Nature Finance UK looks to unlock billions in restoration funding
Britain’s biggest conference dedicated to re-wilding and support for nature returns to London in November.
Taking place at IET London on Tuesday 5th November, Nature Finance UK 2024 will bring together more than 350 experts in nature finance, land management and sustainable investment.
The convention, now in its seventh year, begins just weeks after the WWF published its shocking Living Planet Report, which shows an average 73% decline in population sizes of almost 5,500 vertebrate species in the past 50 years, with the UK among the planet’s most nature-depleted. Meanwhile, a recent analysis by BloombergNEF showed that biodiversity funding is currently eight times lower than it will need to be by 2030 in order to meet global needs.
Like the Blue Earth Summit, which ran in Bristol mid-October, Nature Finance’s goal is to open up investment channels and secure financing for projects that can contribute towards restoration and regeneration of the natural world. In addition to professionals from industry, a number of high profile politicians will also be in attendance, including Scottish Minister for Employment and Investment, Tom Arthur MSP, who will deliver an opening address, and Mary Creagh CBE, UK Minister for Nature.
More information and tickets are available here.
‘Nature underpins everything – the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink,’ said Creagh. ‘Reversing the decline of the natural world is critical if we are to tackle climate change and grow the economy, and private finance is at the heart of scaling up our response. I’m looking forward to speaking and hearing from experts from a wide range of industries about how we can unlock the capital needed to put nature into recovery.’
‘Rural property can deliver so much for nature, for net zero and for a climate-resilient economy. Knight Frank is delighted to be Lead Sponsor of the Nature Finance UK Conference,’ said James Farrell, Head of Rural Consultancy at Knight Frank. ‘It is a sign of our commitment to showing how the UK’s diverse tapestry of rural businesses can be brought into new productive relationships with corporates and the owners of private capital. Public finance and philanthropy must now work with private finance to ensure that farmland isn’t water-logged, that tourism is able to thrive, and that businesses and homes are climate resilient.’
More on climate change and net zero:
Gap between biodiversity funding and future needs widens to $942bn
Image: Sebastian Unrau