How restoring river landscapes can keep flash floods in check

Floods threaten more people globally than any other natural hazard. But nature offers a solution to this problem. A region in Germany’s east has been training local forests to absorb more water.

#floods #riverrestoration #wetlands

Credits:

Report: Anne-Sophie Brändlin 
Camera: Marco Borowski / Mathias Wolff
Video editor: Neven Hillebrands 
Supervising Editor: Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann / Kiyo Dörrer
Fact check: Jennifer Collins
Thumbnail: Em Chabridon

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:43 We messed up rivers
02:57 Training forests 
06:04 Revitalizing old water courses 
10:55 What’s the price 
12:26 Transferring knowledge

Read more:

The flood situation in Europe:

How we have messed up rivers:

How river and floodplain restoration reduces flood risk:

European networks restoring wetlands

[DWPlanetA]

How well could restoring rivers work where you live?

[veggieboyultimate]

The urgency to restore rivers is clear and enormous

[Duu]

I'm so happy to see people who are good at their jobs, from presenters to the experts, even those we do not see; they are talented and hard-working. Thank you

[Ant]

In the uk we seem to start following this type of concept. Then completely contradict it by building houses on the previous flood plain land

[brianpesci]

I can remember the army Corps of engineers doing a project in my hometown that completely straightened the creek that used to meander through the the part of the city that was a natural flood plain in the early sixties. i also remember a saying from the old timers, "you don't mess with Mother Nature without paying a price.

[xoigel]

The forest in question is around 80 football fields; But the how big is the area that is secured from floods?

[fldon]

In the USA one of the most visible projects is at the LA River, that “concrete ditch” made famous in the Terminator movie chase, is being “greened” back to a more natural state. Also, the Florida Everglades water flow is being corrected to a more natural flow after many canals were built to drain and control flow at a cost of Billions of dollars…

[keithbuckley]

In Southern Indiana, a small dam is being removed from a local river. It has not been needed for over 30 years!

[sebastianhoppe]

People can redo the damage they caused and this gave me hope to see people who are trying to change things for the better

[panstromek]

"Three Men on the Bummel" was making fun of this river straightening practice in 1900. Crazy how long it takes to accept and fix the damage.

[Hongaars]

Thank you for this informative and interesting report thereby also providing hope for a significant reduction in major flooding events in future.

[mcln]

Love all editorial and style that lately is coming out! Congratulations

[kkanthny]

the whole world need to get together and start making the earth a better place.... too bad the rich dont give a dam....

[dennis]

Very cool. In the Lower Mainland of BC, Canada we have been doing what is shown in the video in some areas. Thank you.

[hbghwhe]

Laminar-flow of a stream is not desirable. It contributes to intense discharge when observed on a hydrograph. A stream that braids and meanders can allow sand and gravel to deposit, rather than incise and channelize. Beaver, once widespread in the American West, are largely absent; beaver reduce the impact of intense steam discharge. Vegetation, in particular situations, can provide flood mitigation. However, inducing meandering and braiding by building or fostering bars, and allowing point-bars to form can also be a solution. Beaver-dam-analogs have been used with some degree of success. Consider dam removal, in places where flood and sediment has been restored to a river channel, channelization and erosive-cut has made way for a stream which exhibits a complex, non-laminar flow. When the landscape exhibits significant friction against the stream discharge, the landscape can naturally filter, and regulate the chemistry and temperature of the water as it percolates thru the soil and gravel on the bed and stream-banks; I consider such a situation analogous to a spring-creek, common in regions rich in carbonate-type soils and bedrock.

[dodekaphilist]

Man spricht das übrigens Mark-Klee-Berg aus und nicht Makleberg ;)

[AdrianDmax]

Here in the Philippines there are always typhoons along with floods and no matter how much the river is cleaned, nothing has changed

[TeleBleet]

Finally a positive video! I support all videos but most just get me down because it's all negative even though they're right.

[gamingbigfilipp]

yeah check what happened in Greece in region of thessaly and Magnesia

[iehgovm]

Think you have it bad? In the US we've paved over everything, cut down all trees and wonder why we have water flowing through our streets