Sustainable resilience: managing the legal impact of nature risk

Nature is not only a source of beauty and inspiration, but also a vital foundation for the economy, society and human wellbeing. Yet, it’s under growing pressure from human activity, posing significant risks and opportunities for businesses that both depend on and impact nature.

As nature risk becomes a material issue for company boards, it’s rising on the agenda for in-house counsel. Senior leaders must understand their evolving duties and expectations with respect to nature, and organisations must have strategies in place to mitigate potential issues.

This seminar will explore the latest developments and provide practical guidance to help legal teams navigate nature risk with confidence.

Areas we'll cover include:

• Why nature risk matters to every business, regardless of size or sector
• How nature-related risks manifest in complex supply chains
• The latest legal obligations relating to nature that in-house counsel need to understand
• Practical ideas and best practice for identifying and mitigating nature risks, and capitalising on nature-related opportunities

We'll be joined by guest speakers from sustainability-focused consultancy Nature Positive, Associate Directors Jenny Hughes and Tom Mason. They'll share their insights into some of the common challenges organisations face in driving nature-focused projects forward and strategies for success. We will also be joined by representatives from the International Bar Association (IBA), who will present the new Nature-Intelligent Legal Services Toolkit that is under development by IBA committees, working with Nature Positive and biodiversity law experts.

Our panel session will be chaired by Róisín Bergin from Gowling WLG’s Corporate team and include Jenny Hughes, Associate Director at Nature Positive, Jennifer Spence, ESG Director at Essentra, Wendy Walford, Head of Climate and Nature Risk at Legal & General and Ben Stansfield, Sustainability Partner at Gowling WLG. Together, they'll talk further about the legal and technical issues to consider in this area. They’ll also discuss how to respond when a nature-related issue arises and explore opportunities to manage key risks while contributing to nature-positive goals.

Whether your organisation is just starting to think about nature risk or looking to deepen its understanding, this session will provide the tools and context to take the next step.

We hope you’ll be able to join us.

Agenda