Will putting a price on nature protect it?

Recently, there has been increasing discussion among governments and businesses about the idea of pricing nature to encourage investment in conservation strategies and integrate nature into decision-making processes.

However, many also argue that labelling Earth’s resources as ‘natural capital’ raises ethical concerns and may perpetuate an exploitative mindset that contributes to environmental degradation. They propose a shift towards acknowledging humanity's interconnected relationship with nature, emphasising stewardship over ownership.

This event invites you to explore a crucial and timely question: Can we balance the financial valuation of nature with ethical stewardship, or do market mechanisms risk commodifying what is inherently invaluable?

Join us as panellists from business, conservation and academia engage in a thought-provoking conversation on the merits of pricing nature and whether market mechanisms can truly address the biodiversity crisis. 

This event will comprise an hour-long panel discussion followed by an hour of networking drinks.

This event is the final panel in SEI's four-part Climate and Biodiversity Crises Series. The public panel series brings together those working on climate solutions and nature damage to consider how these two crises can be addressed together.

Speakers

Carolyn Hogg (Chair), biodiversity conservation expert

Carolyn Hogg is a Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Sydney and Deputy Director (External Engagement) at the Sydney Environment Institute. She has been working on the conservation of threatened species for over twenty-five years both in Australia and overseas. She is the Science Lead & Chair of the national Threatened Species Initiative, a program generating genomic resources for Australia's threatened species, and co-lead of the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group in the Faculty of Science. Carolyn has been working with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for the past 14 years; in addition to other species such as orange-bellied parrots, koalas, bilbies and woylies. Working closely with both academic and conservation management partners, her vision is to create a conservation legacy for Australia by changing the way we integrate science, management and policy; to proactively promote species’ resilience in the face of a changing world. This can be achieved by developing better tools and technologies to integrate molecular genetics into real-time conservation management decisions.

Ariadne Gorring, leader in Indigenous-led conservation

Ariadne Gorring is Co-CEO of the Pollination Foundation. With a mission to put humanity at the heart of nature and climate solutions, her work centres on bridging local knowledge with global expertise. Passionate about community led solutions she has 30 years of experience in multi-partner collaboration and Indigenous led conservation. Most recently she co-designed a global learning and leadership network focused on environmental resilience – Ampliseed and previously worked for 20 years with the Kimberley Land Council building out the model of Indigenous led conservation across the region including deep experience in Northern Australia’s savanna burning carbon industry. She is a Board member on the Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership, was a member on the Expert Panel to Review the Australian Government Carbon Credit Framework, a committee member of the World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin. She’s a Global Atlantic Fellow with a BA in Sustainable Development and Entrepreneurship and a Master’s in Social Change Leadership.

Joshua Bishop, environmental economist

Joshua Bishop is an environmental and natural resource economist with over 30 years’ experience. He has published numerous articles and co-authored or edited six books, including a landmark UN study of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), and was lead technical editor of the Natural Capital Protocol. Dr Bishop has an appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. Previous employment includes WWF-Australia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).  Dr. Bishop has been at the forefront of several global environmental economics initiatives, including the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Program (BBOP), the Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP), the Katoomba Group on Markets for Ecosystem Services, and WWF’s Global Food and Markets Practices. During his career, Dr. Bishop has led or contributed to sustainability initiatives in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife conservation, as well as the mining, financial services and retail sectors, in Australia and internationally. 

Dieter Hochuli, urban ecologist

Dieter Hochuli leads the Integrative Ecology research group at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on how biodiversity responds to the unique pressures of urbanisation, identifying how we can better support and conserve nature in cities. He works on a wide range of groups with particular interest in the ecology of iconic plants, birds, mammals, insects and spiders of cities, and their interactions with the environment and the humans who share their world with them.  This generates evidence-informed approaches from research that tests the myriad assumptions underpinning strategies to conserve biodiversity in and around cities.

Radha Kuppalli, investment advisor in nature and climate solutions

Radha Kuppalli’s purpose is to create economic value for nature – in service of a resilient and prosperous future for people and planet. She has spent over 20 years executing investment solutions to address climate change, nature restoration, and sustainable land management. Radha is a Board Director and Advisor globally to growth businesses, fund managers, and NGOs focused on accelerating the transition to net zero and nature positive. In addition to managing her investment advisory practice Ahnay, she is a Board Director of Accounting for Nature, Greening Australia, and Re-Vi and serves as a member of the Australian Government’s Nature Finance Council. Radha previously helped grow New Forests into one of the world’s leading sustainable forestry and natural capital investment firms. Her achievements include delivering a multi-billion dollar capital base from blue-chip institutional clients, embedding a deep sustainability culture, and driving innovative investments in carbon, biodiversity, and blended finance across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Southeast Asia. While the transformation ahead is tough and the stakes for people and planet are high, Radha draws inspiration every day from the beauty and magic of nature to keep working towards systems change.

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