Sponge

Everything in nature is by design, if left to her own devices there's balance, everything works as it should. Topically, the forest today was a good example of how when land is allowed to fulfill it's nature and purpose flood risk to urban areas could be greatly reduced. In a recent article George Monbiot highlighted how a project to re-wild upland areas in Cumbria had been pulled, at the time with much applause from the local MP's, the same MP's who are currently wringing the hands over their flooded constituencies. Ah, the irony. Research and evidence clearly illustrate that re-wilding, planting trees, restoring the meanders in streams and letting land behave naturally, allow upland headwaters (and other green areas) and their environs to hold on to water; that water is then released slowly without the same levels of erosion and flooding down river. As I say 'by design'. Over the last 20 years a program to reintroduce bog woodland has been operating in the New Forest. Restoring the meandering streams to their pre-Victorian state (the Victorians straightened and dredged the forest streams to aid timber production), reducing their depth and blocking or filling many of the drains that fed them. The consequence being that the forest is now considerably wetter and holds on to its water for far longer.  In wet periods acres of heath and woodland are inundated.  Everywhere is water, and you can never be sure what you'll walk into. Only where you see movement can you identify  the course of a small stream or rivulet. At one point during our 'walk' today I saw an interesting sight.  The bottom photo shows what is usually a small meandering rivulet (a former straight dredged drain), no more that a metre wide and maybe 30cm deep. What was interesting was that it usually flows in the opposite direction out of the forest, although today it was flowing back into the forest and not out in the headwaters and streams. Theory in practice, I thought.  Rather that fighting nature, building futile defences or dredging, we need to look to nature and work with her. Step back in, and know our place.