Nature positive economy

‘What does a nature positive economy look like?’

Thursday 15 June 2023
13:00 UK time / 08:00 Eastern time

Chair

Dr Chris Nichols, Woodland Trust

Speakers

Heather Elgar, Woodland Trust

Dr Ruth Waters, Natural England

Dr Sam Sinclair, Biodiversify

About the workshop

Following momentum around COP15, the idea of a ‘nature positive economy’ is fast gaining traction among businesses, policymakers and NGOs, but what does it really mean? This workshop will explore the concept of a nature positive economy, and how we might best apply ecological science to influence robust policy and business practice, to help shape an economy that protects and helps restore nature.

This is a pre-symposium workshop for: ‘Trees for Climate Change, Biodiversity and People‘ organised by the British Ecological Society in collaboration with the Woodland Trust and University of Kent.

This workshop is led by Woodland Trust, AER Silver Member – discover Woodland Trust’s reports, reviews and other publications on Applied Ecology Resources.

About the speakers

Heather Elgar is Lead Corporate Policy Advocate at the Woodland Trust. Previously, Heather managed the West of England Nature Partnership, and prior to that, worked in corporate sustainability – particularly supply chain issues, traceability, and business & natural capital. In her current role working with corporate partners, coalitions and the wider business community, she leads advocacy to drive a race to the top in the corporate sector through robust regulatory, legal and policy frameworks, and best practice to support protection, restoration and expansion of native woods and trees as part of resilient landscapes.

Dr Ruth Waters is Director of Evidence at Natural England, leading on science strategy and monitoring. She is a strong advocate for inter-disciplinary application of science in uncertain real-world settings. Ruth was the lead scientist in the team supporting Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta on the independent review of The Economics of Biodiversity in HM Treasury.

Dr Sam Sinclair is a Co-founder and Director of Biodiversify, a consultancy which specialises in developing landscape level plans for nature and supporting the private sector in developing nature-positive strategies. He has expertise in biodiversity decision-making with a key focus on the social processes needed to bring stakeholders together to make robust decisions.