How do Nature-Based Solutions play a role in flood resilience?
October 2025
As part of Richmond Riverfest 2025, on Monday 20th October, North Coast Regional Landcare Network’s (NCRLN) Caring for Catchments (CfC) project delivered a half day panel event on Nyangbul Country on the shores of the Richmond River in Ballina NSW. CfC was proud to fund, support and participate in the Richmond Riverkeeper Riverfest 2025.
45 attendees across community, science, Aboriginal and land management leaders came together to explore how nature-based solutions (NBS) can restore waterways, enhance climate resilience and deliver benefits for people and nature. International insights were shared alongside local perspectives, sparking a constructive and energising discussion about what NBS can look like in the Northern Rivers.
NCRLN were honoured to have Uncle Peter Roberts give the Welcome to Country, followed by the event opening from Bridget Kent, Regional Operations Project Officer at NCRLN. Several CfC grantees also attended the event.
The event was facilitated by Mel Bampton, speaker, broadcaster and storyteller. Mel is also the host of the CfC-funded We are the Riverkeepers podcast. Five panellists participated in dialogue with Mel including:
- Chris Prescott – Watershed Ecologist, City of Portland (USA)
- Louissa Rogers – Project Manager, NBS Project, Richmond Landcare
- Oliver Costello – Executive Director, Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation
- Katrina Curran – Senior Scientist, Australian Wetlands Consultancy
- Genevieve Murphy – Natural Asset Protection, North Coast Local Land Services
View panellist bios here.
Fiona Berry, CfC Project Officer, also presented an update on the CfC NBS project.
You can view Fiona’s presentation below.
Graphic Recording Artwork by Dayna Hayman Design, illustrated key points of the day.
We encourage you to print off this the graphic recording artwork (A3) and share with your organisation and decision makers.
What can we learn from global NBS examples?
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A century of trying to engineer our way out of floods had failed — nature had to be a part of the solution.
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— Chris Prescott, City of Portland
Learning from Portland’s Johnson Creek Restoration Project, guest speaker Chris Prescott showcased Portland’s 25-year NBS transformation including:
- Restoring 63 acres of floodplain and stream habitat within a 140 km² catchment
- A “willing seller” program enabling the removal of homes from flood-prone areas
- 16 projects that expanded wetlands, re-meandered creeks and created off-stream habitat
- Reduced flood impacts and return of native Pacific salmon species
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The IUCN Standard helped us look more rigorously at our nature-based projects — not just whether they worked, but who benefited, and how we could do better.
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— Chris Prescott, City of Portland
Chris shared that Johnson Creek which was one of 21 global case studies assessed against the IUCN Global Standard for Nature Based Solutions. Applying the standard helped evaluate the project’s performance across 8 criteria – including biodiversity, social benefits, economic viability and adaptive management – and highlighted both strengths (ecosystem integrity, catchment-scale design) and areas for improvement (better economic valuation of NBS benefits).
You can view Chris’ presentation below.
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This conversation shows exactly what’s possible. The evidence exists, the community is ready — now we need the courage to scale solutions and act.
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— Mel Bampton, Panel Facilitator
Why NBS matters in the Northern Rivers?
Panellists reflected on how Portland’s experience resonates with current challenges in the Northern Rivers, especially after repeated flood events.
Key takeaways from the day include:
Community trust & co-design
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It is good for us as a society to have nature-based solutions…and that sense of wellbeing that you get from having healthy waterways.
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— Louissa Rogers, Richmond Landcare
- Successful NBS projects require long-term community engagement and locally-driven design rather than top-down approaches. Lasting change starts from the ground up. When science and community work together, nature-based solutions become both possible and powerful. A key insight shared was that a 1% increase in soil organic matter enables soil to hold an extra 30,000 litres of water.
- This highlights the need for a suite of nature-based actions on each property—actions that slow and store water in wet periods to reduce flooding, while also supporting soils to retain moisture through dry seasons, strengthening resilience to drought.
Government and policy are an essential NBS partner
Nature-based solutions are not yet considered mainstream disaster preparedness and climate adaptation solutions in Australia. They are not prominent in climate policies including the National Climate Adaptation Plan and the NSW commitment to net zero by 2050. Governance complexities including bureaucratic processes and funding cycles are challenges to implementing
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Nature-based solutions work when we design with landholders, not for them — trust, local context and shared outcomes are essential.
