Gauging the benefits of forests in fighting floods

How much can a forest do in mitigating floods in Singapore and what are the economic and human costs of cutting the forest down? These may seem hard to quantify, but researchers from NTU’s EOS have developed a framework to evaluate the impact of nature-based solutions, such as forests, in reducing flood risk.

Using modelling, they are able to quantify the benefits of natural ecosystems in fighting floods as well as losses when these natural resources are destroyed. The study, which was published in the journal paper OneEarth on Sep 17, comes as Singapore is looking to employ a range of nature-based solutions, such as mangroves, to tackle climate change.