Grounded: Scaling Nature and Climate Solutions in Practice - UK & Western Australia
Description
The most important voices in the nature and climate transition are rarely the loudest. They are the farmers, fishers and foresters negotiating new income models on their land; the conservation workers rebuilding ecosystems at the landscape scale; First Nations custodians and land managers integrating culture and nature-positive practices; innovative businesses testing new models; and community leaders holding it all together.
This practitioner and expert-led panel cuts through the theory to share what is actually working, what has not worked, and what incentive and policy structures are needed to shift systems at scale.
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Co-hosted by South Coast NRM and The Superpower Institute, with supporting partners Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Rebalance Earth, Oyster Heaven, Nature Positive Landscapes Initiative and the University of St Andrews, the panel brings together organisations working at the frontline of nature and climate transitions, alongside policy experts, to explore how nature-based solutions can attract investment at scale and reach their full potential.
The discussion will consider the role of high-integrity certification, robust measurement and clear metrics in building confidence for investment in nature-based solutions and trade in green products. It will also examine how frameworks can better account for land-use impacts, biodiversity and lifecycle emissions, ensuring investment in decarbonisation and nature are aligned.
The panel will explore how established carbon markets and emerging nature repair markets can work together to mobilise private capital, blended finance and public-private partnerships.
From Western Australia’s biodiversity hotspot to Scotland’s natural capital frontier, the panellists represent some of the most advanced real-world experiments in carbon mitigation and landscape-scale nature recovery.
This is not a conventional conference panel. It is a conversation with the people doing the work, followed by a networking reception.
Lineup
Joanna Kay
Program Director, International Strategy, Partnerships and Engagement Joanna Kay has nearly two decades of experience across the public and private sectors in Australia, China, and India, specialising in energy policy, sustainable development, and international collaboration. Prior to joining The Superpower Institute, she served as Executive General Manager at the Smart Energy Council and as the Australian Government’s Specialist Advisor to the International Solar Alliance in Delhi. Joanna was a board member at the Institute of Sustainability, Energy and Resources at Adelaide University and contributed to advancing global research in sustainability and energy management.
Luke Bayley
CEO, South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc Luke Bayley is the CEO of South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc., where he leads a dedicated team and collaborates with partners throughout the region to promote stewardship of natural resources for the benefit of our environment, economy, and future generations. Based in the breathtaking South Coast of Western Australia, our independent, community-based organization offers regional leadership and expertise in natural resource management, conservation, nature-positive sustainability, and climate adaptation. With over 25 years of experience in natural resource management, conservation, and business leadership, Luke has developed a proven track record of forging strategic alliances with regional groups, First Nations communities, and industry stakeholders. He excels in driving financial performance and fostering regional partnerships while implementing effective landscape-scale conservation strategies that address both environmental and economic priorities. Luke holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Parks, Recreation, and Heritage from Charles Sturt University. He has further enhanced his professional expertise through various development programs, including the Strategic Leadership for Nonprofit Leaders course at Harvard Business School in 2024 and an executive course at Cambridge Judge Business School in June 2025.
Lauren Burns
Program Director, Green Carbon Industries Lauren has twelve years experience working in small agile start-ups, large OEM and academia in aircraft technology and product development, with a special interest in decarbonising aviation. She has significant strengths in program management, stakeholder relations, supply chain partnerships, team building, technology R&D and business case development.
Helen Crowley
Dr. Helen Crowley has a 30+ year career underpinning her global expertise in biodiversity across public and private sectors designing and implementing nature based and natural climate solutions, integrating nature/biodiversity into business and finance strategy and enterprise development. Her professional work spanned over a decade on conservation strategy and programs with Wildlife Conservation Society in Africa and Madagascar, a decade building corporate sustainability leadership with the luxury group, Kering, and most recently leading the nature focus across all sectors as Managing Director at the advisory and investment firm, Pollination. She now focuses her efforts more broadly as a global advisor to companies, investors, non-profits and start-ups guiding the development and implementation of their strategies. Dr. Crowley also dedicates time to teaching, writing and presenting to build awareness of the power of Nature. She has co-produced a short documentary film and was noted as one of the top 52 ‘newsmakers’ in Australia in 2022. She is a non-executive Director and Advisor on several for profit and non-profit Boards. She has a PhD in Zoology from the Australian National University, has led research expeditions with the Australian Antarctic Expeditions and the National Geographic Society. She was awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre National from the President of Madagascar for services to the country.
George Birch
Founder, Oyster Heaven George Birch has a background in marine ecology and experience spanning marine conservation and sustainable finance. After working with the Blue Marine Foundation and in sustainable asset management at Janus Henderson, he founded Oyster Heaven in 2021. The startup partners with ocean-dependent companies to restore marine ecosystems at scale by rebuilding oyster reefs. As founder, George leads growth and strategic partnerships, driving Oyster Heaven’s mission to regenerate healthy oceans.
Eoin Murray
Chief Investment Officer, Rebalance Earth Eoin Murray is Chief Investment Officer at Rebalance Earth, where he pioneers nature finance by treating ecosystems as business-critical infrastructure. With over 25 years of investment leadership experience, including CIO roles at Federated Hermes and Old Mutual, Eoin has consistently been at the forefront of financial innovation, from quantitative strategies, hedge funds and private debt to sustainable investing. Currently pursuing a PhD in Nature & Investment at Bayes Business School, he also served as Managing Director of the SEED Biocomplexity Index at ETH Zurich's Crowther Lab, developing the world's most comprehensive biodiversity measurement tools. Beyond finance, Eoin is an active member of Exmoor Search and Rescue Team and recipient of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and King's Coronation medals for his services to Mountain Rescue. At Rebalance Earth, he leads the mission to deploy £10 billion over the next decade, transforming degraded UK ecosystems into investible assets that deliver contracted returns top investors while building resilience against water risks, floods, and drought
Karen Laing
Director of Sustainability Transformation at University of St Andrews Passionate about transforming sustainability ambitions into measurable impact, Karen brings over 10 years of experience leading complex portfolios, programmes, and change initiatives across higher education. She specialises in aligning strategy with operational delivery—bridging the gap between vision and execution. As Director of Sustainability, she leads cross-functional efforts to embed climate action, nature restoration, and carbon reduction into institutional strategy and operations. Her background in portfolio and programme management enables her to deliver high-impact initiatives that are data-driven, stakeholder-aligned, and future-focused.
Ed Heather-Hayes
Head of Development, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust Ed has over 20 years experience in conservation and countryside management, with a focus on building strong, multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver successful and resilient projects and programmes spanning the length and breadth of Fife. In his role leading Nature Finance Fife and Dreel Burn Investment Readiness initiatives, and Co-chair of the Nature Finance Certification Alliance, he is expanding the scope of FCCT’s vision to ‘connect environment and people’ through development of an investible programme of high integrity, co-designed landscape restoration projects.
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