Natural Sponges

Restoring water resilient landscapes for a changing climate

Natural Sponges

Restoring water resilient landscapes for a changing climate

Lost Sponge Capacity

The large scale drainage and destruction of wetlands is a root cause of droughts, wildfires and floods, while rapid climate change is raising temperatures and making these disasters more frequent and severe.

Nature-based Solution

By restoring the sponge function of soils and wetlands, we create Natural Water Retention Measures that absorb water and delay runoff, thereby reducing the severity of floods and increasing water availability during droughts.

Societal Benefits

Restoring natural sponges is a multi-benefit, no-regret measure that achieves multiple policy objectives while making the public safer by limiting floods, increasing water supplies, improving water quality and supporting healthy nature.

What are Natural Sponges?

Wetlands are our natural sponges in the landscape, but drainage for agriculture, forestry and urbanisation have drastically reduced the capacity of our soils to absorb and store water. We aim to restore natural conditions in Europe and beyond that capture and slow the flow of water before it reaches a river or transforms into a stream.

Learn more with our video

A visible change for our landscapes

See how the Natural Sponges concept works

BeforeAfter
Before

Changes in the landscape such as drainage, urbanisation and the disconnection of floodplains by dikes and barriers are diminishing the natural water storage capacity of soils. With more droughts and intense precipitation events driven by climate change, increasing floods and droughts are threatening the health and safety of people and degrading nature.

After

By blocking drainage and restoring the natural capacity of soils and vegetation to retain water and slow the flow before it enters streams, and by reconnecting floodplains to create more room for rivers, peak flows of water in floods are reduced while base flows in dry periods are increased, providing protection from floods and droughts and benefiting nature.

A visible change for our landscapes

See how the Natural Sponges concept works

BeforeAfter
Before

Changes in the landscape such as drainage, urbanisation and the disconnection of floodplains by dikes and barriers are diminishing the natural water storage capacity of soils. With more droughts and intense precipitation events driven by climate change, increasing floods and droughts are threatening the health and safety of people and degrading nature.

After

By blocking drainage and restoring the natural capacity of soils and vegetation to retain water and slow the flow before it enters streams, and by reconnecting floodplains to create more room for rivers, peak flows of water in floods are reduced while base flows in dry periods are increased, providing protection from floods and droughts and benefiting nature.