From drivers to damage: A conceptual framework for integrated flood risk assessment of inland hydrological assets

Flood risk in inland hydrological systems stems from dynamic interactions among drivers, exposure pathways, and vulnerabilities. Yet, prevailing assessment methods treat these dimensions in isolation, failing to capture cascading and compound effects. This study develops a novel conceptual framework for integrated flood risk assessment that establishes systematic linkages from drivers to damage across inland hydrological environmental assets (IHEAs). The framework structures hazards into five thematic domains, namely sediment dynamics, hydrological forces, pollution and nutrient surges, vegetation and soil stability, and subsurface collapse risks. These domains are aligned with specific exposure conditions and inherent vulnerabilities to describe how flood-related processes propagate through environmental systems. The framework clarifies how environmental drivers initiate, transfer, and amplify risks within and across these domains, shaping the mechanisms that ultimately lead to asset degradation. A key innovation is the explicit integration of anthropogenic activities as active risk multipliers that reshape hazard behaviour and intensify systemic vulnerability. The resulting framework translates complex biophysical and human-induced interactions into a structured, operational methodology that directly addresses critical gaps in risk science and environmental policy implementation. By moving beyond conventional single-factor assessments it provides a systematic basis for evaluating asset susceptibility under environmental change and climatic variability. This approach offers an actionable path for guiding adaptive management, prioritising conservation interventions, and strengthening resilience planning for sustainable inland water resource management. The framework is designed to be transferable across watersheds, supporting the integration of ecosystem integrity into flood risk governance as mandated by evolving EU directives and global sustainability agendas.