Nature Finance UK Conference 2026 will bring together more than 500 leaders to unlock private investment in the UK’s natural infrastructure, protecting businesses and communities from heat, drought and flooding
Businesses will face increasingly severe disruption, higher costs and less resilient supply chains unless private investment in the country’s natural infrastructure is rapidly increased, experts have warned.
Healthy soils, rivers, peatlands, woodlands and coastal habitat protects businesses and local communities from flooding, drought, extreme heat and other climate risks. They also have an important role to play in many businesses’ targets for net zero and biodiversity.
When the core functions of the natural environment are not looked after, the consequences reach far and wide: food and insurance costs rise, water supplies come under pressure, transport and supply chains are disrupted, and homes and businesses become more vulnerable.
The stark warning comes from the organisers of this year’s Nature Finance UK Conference, which will bring together more than 500 leaders from corporates, finance, investment, government, land management and the environmental sector in London on 12 November.
Now in its ninth year, the conference will examine how business and investor money can help restore the UK’s natural infrastructure, strengthen business and regional resilience, and take successful nature-based projects from local initiatives to investable programmes operating at scale.
This summer’s record-breaking heatwaves, which led to severe disruption across much of the UK, have brought the economic risks of climate change into sharp focus.
If no action is taken to reduce the effects of climate change, the Climate Change Committee estimates that the UK’s GDP could fall by between 1%–5% every year by 2050, equivalent to around £60 – £260 billion a year, if global temperatures rise by 2°C
Bruce Howard, Director of Ecosystems Knowledge Network, the conference organiser, said that financial innovation will take nature restoration beyond its traditional reliance on public funding and philanthropy.
“When our natural infrastructure stops functioning properly, businesses pay. Then we all pay. Transport and supply chains are disrupted, harvests are poor, and more homes and businesses are exposed to flooding and wildfire.
“This summer has shown how vulnerable our economy is to the deterioration of the natural systems on which it depends. Healthy soils, functioning rivers, restored peatlands and resilient landscapes are the bedrock of a strong economy. Unless we enable money to flow to restore them now, businesses and communities will face mounting costs and disruption.
“That’s why we are convening the Nature Finance UK Conference. We want to bring together businesses, investors, government and land managers to develop practical ways of financing a more resilient economy.”
The conference was established in 2018, when the economic case for restoring nature was gaining recognition but the role of private finance remained unclear.
Since then, nature finance has grown significantly, with major businesses and institutional investors becoming increasingly involved. Businesses are buying outcomes like nature-based carbon credits and reduced flood risk.
The conference will explore how smaller businesses can work collectively to invest in places that are better for their employees and customers and more resilient to climate change.
It will also consider how farmers, rural estates and other land managers can collaborate across valleys and river catchments to create investable regional programmes delivering environmental, economic and social benefits.
The full-day event will include plenary discussions, spotlight sessions and extensive networking opportunities.
Confirmed speakers include Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change and Energy Policy at the Food and Drink Federation; Nicholas Bruschi, Senior Nature Policy Manager at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change; and Ben Sharples, Partner and Head of Natural Capital at Michelmores.
Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change and Energy Policy, The Food and Drink Federation, said:
“Investing in nature, including regenerative farming, is key to building resilient supply chains and to safeguarding the UK’s food security. We’ve seen this summer, with the droughts across the UK and Europe, how climate, nature and food supply are intrinsically linked, and we know that by protecting the natural environment, we can also help reduce the food system’s carbon emissions.
“Collaboration across the supply chain is what will drive the step-level change in investment that is needed.”
The Nature Finance UK Conference 2026 will take place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London on Thursday 12 November.
To register, visit:
https://ecosystemsknowledge.net/event/nature-finance-uk-conference-2026/
