Participation Challenges May Limit Conservation Incentive Programs

Credit: Sara Cottle, Unsplash Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors. Source: Community Science As flooding becomes more frequent, nature-based solutions (NBS), such as restoring wetlands or improving soil health, can help reduce flood impacts while supporting healthy landscapes. Financial incentive programs are available to help landowners pay for these practices, yet participation remains lower than expected. Moore et al. [2026] explore landowner perspectives of NBS to better understand potential challenges to adoption (such as policy, financial, and administrative factors), building on previous work around a FloodWise program developed by North Carolina State University and partners. Focus groups with landowners in North Carolina’s inner plain provided insights into their experiences with conservation financial assistance programs. Participants described confusing application processes, unclear program requirements, long wait times, and inconsistent technical support as major barriers. At the same time, landowners expressed strong conservation values and offered practical ideas for improving participation, including simpler program guidance, better technical assistance, and more opportunities to learn from other landowners. By reducing these administrative hurdles, conservation programs can become more accessible and help more communities adopt nature-based approaches that strengthen resilience to flooding. Citation: Moore, S. J., Hovis, M., Bardon, R., Cubbage, F., & Lupek, M. (2026). “Welcome to the club”: Unpacking administrative burdens in conservation incentive programs supporting natural flood resilience. Community Science, 5, e2026CSJ000191. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026CSJ000191 —Kathryn Semmens, Deputy Editor, Community Science Exchange Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.