The Glenelg Hopkins CMA is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the South West Natural Capital Forum at the Warrnambool Golf Club on the 8th of October, with special thanks to the support of Rabobank and Warrnambool City Council.

The forum aims to bring together land management, farming, environment and finance sectors to explore the latest trends and emerging opportunities in natural capital and nature-based markets. The day will explore what natural capital means, how it benefits land management (including profitability, resilience and opportunities to diversify income), emerging finance and market opportunities, and why southwest Victoria is well placed to take up these opportunities.

 The Forum will have a range of speakers lined up, including: 

• MC – Marius Cuming – regional landholder, Woolmark sustainability consultant, podcaster.
• Welcome to Country – Peek Whurrong Elder Robert Lowe
• Keynote Speaker – Prof. Hugh Possingham – Fellow of the Royal Society, Accounting for Nature, University of QLD, Biodiversity Council of Australia
• Dr Adam Bester – CEO Glenelg Hopkins CMA
• Alex Maisey – Research Fellow La Trobe University
• Angela Hawdon – Solutions Development Manager Farming for the Future
• Dr Anthony O’Grady – CSIRO Forest Function team
• Alison Osborne – Rabobank Chief Sustainability Officer
• Sarah Whinney – Director Chatsworth House Pastoral

Meet the speakers:

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What’s being discussed at the forum?

Foundations of Natural Capital

What do we mean by natural capital? What benefits can farmers and land managers gain in their business by managing for natural capital? What is happening at the national and international level and how does this affect south west Victoria?

Opportunities and markets

What are some of the emerging market opportunities? What options are there in the carbon market and are they worth pursuing in south west Victoria? What is carbon and biodiversity ‘stacking’ and how does it increase the feasibility of credit-based activities?

The bigger picture – Prof. Hugh Possingham, keynote speaker

What are the biodiversity benefits of managing for natural capital and why is this important? How is south west Victoria placed to benefit from natural capital and nature market opportunities? What are some of the frameworks available at the national level?

Putting it into practice

Hear from landholders who have started to explore natural capital approaches, accounting and nature market opportunities to improve their farm business and profitability, speakers covering supply chain expectations, and how banks are viewing natural capital and the opportunities for their customers.

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What is Natural Capital?

Natural capital is the term we give to our environmental assets, the services they provide and how they support our society. It is similar to other forms of capital such as financial, man-made assets, people, and social capital, all of which can produce economic outputs.

Natural capital is the world’s stock of natural assets and includes:

• rocks, minerals and soil
• our streams, rivers and oceans
• the air
• plants, animals and all living things (biodiversity).

From these natural assets, we derive services – known as ‘ecosystem services’ – which are vital to our health, livelihoods and future. The water we drink, the air we breathe, our land for food production, and forests that help regulate climate and defend against floods are just some examples.

Previously, some have thought of nature as free-of-charge – and this has led to it being slowly degraded over time.

A strong economy needs a healthy environment

With financial capital, we know that spending too much money accrues debt, which we need to pay back. It’s the same with nature. If we draw down too much stock from our natural assets, we run up a debt which needs to be paid back by replanting forests, rehabilitating waterways or conserving biodiversity. Drawing down on nature without allowing recovery runs the risk of ecosystem collapse, which has compounding economic impacts.

We don’t want to just halt environmental decline, we want to reverse it. Recognising nature as an asset provides a cornerstone for the state’s economy which our people, business, finance and primary industries can benefit from.

Event supporters

The South West Natural Capital Forum is possible thanks to the support of the following sponsors and project support:

Other supporters:

We have a limited number of tiered sponsorship opportunities and trade stall opportunities remaining – if you are interested, please contact Jenny on 0436 933 728 or j.emeny@ghcma.vic.gov.au.