A Nature Positive Australia - Why does it matter and how do we get there?

Biodiversity loss and environmental degradation threaten our society and our economy. We depend on natural processes and ecosystems for clean water, clean air, a stable climate, fertile soils, and pollinating our crops. Yet these vital ecosystem services are being dangerously undermined by pollution, deforestation, land-use change, and unsustainable resource extraction.

Nature-positive has emerged as a global goal to catalyse action from the international to the local scales to address alarming rates of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation worldwide. Simply put, the nature-positive goal aims for measurable improvements in the state of nature against a defined baseline, to safeguard the wide range of ecosystem services provided by nature that underpin human wellbeing.

But how do we translate this important global goal into action at different scales? Do we have the scientific basis to measure and monitor nature-positive outcomes? How might we drive behavioural change to reduce adverse impacts and promote improvements in the state of nature? What types of legal and policy measures are required? How can we ensure that interventions to address climate change also support nature?

In 2022, the Australian Government signed up to ambitious new nature targets in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and released its Nature Positive Plan, which sets out reforms to national environmental laws and introduces a nature repair market. The Government has also begun to implement sustainable finance reforms to re-align private capital to help address climate change and other key sustainability challenges like nature loss. In October 2024, Australia will host the Global Nature Positive Summit, designed to accelerate collective action to drive investment in nature and strengthen activities to protect and repair our environment.

This is an important time for raising awareness about the nature-positive goal, why does it matter and how do we get there?

Please join us for a three-part webinar series with leading researchers from Monash University. The series is designed to open up a conversation about how our research in biodiversity science, behavioural science, law and finance can help to realise a nature-positive Australia. You can register for any or all of the following webinars during the registration process.

Webinar 1 - Nature – Science, Data and Information for a Nature-positive Australia 

Thursday, 26 September, 3.30-5pm

This webinar will explore the science behind the nature-positive goal and how we best use science to inform policy development and implementation. It will also profile emerging science-based tools for measuring and supporting nature-positive land use and negotiating land-use trade-offs.

Speakers

Professor Melodie McGeoch – School of Biological Sciences - Do we have the scientific basis to measure and monitor nature-positive outcomes?

Melodie is a Professor of Ecology at Monash University, renowned for her expertise in biodiversity measurement and monitoring. With over 200 publications and 20 years of experience, she focuses on using biodiversity science to inform environmental policy and conservation, particularly in areas like climate change, biosecurity, and sustainable systems. Her research spans biodiversity monitoring, earth observation systems, and the development of decision-support frameworks.

Saxbee Affleck - School of Biological Sciences - Protecting species and natural processes for a nature positive Australia

Saxbee is a biodiversity scientist with an interest in understanding the way ecological communities work and how they can be best managed to deliver positive outcomes for people in a changing world. Saxbee works at the intersection of science, business and policy for sustainable development solutions.  Saxbee's PhD research is on the implications of species differences for maintaining the functioning of ecosystems.

Liam Walsh - Climateworks Centre - Science-based tools for measuring nature & supporting nature positive land use

Liam leads Climateworks' efforts to reduce emissions in the Food, Land & Ocean sectors across Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. He has worked with major companies and governments worldwide, managing sustainability programs in areas like agriculture, biodiversity, and coastal management. Previously, Liam worked with WWF on reducing the environmental impact of food production. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master’s in International Development and Environmental Analysis from Monash University.

Moderator - Anita Foerster

Webinar 2 – Policy – Opportunities to strengthen law and policy for a Nature-positive Australia

Monday, 30 September, 3.30-5pm

This webinar will explore how the nature-positive goal is articulated in international law and how it is being incorporated into Australian law and policy, including through proposed reforms to national environmental laws and the introduction of a new Nature Repair market. The discussion will also explore emerging private sector approaches to nature and biodiversity, and the potential to use Sustainable Finance reforms to align private capital with nature positive outcomes. 

Speakers

Associate Professor Gerry Nagtzaam – Faculty of Law – The promise (& failure) of international biodiversity law

Gerry is a globally-recognised environmental scholar. His research focuses on the intersections between environmental law, politics, history and economics. He has written extensively on international environmental treaties and their normative treatment, nuclear waste disposal, whaling and global biodiversity loss. Gerry is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria’s International Law Committee.

Ella Vines – Monash Business School Green Lab - Australia’s Nature Positive Plan - combining regulation and markets 

Ella is post-doctoral research fellow at Monash Business School’s Green Lab, researching regulatory frameworks for net-zero, nature-positive companies. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, researching legal pathways to reduce Australian coal extraction and consumption. She holds an LLM from the University of Melbourne, as well as an LLB and a Diploma of Languages (Indonesian) from Deakin University. Prior to commencing her PhD, she worked as a commercial lawyer in litigation and dispute resolution and business and not-for-profit structuring. Ella has a variety of teaching experience most recently in the areas of human rights law and corporate sustainability regulation.

Associate Professor Anita Foerster – Monash Business School Green Lab – Regulating nature risks and nature impacts – limits and opportunities in sustainable finance

Anita specialises in environmental and climate change law, regulation and governance. She has expertise in private sector sustainability governance; the implementation of legal frameworks for climate mitigation and adaptation at different jurisdictional scales; disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Australian settlements; and the allocation of scarce natural resources (such as water) between competing users. Anita leads the Monash Business School’s Green Lab, a hub for interdisciplinary and applied research on climate change and sustainability.

Moderator - Anita Foerster

Webinar 3 – People – Shifting behaviours in the Land and Finance Sectors

Wednesday, 2 October, 12-1.30pm

This webinar will contribute insights from the social and behavioural sciences to help understand key drivers for behavioural change in the land and finance sectors, both crucial to achieving nature-positive goals in Australia. 

Speakers
Professor Liam Smith – Behaviourworks Australia – Behavioural approaches to nature positive 

Liam, formerly Director of Monash University’s Tourism Research Unit, holds degrees in Resource and Environmental Management, Ecotourism, and a PhD from Monash University. In 2011, he was invited to establish and lead BehaviourWorks Australia, a behavioural change initiative aimed at solving sustainability challenges. His research has focused on areas such as water, energy, waste, pollution, and climate change adaptation.

Dr Stefan Kaufman - Behaviourworks Australia – Why incentives for nature repair are not attractive to farmers & how to increase uptake of nature positive land management practices

Stefan Kaufman applies the lens of behavioural change to understanding and accelerating sustainability transitions. He brings extensive experience in applying social and behavioural science to drive impactful change in government and complex systems. Since joining BehaviourWorks in2019, he has collaborated across multiple agencies to tackle complex policy challenges in climate adaptation, responsible consumption and circular economy. His current role as an Integration Expert focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice, fostering collaboration to achieve sustainable outcomes. He has completed multiple research projects working with land managers and their supporters to navigate the risks and opportunities of engaging in environmental markets.

Dr Nga Pham – Monash Centre for Financial Studies – What influences investor behaviour on ESG matters like nature?

Nga Pham is a senior research fellow at the Monash Centre for Financial Studies (MCFS). She works on issues related to pensions, corporate governance, ESG and shareholder activism. Nga is a member of the Advisory Board of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index. She is currently also a co-chair of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Financial Capital Committee. Before that, she was a member of the Disclosure and Transparency Committee of ICGN.

Moderator - Anita Foerster

Contact

Associate Professor Anita Foerster (anita.foerster@monash.edu)