Scottish National Investment Bank Chair Willie Watt was interviewed by me at COP26 as part of the Finance for Nature conference. We discussed the public investment bank’s approach to nature – and climate-based investments as well as decision grade data. Willie Watt is the Chair of the Scottish National Investment Bank, a new publicly owned development bank that launched in November 2020.
I also interviewed Jeremy Leggett and Julian Matthews and we discussed new business and investment models to enable financing of rewilding projects in Scotland and beyond. Decision grade data for asset level evidence was discussed with them.
Dr Jeremy Leggett is a social entrepreneur and the Executive Director of Bunloit, and Founder of Highlands Rewilding.
Julian Matthews is an award-winning eco-tourism entrepreneur, travel sustainability pioneer and influencer in wildlife and nature-based economics. He runs Real Wild Estates Company.
Finance for Nature in Nature was a COP26 conference that SRUC’s Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre co-organised, via my co-leadership in the Scottish Conservation Finance Pioneers Network working with the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital, with The Scottish Government, UNDP, Global Canopy and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative.
The series took a look at how to finance protection of nature in the beautiful surroundings of Loch Lomond. Across 2 days at Ross Priory, we heard from a range of speakers on both the local and global challenges around financing nature. The full round-up of events on demand is available here.
I also produced a podcast for COP26, which was promoted by SRUC, NatureScot, the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital and SEPA. Listen now: