S2E1: Eco-nomics: Putting a value on nature is also key to saving it

The Straits Times Podcasts

Businesses are buying into new financial products that could help save nature, but funds for nature’s protection have not reached the scale required.

Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.

Coral reef bonds, biodiversity credits and schemes that enable national debt to be forgiven in exchange for conservation efforts.

These are just some of the financial instruments that have been in the news recently, as the world races to find the funds needed to prevent nature from falling into further decline. But when did the financial sector start paying attention to nature, and can their involvement in conservation truly help to protect and restore natural ecosystems?

Financing for nature is expected to be a key topic of discussion at the COP16 biodiversity conference in Colombia in October. In the lead-up to the United Nations summit, Green Pulse co-hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty discuss the role of the financial sector in nature conservation with Ms Hoon Ling Min, investment director at decarbonisation investment platform GenZero.

Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

4:05 Who are the buyers of nature-linked investment products?

9:14 What drives the development of new types of nature-related financial products?

15:43 In the absence of a measurable metric for nature, how can biodiversity benefits be quantified?

17:30 How important is the role of the private sector in protecting nature?

Follow Audrey Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/848W

Read her articles: https://str.sg/JLM2

Follow David Fogarty on X: https://str.sg/JLM6

Read his articles: https://str.sg/JLMu

Hosts: Audrey Tan ([e-mail]) & David Fogarty ([e-mail])

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

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Chapter

1. Eco-nomics: Putting a value on nature is also key to saving it (00:00:00)

2. Who buys nature-linked investment products? (00:04:05)

3. What drives new nature-related finance? (00:09:14)

4. Quantifying biodiversity without metrics? (00:15:43)

5. Private sector's role in protecting nature? (00:17:30)