Mind Our Nature: Academic and Business Challenges

Valuing Nature Network presentation

21 Oct 2017

I was pleased to be contributing to the Annual Valuing Nature Network conference session 19th October 2017 concerning business challenges led by Guy Duke. Our brief was to provoke discussion so my talk should be viewd in that context. My role was to challenge both researchers and businesses alike to work more effectively to mainstream nautre into policy and decisions. At present we run the risk of preaching to the converted rather than engaging with those audiences who have yet to understand or accept the valuing nature arguments. Yet these are the key audiences who develop policies and implement decisions that affect how nature is used and valued. Here the planning system is a neglected component with a wide range of existing tools that can help deliver and enhance natural capital outcomes but are bypassed in the never ending development of new tools and models as demanded by the way research grants are judged and assessed.

My talk below builds on the "mind the gap" argument and to me this is key as there is a huge gap between the type of research that is being done with the types of policy and decisions that are being made on the ground and the wider needs of those working in nature. Who is joining these needs up?

Comments

All comments are greatly appreciated - please help mainstream green infrastructure by adding to the conversation.