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— Genevieve Murphy, North Coast Local Land Services
Indigenous and local knowledge is essential
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) must help shape restoration work, not sit on the sidelines. Indigenous stories, knowledge and law are embedded in the landscape and teach people how to care for Country. Restoring rivers isn’t just about replanting trees or repairing ecosystems—it requires reconnecting knowledge holders with cultural stories so communities can rebuild a deep sense of belonging, responsibility and stewardship. Learn more about Jagun Alliances’ Aboriginal led NBS project Heal the Rivers project.
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Nature-based solutions, we call it, care for country…its what you do. You learn from country and you respond to country. It’s a reciprocity. It’s like breathing.
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— Oli Costello, Jagun Alliance
Multiple benefits
NBS can improve flood resilience, water quality, biodiversity, cultural connection to Country and community wellbeing. Deep-rooted vegetation and wetland systems are often overlooked and play an integral role in stormwater management and biodiversity enhancement.
You can learn more about the role of wetlands as NBS here.
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Typically the life cycle of a storm water or waste water treatment asset is 20-25 years…the life cycle of a nature based solution extends well beyond that time frame.
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— Katrina Curran, Australian Wetlands Consultancy
Scaling up and evidence – grey and green?
Pilot projects in the Northern Rivers are showing promise, but broader landscape-scale collaboration and data-sharing are needed to influence policy and long-term investment. Research by the Australian National University was referenced which highlighted evidence and guidance evidence and guidance on how NBS can reduce downstream flood risk.
A key takeaway was the World Bank’s tiered approach: first do nothing, then explore natural solutions, followed by hybrid approaches, and only turn to grey infrastructure as a end stage option. This contrasts with Australia’s conventional emphasis on engineered solutions. Richmond Landcare are collaborating with universities to develop hydrodynamic models quantifying the impacts of NBS in the Richmond catchment. Learn more here.
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Caring for Catchments is a demonstration project and a pilot for what is possible with NBS across the Northern Rivers. We’re breaking new ground and collecting learnings to share.
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— Fiona Berry, Caring for Catchments Project Officer
Barriers to overcome
The panel discussed key constraints limiting NBS uptake, including:
- Short-term funding cycles that don’t match nature’s timelines
- The need to shift government and institutional mindsets beyond grey-infrastructure solutions
- Difficulty maintaining NBS sites over time without dedicated funding
- A lack of locally-recognised “iconic species” like salmon in the U.S. to mobilise public support
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I kept reflecting on the mullet…the mullet run for us is similar to salmon in North America, but not many people understand that.
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— Oli Costello, Jagun Alliance
A call to work differently
The panel dialogue emphasised that the Northern Rivers has the knowledge, community passion and emerging evidence to become a leader in nature-based restoration and climate adaptation. The opportunity now is to build stronger cross-sector collaboration, celebrate success stories, and share learning openly – locally, nationally and internationally. So what can we all do to lift the profile of NBS?
✅ Share stories, data, and lessons learned from on-ground NBS projects to influence and inform broader adoption of NBS.
✅ Support the development of a business case that identifies the range of benefits and costs of nature-based solutions, including through environmental markets.
✅ Engage with First Nations people to ensure NBS are culturally informed from the outset.
✅ Support Richmond Landcare’s NBS: Building flood resilience in the Lismore Catchment’s project
✅ If you are delivering a NBS project, consider the use of standards upfront such as the ANU Nature Based Solutions for Flood Mitigation Guidelines and IUCN Global Standard for Nature Based Solutions
✅ Talk to decision makers (local council, State and Federal MPs) on the importance of integrating NBS and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into policies.
✅ Take time to visit and learn from Country – visit your nearest creek, stream or river to swim, fish, play and notice how you feel
How can I learn more?
- Reach out to North Coast Regional Landcare Network via Caring for Catchments Project Officer Fiona Berry fiona.berry@northcoastlandcare.org.au
- Learn more about Riverfest here
- Explore Caring for Catchments here
- Listen to the We are the Riverkeepers podcast here
- Learn about other NBS projects in the region Heal the Rivers and Nature-Based Solutions Building flood resilience in the Lismore catchment
NCRLN looks forward to sharing more knowledge and raising awareness of the benefits of NBS via CfC and beyond into 2026.
