LAND4CLIMATE: Using private land to build a resilient future

Imagine a summer with mild temperatures, fewer flash floods, and green spaces flourishing not just in public parks but also across private land. This is the ambition behind LAND4CLIMATE, a €13 million EU-funded project running from 2023 to 2027, working in regions in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Slovakia. 

Climate resilience needs land, plenty of it. Traditional “grey” infrastructure like concrete flood barriers can fit in tight spaces, but nature-based solutions (NbS) like wetlands, urban forests, or restored river meanders need room to breathe. Just like nature does. The challenge? The majority of land is privately owned.

LAND4CLIMATE is developing innovative governance schemes and business models, from strategic land leases to easements, to allow communities access to private land for climate adaptation without displacing owners – but on the contrary involving them in the process and making sure they benefit from it. This approach balances long-term environmental sustainability, societal well-being, and economic growth. The project’s models and collaborative efforts serve as a blueprint for scaling NbS on private land across Europe and beyond, paving the way for a climate-resilient future.

Private land is both a supplier and a beneficiary of NbS. Healthy soils and forests store carbon, wetlands absorb floodwaters, and tree cover cools neighbourhoods. In return, landowners benefit from reduced climate risks, higher land value, and healthier ecosystems.

Yet, NbS uptake remains slow because they require more land than traditional infrastructure. 

LAND4CLIMATE aims to change that – and in the process, inspire a Europe-wide shift.

But how does the project effectively work?

The project’s approach begins with mapping climate risks and identifying where NbS can have the greatest impact. Then comes co-design – working with landowners, municipalities, and scientists to develop tailored solutions. Finally, policies and financial models ensure these solutions can spread far beyond the pilot sites.

An inspiring example comes from the Košice Region in eastern Slovakia. Here, Water Councils – set up in 2019 – bring together farmers, foresters, officials, and citizens to tackle droughts, flash floods, and degraded land. During 2025, different meetings have led to concrete agreements with private landowners.

If fully realised, these could lead to:

• 60 million m³ of water retained across the region.
• 1.8 million tonnes of carbon stored.
• 3,000 jobs created.
• Average local temperature drop by 0.7°C.

In Euskirchen County, Germany, a tiny forest and climate park opened in May 2025 – the first NbS site delivered under LAND4CLIMATE. What makes it special is the partnership between a municipal housing company (Eugebau) offering land, local authorities guiding design, and citizens embracing the space. This living example shows how NbS can shield communities from extreme weather while fostering biodiversity.

The project goes beyond Slovakia and Germany and has other exciting demonstrators. We encourage you to also check out the other case studies. Be it in Timiș County (RO), improving water retention e.g. through repurposing abandoned gravel pits, in the Lafnitz river basin (AT), where sponge city concepts are developed, in Bohemian Switzerland (CZ), where local authorities and private landowners are collaborating to restore ponds, naturalize streams, and create new retention basins, or along the Emilia-Romagna coastline (IT), where natural dune systems are enhanced to act as buffers against storms and sea-level rise.

Climate change does not stop at the edge of public land. Floodwaters don’t respect property lines, and heatwaves scorch private gardens as well as public squares. By unlocking private land for NbS, LAND4CLIMATE is multiplying Europe’s capacity to adapt, protect biodiversity, and strengthen communities.

For more information, please see the EU factsheet.

Published on 22 August 2025.