface water. Our projects are fully funded, expertly managed and delivered by our delivery team, ensuring no cost or administrative burden for participating landowners and tenants. Just one project is estimated to deliver these measurable results:
- 317m3 of effective modelled water storage (that’s 557,240 pints!): showcasing the impact on flood resilience
- enhanced habitats: from insects to at-risk species like the curlew and white-clawed crayfish, these interventions are enhancing biodiversity
- future benefits: the willow carr and new hedgerows will continue to reduce flood risks, strengthen soils, and support farming sustainability
Championing catchment-sensitive farming
As part of Natural England’s CSF team, I support efforts to improve water quality while protecting farmers’ livelihoods. CSF has been instrumental in developing my understanding of soil health and helping deliver practical, farm-scale resilience measures that benefit both people and nature.
This aligns closely with Ousewem’s wider work on improving water quality across the SUNO catchments, including recent modelling that helps target interventions where they can have the greatest impact on our rivers.
Looking ahead: funding the future of NFM
One of the biggest challenges ahead is securing long-term funding for NFM. We hope schemes like Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier can offer viable support for farmers in the SUNO catchment -helping them implement flood management measures as part of productive, sustainable land management.
This echoes messages shared in Ousewem’s recent blog on simplifying funding opportunities, where farmers asked for clearer advice and practical examples. It’s vital that future agri-environment schemes continue to recognise the value of NFM - not just for flood resilience, but for biodiversity, carbon and sustainable food production too.
A shared commitment to resilient landscapes
It’s an exciting time for Natural England to be more directly involved in delivering on-the-ground NFM. For me, this work brings together our aims: supporting a thriving natural environment, enabling sustainable farming, and helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Ousewem’s strength lies in partnership. I hope this collaborative approach continues to set the tone for future projects -showing what can be achieved when organisations work together for shared outcomes.
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