Needed: A systems approach to improve flood risk mitigation through private precautionary measures

•Private precautionary measures can be effective in mitigating flood risk.•Interactions and feedbacks within the flood risk system may influence the effectiveness of private precaution.•Private precaution can only be effectively implemented if it is considered from a systems perspective. Private precautionary measures play an increasingly important role in flood risk management. The degree to which private precautionary measures mitigate flood risk depends mainly on the type of measure (and how effective it is) and how frequently and successfully it is implemented. These aspects are influenced by a complex interaction of physical and socio-economic processes, which makes the assessment and the prediction of the mitigation of flood risk via private precautionary measures a challenge. This paper provides an overview of factors and processes that influence the implementation and effectiveness of private precaution in mitigating flood risk, underpinning it with highlights from international examples. We recommend private precautionary measures for further use to improve flood risk mitigation, but stress that they need to be considered and implemented through a holistic systems approach to maximize their effectiveness.