Leaders, researchers and associates of the IFB Programme came together at Queen Mary University of London for a one-day conference and networking event. NERC-lead, Domnica Radulescu, and IFB Programme Leader, Nick Isaac welcomed delegates.
The Flagship and Theme Leaders - Paul Brereton, Nicola Ranger, Richard Field, Franziska Schrodt, Jo Chamberlain, and Julia McCarthy played a prominent role in the day and kicked-off presentations with a sequence of snapshots of recent and future outputs. They were followed by Eun Kim and Dougal Fleming who shared their experiences as IFB Knowledge Exchange Fellows.
The Research Serving Business panel comprised Ed Asseily (Zulu Ecosystems), Hannah Eskell (Aviva, IFB Business Fellow), Hannah Skeates (IFB Business Fellow), Andy Bennett (Growth Studio), and Umer Gupta (Calterra) and was chaired by Robyn Owen. Together they valuable insight into the challenges faced by business and the financial sector, and the data and tools that they need.
Before lunch, IFB researchers shone a spotlight on their work. There were presentations from Tamara Spivey – Stakeholder views on green finance, Ben Groom – Pricing Biodiversity Risk: Evidence from Earnings Conference Calls, and Fergus Lyon – Nature-positive agri-food and textile business and their financing. Sadly, two other presenters who were scheduled to present were laid low by illness.
The post-lunch session was an active and vibrant Open Space Technology Session led by Dougal Fleming. Delegates posed questions for which they sought answers. These questions were allocated to tables where groups convened to consider potential steps and solutions. This was repeated, and the session was a tremendous example of cross-discipline discussion and co-operation.
The Life After IFB fireside chat was led by Nick Isaac. This saw the three Flagship Leaders return to the stage accompanied by Ruth Waters, Director of Evidence, Natural England and a member of the Programme Executive Group. They shared their views on the successes of the Programme and the direction it is headed. There was strong agreement amongst the panel that the Programme has created considerable momentum, and Ruth praised the achievements over the past two years.
Neha Dutt, UK Gov TNFD Lead and another member of the Programme Executive Group provided concluding remarks and started with the anecdote of a mechanic being unable to repair the brakes of a car so instead makes the horn louder. Neha likened this to the approach to finance and biodiversity before the Programme got underway. But, with the progress made since then, there are now a number of tools and solutions available that should prevent that car from crashing in the future.
The day was a great example of the camaraderie and friendships that have been built during the life of the Programme. A number of other events are planned for the final 12 months that will bring together researchers and the full-range of stakeholders.