Catch-Up
20 May 2024
Online
free

The Bigger Picture: BNG – Restoring biodiversity at scale

Scientists issue an urgent warning that action is needed this decade to reshape the future of humanity. With ecological collapse looming large, perhaps even surpassing the threat of climate change, it’s clear that humanity’s alteration and exploitation of landscapes pose the greatest danger to global biodiversity. The burning question arises: How do we swiftly shift from Earth’s exploiters to its dedicated stewards? How can we support the living world to rejuvenate expeditiously?

Replay our lively discussion on restoring biodiversity and habitats at a monumental scale.

Our host, Alexandra Steed, FLI, founder of Urban landscape practice and author of ‘Portrait to Landscape: A Landscape Strategy to Reframe Our Future‘, brings a passion for healing our broken relationship with nature.

Accompanying her is E, Founding Owner and Chairman of Environment Bank and Past President of CIEEM, who introduced the ground-breaking Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) concept to the UK, shaping conservation policy for the last four decades. And don’t miss insights from Walid Al Saqqaf, CEO, and co-founder of Rebalance Earth, on redirecting private capital to protect and restore nature on a massive scale.

Speakers

Alexandra Steed FLI

Alexandra Steed, FLI and FRSA, is a dedicated landscape architect committed to enriching lives through the transformative power of landscapes. In 2013, she founded the London-based studio URBAN. Steed actively advises organizations such as the Design Council UK and the Government’s Office for Place. As a lecturer at The Bartlett, UCL, she shares knowledge, volunteers for community empowerment, and advocates for inclusive public spaces. Steed’s contributions to landscape architecture have earned awards, including the WAFX Award for innovative solutions to global challenges, the LI Award for Excellence in Tackling Climate Change, and the Best Landscape Architecture Project in the UK. Additionally, she was shortlisted for the Sir David Attenborough Award, highlighting her dedication to preserving and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystems. She is the author of the ground-breaking book “Portrait to Landscape: A Landscape Strategy to Reframe Our Future.”

Professor David Hill

David founded the Environment Bank Ltd in 2006 to introduce biodiversity offsetting, net gain and habitat banking, into the UK. David’s concept of biodiversity net gain, ensuring developments properly address biodiversity impacts, was enacted into law in the Environment Act 2021 whereby biodiversity net gain is now a mandatory legal requirement of the planning and development control system.

Previously Deputy Chair of Natural England and a member of the government’s Ecosystem Markets Taskforce, Chair of Plantlife International. He is a Board Trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, a Commissioner with the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, Chair of the Northern Upland Nature Partnership and co-founder of the Nature Space Partnership. He speaks regularly on the role of environmental markets in tackling biodiversity loss and climate change.

He is a passionate conservationist and wildlife photographer. He has a farm dedicated to conservation in both Nidderdale and Swaledale, North Yorkshire.

Walid Al Saqqaf

Walid Al Saqqaf is the Co-Founder & CTO of Rebalance Earth, a new fund manager for a new asset class – Nature’s infrastructure. Rebalance Earth, redirects the flow of private capital to protect and restore nature at scale. With a background in the financial industry, Walid has launched multiple start-ups at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, AI, and IoT, focusing on solving real business challenges. As an industry associate at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, he remains actively engaged in the latest advancements in this rapidly evolving field. Walid is the proud father of two daughters and a passionate entrepreneur committed to driving positive change through innovative solutions