3 Questions with Stefan Greiving and Thomas Hartmann, Project Leaders of LAND4CLIMATE
The LAND4CLIMATE project, led by Stefan Greiving and Thomas Hartmann from the TU Dortmund University, aims to address climate challenges through nature-based solutions on private land. After a successful first year, the project has made significant strides in climate risk analysis and fostering a passionate community committed to advancing sustainable land-use practices. In this small Q&A, Greiving and Hartmann reflect on their most proud achievements, surprises, and their excitement for what lies ahead in year two of LAND4CLIMATE.
LAND4CLIMATE has been running for one year now. Which achievement from the first year are you most proud of?
Stefan: “I am proud of two main achievements: First, we successfully completed the intensive climate risk analyses for all six front-runner regions. Second, we navigated the complex legal and technical requirements necessary to ensure the eligibility of the proposed nature-based solutions.”
Thomas: “I am very proud that LAND4CLIMATE has evolved into a true community! Everyone in the consortium seems to be united by a common passion and commitment to advancing nature-based solutions on private land.”
After one year into the project, what has surprised you the most from an academic perspective?
Thomas: “It’s been a twofold surprise: It turns out that finding the right landowners is more critical than developing innovative land policy instruments. At the same time, we discovered that there are indeed landowners willing to experiment with and test nature-based solutions!”
Stefan: “The variety of stakeholder constellations and the diverse interests of private landowners have been quite striking. Additionally, it is surprising to see how hesitant practice partners are to explore land policy measures that might be perceived as opposing landowners’ interests.”
Looking ahead - what are you most looking forward to in the second year?
Stefan: “As a researcher, I am excited to conduct a detailed analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of the nature-based solutions together with the regions. As a project leader, I am eagerly anticipating the implementation of the physical measures.”
Thomas: “I believe we have really touched a fundamental issue with our focus on private land. I now want to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to drive change. Moreover, I am thrilled to see how our young researchers in our consortium thrive in LAND4CLIMATE”
This article was written by LAND4CLIMATE consortium Coordinator TU Dortmund University.
Publishing date: