Preliminary results of the UK Urban Flood Resilience research consortium are presented and discussed, with the work being conducted against a background of future uncertainties with respect to changing climate and increasing urbanization. Adopting a whole systems approach, key themes include developing adaptive approaches for flexible engineering design of coupled grey and blue-green flood management assets; exploiting the resource potential of urban stormwater through rainwater harvesting, urban metabolism modelling and interoperability; and investigating the interactions between planners, developers, engineers and communities at multiple scales in managing flood risk. The work is producing new modelling tools and an extensive evidence base to support the case for multifunctional infrastructure that delivers multiple, environmental, societal and economic benefits, while enhancing urban flood resilience by bringing stormwater management and green infrastructure together.

The flow regime of a river is the main driver of the processes that make up a floodplain ecosystem. Changes in a flow regime will therefore result in changes in the floodplain. The Mana floodplains in the middle Zambezi river basin have been impacted by the construction of the Kariba dam as indicated by the decline in the population of mature, Faidherbia albida (F. albida) trees and the absence young trees. However, the relationship between the effects of the river impoundment, some 50 years ago, and the current ecological state of the floodplain is not well understood. Hence, this study is aimed at describing the historic (pre-Kariba and post-Kariba dam) and the current terrestrial ecological state of the Mana floodplains. Data was gathered through review of literature, archival records and hydrological records. Furthermore, vegetation plots were set up to measure diameter at breast height (dbh) of F. albida trees and hence describe the current F. albida stand structure. Results from this study show that the Kariba dam altered the peak mean monthly flows by about 60%. The frequency distribution of the dbh sizes of the current F. albida trees depicted an even-aged stand structure (mean dbh of 103 cm). There was no evidence of growth of young F. albida trees as there were no trees with smaller (less than 40 cm) dbh sizes. The dry season densities of elephants, (Loxodonta africana) on the Mana floodplains have been increasing since the 1990s, and these also seem to have impacted on the F. albida stand structure. This perhaps partially has to do with the increased length of the dry season as a result of the changed river flows. Therefore, the influence of the altered flow regime and the impact of wildlife have acted interdependently in influencing the noted detectable changes to the ecology of the Mana floodplains. Figure 2. Pathway diagram on the relationships among the factors affecting Faidherbia albida tree stand on the Mana floodplains.

Although the relationships between habitats and ecosystem services (ESs) have been acknowledged, investigating spatio-temporal change in these has received far less attention. This study assesses the influence of habitat changes on ES delivery across space and time, based on two time points some 60 years apart, 1946 and 2009. A 1946 aerial photo coverage of two catchments in Scotland was used to construct digital photo mosaics which were then visually interpreted and digitised to derive historic habitat maps. Using the Spatial Evidence for Natural Capital Evaluation (SENCE) mapping approach, the derived habitat maps were translated into ES maps. These were then compared with contemporary ES maps of the two catchments, using the same mapping methodology. Increases in provisioning ESs were associated with increases in intensively managed habitats, with reductions in supply capacity of other regulating and supporting ESs associated with loss of semi-natural habitats. ES delivery was affected not only by gross area changes in habitats over time, but also by changes in configuration and spatial distribution of constituent habitats, including fragmentation and connectivity. It is argued that understanding historic changes in ESs adds an important strand in providing baselines to inform options for current and future management of catchments. ARTICLE HISTORY

The natural capital and ecosystem services concepts describe the multiple benefits people get from nature. Urbanisation has been identified as one of the key factors influencing the decline of natural capital globally. Urbanisation has also been associated with a recent increase in urban flooding incidents in most cities globally. While the understanding of blue-green infrastructure in urban drainage is well established, little is said about its influence on natural capital. This study utilises the Natural Capital Planning Tool, Benefits Evaluation of Sustainable Drainage Systems tool and expert stakeholder interviews to assess the influence of blue-green and grey infrastructure as adaptation pathways in urban drainage, on natural capital and ecosystem services, and to determine how these contribute to other forms of human-derived capital. Key findings show that blue-green options can enhance natural capital and ecosystem services such as amenity value while also contributing to social and human capital. Although the assessed blue-green options contribute to regulating ecosystem services such as floods regulation, their most significant contribution is in cultural ecosystem services, especially amenity value. It is concluded that incorporating blue-green infrastructure in urban drainage adaptive approaches can mitigate natural capital losses and contribute to other forms of capital crucial for human well-being.

Rivers provide a range of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) such as aesthetic values, sense of place and inspiration, which remain insufficiently studied due to challenges associated with the assessment of their subjective and intangible attributes. However, the understanding of CES remains important as they are strongly linked to human wellbeing. This study utilizes a questionnaire-based survey to capture views from two villages along the mainstream of the Beas River in India, to identify the CES it provides, to assess how local communities appreciate their importance and how they relate to river flows. In total, 62 respondents were interviewed. Findings show that the Beas River provides several CES but among these, spiritual/religious ceremonies and rituals, aesthetic values and inspiration benefits were indicated as absolutely essential to the local communities. Results also demonstrate that people’s perception of the quality of CES is sometimes linked to river flows. It can be concluded that the Beas River is crucial in the functioning and livelihoods of local communities as it lies within the core of their cultural, religious and spiritual practices. This study reinforces the need to consider the full suite of ecosystem service categories in sustainable water resources development, planning and decision making.