Forest Finance & Sustainability Conference 2016

OPENING KEYNOTE: Climate change and worldwide implications for businesses and investors

Holt Thrasher, CEO, Permian Global

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: The Outlook for Sustainable Forest Finance and Investment

David Brand, Chief Executive Officer, New Forests

PANEL DISCUSSION: Strategies and innovative financing mechanisms for forestry investing

• Forestry within the investment portfolio – capital preservation or inflation hedge?
• The forestry investment landscape explained: who is buying what and why (financial instruments and types of deals)
• Why investors are keen on real assets
• Emerging investment products (green bonds, agroforestry etc)
• How to de-risk investment in climate finance

Panellists:
GianPaolo Potsios, Partner, Timberland Investment Resources Europe
Joost Oorthuizen, Executive Director at IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
Roger Naylor, Forestry - Chief Operating Officer, FIM Services Ltd
Stephen Rumsey, Chairman, Permian Global
Moderator: Jane Feehan, Senior Forestry Specialist, European Investment Bank

PANEL DISCUSSION: Managing risks and returns within global forestry

• The critical factors in generating optimal investment returns
• How conservation finance - integrating forestry, biomass and eco-systems services - is delivering new industry revenue streams
• Mitigating economic, currency, physical and other risks inherent to this sector
• Where to invest - regional investment considerations and opportunities

Panellists:
Andrew Mitchell, Founder Director, Global Canopy Programme
Darius Sarshar, Consultant, SLM Partners
Jeffrey Hatcher, Managing Director, Indufor North America
Moderator: Hugh Humfrey, Partner, Timberland Investment Resources Europe

PANEL DISCUSSION: Sustainability criteria, standards and certification for forestry and biomass

• The sustainability and transparency issues facing the forest products and biomass supply chain
• Strategies for defining, measuring and achieving sustainability
• The role of standards and certification processes

Panellists:
Andrew Heald, Technical Director, Confederation of Forest Industries
Joost Kanen, Director, Gryphon Carbon Consulting
Marcel Silvius, Programme Head Climate-Smart Land Use, Wetlands International
Thorsten Arndt, Head of Communications, PEFC
Moderator: Julia Young, Manager, Global Forest and Trade Network - UK, WWF

PRESENTATION: Promoting investments in productive forests for achieving green growth and climate goals

Gerhard Dieterle, Forests Adviser and Program Manager for FIP and DGM, Sustainable Development Network (World Bank)

PANEL DISCUSSION: Anti-deforestation developments post COP21 and market implications

• The industry initiatives to combat deforestation that are changing the forestry investment landscape (Soft Commodities Compact, UNEP FI, Natural Capital Declaration)
• The Paris Climate Agreement and sustainability goals: a pipe dream or a realistic solution?
• The future of carbon-offsetting and the role of REDD+. Are carbon credits an investable asset and will the aviation industry be a game changer?
• Walking the tight-rope: the stakeholder dynamics across the private sector, NGOs, governments and multilaterals

Panellists:
Anders Nordheim, Programme Co-ordinator for Biodiversity, Ecosystems Services and Water, UNEP FI
Christian del Valle, Founder and Managing Partner, Althelia Ecosphere
Mark Eadie, Head of Environmental and Social Risk Management, Standard Chartered
Naomi Swickard, Director, Land-based Frameworks, Verified Carbon Standard
Moderator: Jane Wilkinson, Director, Climate Policy Initiative

CASE STUDY: Peatland Restoration and Conservation Project

Stephen Rumsey, Chairman, Permian Global

CASE STUDY: Delivering landscape financing in San Martin, Peru

Alexandra Pinzon, Project Lead Unlocking Forest Finance, Global Canopy Programme

CLOSING PANEL: The future for forestry and its role as a sustainable solution

• Are the commitments to sustainability by governments, investors and companies going far enough?
• What is needed to drive sustainable forestry forward?
• What are the predictions regarding the forestry investment sector in the next five years?

Panellists:
Adrian Rimmer, President, Climate Markets and Investment Association
David Brand, Chief Executive Officer, New Forests
Meryam Omi, Head of Sustainability, Legal & General Investment Management
Pat Snowdon, Head of Economics and Climate Change, Forestry Commission
Moderator: Chris Knight, Assistant Director Sustainability & Climate Change, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Concluding Remarks

Adrian Rimmer, President, Climate Markets and Investment Association