Natural Flood Mitigation

Funding Year: 2017

Research Areas: Natural Capital

Regions: Asia

Deforestation and unplanned development increase the risk of flood damage to lives and property, particularly in dense urban and coastal areas.Decision-makers around the world want to incorporate into planning information about the conditions in which natural ecosystems and land management can help mitigate flood risks.

However, there is currently no tool to perform a relevant, rapid assessment. This project will couple an existing global flood risk model and a damage estimation model to assess ecosystem flood mitigation service and value. The researchers will develop and test a modeling approach to assess the flood mitigation service provided by natural ecosystems. The project will concentrate on a proof of concept in one region, although the modeling approach will be developed to ensure replicability globally.

The researchers plan to build on and extend an existing relationship with the joint NASA-USAID SERVIR group in South-East Asia, to develop a case study in the region. This project brings together three groups: the Natural Capital Project, the Stanford Urban Resilience Initiative, and SERVIR-Mekong hub to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on mitigating flood risk.

Learn more about the Environmental Venture Projects grant program and other funded projects.

Principal Investigators:

Jack Baker, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Gretchen Daily, Professor of Biology