Philanthropic landowners and what drives them: lessons from implementing nature-based solutions on private land

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are a promising strategy for building climate resilience, but their implementation requires land. Realising NBS on private land, which holds great potential, remains a challenge. Aligning landowner interests with climate adaptation goals lies within the realm of land policy. However, studies show that traditional land policy instruments are often ineffective when applied to NBS and private land. Cooperative approaches that engage landowners directly are needed – but they raise new questions: How do we find landowners willing to implement NBS and engage them effectively? This research focuses on landowners who are primarily motivated by non-financial interests to implement NBS. These dynamics are explored through a qualitative case-study-based research design, focused on NBS implementers across Austria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Slovakia. Initial results indicate different types of landowners (homeowners, farmers, company owners) have distinct interests in implementing NBS. While economic incentives play a role, intrinsic motivations mainly shape landowners’ decisions. This underscores the need for tailored solutions considering diverse intrinsic motivations. Effective NBS implementation strategies must strengthen intrinsic motivations, build trust, and respect landowner autonomy.