Author(s)

Marcelle Nardelli Baptista, Ricardo Valcarcel

Laboratory of Watershed Management, Forest Institute, Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, Brazil.

This manuscript analyzes and discusses viewpoints concerning the renaturalization of floodplains as an instrument of management in large catchments, using natural flood defense schemes. Schemes consider the differentiated supply of ecosystemic services based on river channel/floodplain interactions. Conventional structural methods used to prevent flooding (e.g., longitudinal dikes) are increasingly showing themselves to be less efficient with regard to advances in the problems of environmental management of the territory, especially when combined with extreme events, where the importance of perfecting strategies for harmonizing duly controlled floodable areas and water retention can be seen. Natural flood risk reduction measures are part of a holistic solution for sustainable management of flood risk, conservation of nature, water quality and green economy. They rely upon the inherent ability of floodplains to retain water in the basin, and this can delay and reduce peak flows.

Renaturalization, Ecosystem Services, Flooding, Natural Flood Defense Schemes

Baptista, M. and Valcarcel, R. (2018) Renaturalizing Floodplains. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 10, 533-537. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2018.105029.