An Exploration into the Views and Perspectives of Welsh Local Authority Practitioners Towards Natural Flood Management (NFM)

Natural flood management (NFM), the catchment-based, natural approach to flood risk management, has gained momentum in academic and governmental circles in recent years as a sustainable, multi-functional approach that can reduce flood risk but also contribute to wider goals in today’s society. Despite the growing interest, implementation and uptake of the approach remains slow and uneven. Studies investigating the social causes for this trend have been dominated by a focus on private stakeholders and have failed to incorporate professional stakeholders, such as local authority practitioners, despite their role in facilitating NFM at the local level. In addition to this demographic bias, geographical biases exist in which most social studies relating to NFM are undertaken in Scotland and England. Subsequently, this study examines the perspectives of ten local authority members from a Welsh rural local authority to explore their perspectives and views. This study aims to explore practitioners’ understanding and views of NFM as an approach, to ascertain their views of the surrounding policy environment, and to highlight perceived enablers and barriers to NFM practice, providing recommendations to improve practice and delivery. This study utilises the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis approach and was assisted by ChatGPT, a generative AI chatbot, in the initial coding process, to analyse practitioners’ accounts and explore the deeper, subjective meanings practitioners give to their lived experience. Overall, local authority practitioners displayed a clear understanding and support for NFM and framed it as a shift in flood risk management philosophy to work with nature in an integrated approach across the catchment. Practitioners regarded NFM as an effective strategy that is well supported by policy, but faces social, practical and institutional issues in its implementation. Recommendations made by practitioners highlighted the need for cultural and institutional change to fully realise the benefit of NFM and improve project delivery and general practice. Consequently, this study addresses a critical gap within the literature and provides the basis for future studies to continue exploring local authority practitioners' views, but more importantly, provides actionable improvements that can be used to improve NFM practice.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

msc

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Colcombe, Casey

• JS Llywodraeth leol Llywodraeth drefol
• TC Peirianneg hydrolig. Peirianneg cefnfor

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4325