Nature Minister Mary Creagh will appear before the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee next week to give evidence in the EAC’s revived inquiry into the role of natural capital in the green economy.

The first half of the evidence session forms the final hearing on the revived inquiry.

The wide-ranging evidence session on natural capital and the outcomes of the recent COP16 will also address the issue of what the Government doing to promote investment in nature.

The Committee heard last week that while the financial sector is ready to invest in nature recovery, business and policy levers need to be addressed to spur progress. Members will be keen to explore the Government’s implementation of its Nature Markets Framework, and its role in achieving the pledge of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.

The second half of the session will focus on the outcome of the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16), and the UK Government’s next steps ahead of COP16 resuming in February 2025.

While there was some success at COP16, including an agreement of a global levy on products using genetic data from nature, countries failed to agree on nature finance and the monitoring of targets.

Members will be keen to hear from the Minister on the Government’s position going into the resumed talks in February.

Witnesses will appear before the Committe on Wednesday 18 December at 14.30, The Grimond Room, Portcullis House as follows:

From 14.30:

• Mary Creagh CBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Helen Edmundson, Deputy Director, Green Finance, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Dr Will Lockhart OBE, Deputy Director, International Biodiversity and Wildlife, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Click here to watch the live evidence session.