Flood Risk Management

Flooding can devastate communities. Sniffer helps to spread good practice that keep people safe.

Why flood risk management matters

Flooding is a frequent natural hazard in Scotland which, if poorly managed, can have dreadful impacts on people, businesses, and our natural and built environments. At present, 108,000 properties across Scotland are at some risk of flooding, and current estimates suggest Scotland could suffer approximately £250 million of flood-related damages annually. In the future, changes in our climate, how we use our land and how we live have the potential to bring more people and property into flood risk.

What is the solution?

Flooding is a complex challenge, with many influencing factors, but the risks are manageable if we work together. Building on this belief in collaboration, for over ten years Sniffer has supported a range of research and events to promote the effectiveness of a co-operative approach to flood risk management. In 2009 the Scottish Government introduced a new Flood Risk Management Act, emphasising the key role such collaborative actions and partnership working has on protecting people and places from flooding. This was followed in 2015 by SEPA’s publication of 14 Local Flood Risk Management Strategies, covering the whole of Scotland, and in 2016 by a set of Local Flood Risk Management Plans aiming to put these strategies into practice. These plans help to target resources in the areas where they can best protect people, businesses and critical services.

How Sniffer helps to reduce flood risk

Sniffer provides a range of services to the Scottish FRM Community to help encourage and deliver a holistic approach to Flood Risk Management. Chief among these is our annual Flood Risk Management Conference, which Sniffer has run for twelve successive years. The conference is the premier event in the Scottish Flood Risk Management calendar and regularly attracts more than 250 delegates. You can read more about how our approach has helped the conference to become one of the top policy and practice forums in the country in this case study.

Sniffer was delighted to support the Interreg Building with Nature coordination meeting in Dundee in September 2018. In 2019 additionally to planning next year's annual conference Sniffer is organising a series of knowledge exchange workshops:

Latest

Flood Risk Management Conference 2020

Scotland's Flood Risk Management Conference in 2020 was entitled Managing Flood Risk in the Context of the Climate Emergency. Read the official report and watch videos from the conference.
FRM knowledge exchange workshops

Sniffer runs workshops throughout the year on aspects of Flood Risk Management.
Managing flood risk in the context of the climate emergency

This year's Flood Risk Management Conference 2020, organised by Sniffer, will include a response to the growing momentum around climate emergency.
Varied and far-reaching climate change impacts on UK coasts and seas

In the wake of the newly declared climate emergency, a major new publication by the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership highlights the current and future impacts of climate change on UK seas and dependent industries and society.

FRM knowledge exchange workshops

Sniffer runs workshops throughout the year on aspects of Flood Risk Management.
Community resilience and climate justice

Sniffer has been working with a number of organisations involved in research and practice, to draw together some key learning points in relation to community resilience in the context of climate change- we have developed a short summary note and welcome feedback.
Sustainable Scotland Network

Sniffer is working together with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) to provide the secretariat service to the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) – Scotland’s largest network of public sector sustainability professionals.
Adaptation Scotland

Sniffer is helping Scotland get ready for the impacts of climate change by raising awareness of climate risks and opportunities, and creating catalysts for collaborative action through the Adaptation Scotland Programme.
Climate Ready Clyde

Sniffer is helping to increase the Glasgow City Region's resilience to climate impacts through the Climate Ready Clyde initiative. By bringing together key organisations to work in partnership on climate change adaptation, we are ensuring Scotland's biggest population centre is prepared for the challenges of future climate.
Traction

Sniffer is working together with IIED to understand what constitutes climate adaptation competence and how this affects adaptation responses. Traction will explore and capture learning from adaptation progress in different countries, including: • What drives adaptation that has positive and just impacts across society? • What factors can accelerate adaptation? • What are the barriers to convening domestic adaptation competency?
Flood Risk Management Conference 2018

The 2018 conference was held at the Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow from 5-6 February. A full conference summary report and all the presentations from the conference are now available to download. Thank to all those who contributed and attended for making another successful year.
Flood Risk Management Conference 2017

Sniffer’s annual Flood Risk Management conference returned to Our Dynamic Earth in February 2017 for its twelfth year. You can download the presentations from the conference and read the summary report here.
Improving our air quality

Sniffer is helping to improve air quality in Scotland by bringing together experts and decision makers to drive forward co-ordinated action.
Improving water quality in Strathclyde Loch

Strathclyde Country Park and its loch were chosen as the venue for the triathlon events at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. In the past, poor water quality had led to sporting events being cancelled. In February 2012 Sniffer was tasked with improving water quality in the loch to ensure plain sailing come the Games.

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Flood Risk Management Conference 2018

The 2018 conference was held at the Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow from 5-6 February. A full conference summary report and all the presentations from the conference are now available to download. Thank to all those who contributed and attended for making another successful year.
Climate Ready Clyde

Sniffer is helping to increase the Glasgow City Region's resilience to climate impacts through the Climate Ready Clyde initiative. By bringing together key organisations to work in partnership on climate change adaptation, we are ensuring Scotland's biggest population centre is prepared for the challenges of future climate.
Our story
Our expertise

Sniffer creates change processes based on engagement, dialogue and collaborations.
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Type a key word in the search box to get up all current and archived Sniffer reports and projects.
Sustainable Scotland Network

Sniffer is working together with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) to provide the secretariat service to the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) – Scotland’s largest network of public sector sustainability professionals.
Board of Trustees

Our Board of Trustees is responsible for governance and strategy.
Vision, mission and values

A sustainable society is a strong, healthy and just society living within environmental limits. It is a society that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
WFD95 A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland Field Report 2009[Final Report]