To reap the full benefits of nature and safeguard its future, significant investment is essential. However, nature comes with its own intrinsic value. From providing clean air and water to supporting our food production, a healthy natural environment is the basis to any healthy economy.
Many of these assets are difficult to quantify, and that’s where the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital comes in. The Forum brings together public, private and voluntary sector organisations to protect, value and rebuild Scotland’s natural capital.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is proud to be the Secretariat for the Forum, working collaboratively with our partners to ensure natural capital is at the heart of all decision making in Scotland. We are therefore delighted to announce that the steering group has appointed new co-chairs of the Forum – Hannah Rudman and Colin Brown.
As we look forward to this new era, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank David Watt (former Chair) and Jo Pike (former deputy chair) for all their excellent work in their respective roles. Having come to the end of their terms, both have been formally welcomed by the wider steering group.
The following details were originally published on the Scottish Forum on Nature Capital website.
Co-Chair Dr Hannah Rudman joined the Forum in 2020, when she turned her professional focus and energy to nature positive solutions to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. She is currently a nature based solutions project developer, working on the ground with Highlands Rewilding. Hannah also works in academia with the James Hutton Institute, researching effective business and policy models, and exploring the trustability and transparency of nature tech. Hannah serves Scotland as a Trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland and has been a co-lead of the Nature Finance Pioneers Hub since the early days, and is member of the Marine Natural Capital Navigators and Digital Enablers Hubs since their initiation. She is co-opted on the Nature Finance and Research Groups of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest. Way back in the olden days, Hannah was the “young SME representative” of the Scottish Government’s 2020 Climate Group!
Co-Chair Colin Brown joins the Forum bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge and understanding from working in the field of sustainability and climate change over the last 30 years. He has worked across a number of public sector, private sector, corporations, SME, academic and NGO organisations including leading the sustainability agenda for a FTSE 25 corporation, being McLaren Racing’s first ever Director of Sustainability to being instrumental in shaping Scotland’s first ever national circular programme with SISP. His work and research fed into the development of the Climate Change Act (Scotland) 2009. With an academic background in Architecture and Eco-design, he has won and been shortlisted for sustainable design awards. Colin is currently a consultancy Group Lead on Sustainability; Director of Climate Change and Sustainability; ClimateTech NED; Social Impact Impact Special Advisor; as well Co-Founder of an organisation promoting holistic thinking and better joining the dots on sustainability.
A message from Hannah and Colin
“It’s a great privilege to serve the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital as Co-Chairs. Thank you for appointing us, we can’t wait to work with this powerful collective to move forward the Forum’s long term goals.”
The Forum is also refocusing its energies on its highly active hubs, which bring together over 800 people from multiple backgrounds and sectors, and an annual Horizon Scanning Roundtable for senior leaders across sectors, with the first one slated for Feb 2025.
Are you a member of one of the Scottish Forum hubs yet?
Find out more at https://naturalcapitalscotland.com/our-groups-and-networks/our-networks/