IFB Theme Leader Franziska Schrodt and Knowledge Exchange Fellow Eun Hye Kim, both from the University of Nottingham, recently delivered a very successful joint seminar and workshop titled Can biodiversity credits foster urban biodiversity? at the Cambridge Cottage, Kew Gardens.
The event, hosted in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), brought together a broad cross-section of stakeholders spanning public and private sectors, from local initiatives to global organisations. Participants included representatives from Westminster and Nottingham City Councils, Local Government Associations, Parks for London, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Tetra Tech, Howden, Lloyds Banking Group, Nature Finance, and UNEP FI.
The workshop explored the needs of innovative policies and frameworks to integrate biodiversity metrics such as Biodiversity Net Gain and natural capital valuation into local planning. Participants also emphasised the importance of cross-sector dialogue, viewing the workshop as a meaningful step in facilitating the transfer of skills and knowledge needed to direct financial flows to urban biodiversity, which remains largely overlooked in global biodiversity conservation targets.
The day's programme included presentations from:
- Professor Franziska Schrodt, Assistant Professor Emily O’Donnell, Dr Eun Hye Kim, and Dr Gamze Yakar-Pritchard - University of Nottingham,
- Alex Hudson – BGCI,
- Harrison Carter, Dr Kiera Chapman – University of Oxford
- Maeve Sherry – former research fellow at LSE, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
- Kevin Martin – RBG Kew