International Guidelines on Nature and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for Flood Risk Management

This report showcases the International Guidelines on Nature and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for Flood Risk Management which intends to provide practitioners with the best available information concerning the conceptualization, planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of NNBF to support resilience and flood risk reduction for coastlines, bays, and estuaries, as well as river and freshwater systems. The NNBF Guidelines include 20 chapters organized into three sections: overarching themes, coastal features, and fluvial features. USACE and collaborators around the world have been building, learning, and documenting the best practices for constructing NNBF for decades.

The guidelines consolidates lessons from the NNBF into a single guidance document that gives decision-makers and practitioners a much-needed resource to pursue, consider, and apply NNBF for flood risk management while expanding value through infrastructure. Relationships and partnerships are vital ingredients for innovation and progress. The NNBF Guidelines was achieved because of the strong relationships in the nature-based engineering community. The magnitude and diversity of contributors to the NNBF Guidelines have resulted in a robust resource that provides value beyond a single agency, sector, or nation. The guidelines are the next step toward revolutionary infrastructure development—a set of real-world guidelines to help familiarize builders and policymakers with what was once novel.