GD NatCap
Knowledge for the transition to nature positive
Mission
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Our mission is to bring research and innovation to bear on business and policy to accelerate the transition to nature positive.
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Purpose
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Our purpose is to nurture ecologically sustainable futures for people and planet.
Research, innovation and management consulting for the transition
Founding director Guy Duke set up GD NatCap Ltd in 2016 after 25+ years leadership experience in frontline nature conservation, management consulting and UK and EU governance for nature.
GD NatCap brings together a wide network of collaborators in the UK, Europe and beyond, from the worlds of research, innovation, business and policy, providing specialist knowledge and skills including in environmental economics, natural capital assessment, nature-based enterprise, biodiversity markets, biodiversity data, environmental policy and regulation (EU, UK), sustainability, and business management.
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About
Guy has over 30 years' experience in management consulting, in biodiversity governance (EU, UK) and in frontline nature conservation.
He directed the €2.2M H2020 project We Value Nature (2019-2022) for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, led the business interface for the €6.5m UK Valuing Nature Programme (2014-2020), and led the business interface of the €10m EU FP7 project OpenNESS (2012-2017).
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In 2019-20, he organised for the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) a series of business round tables (land management, infrastructure, finance sectors) and a major conference at the Royal Society on a Natural Asset Research and Innovation Agenda in Support of Business and Policy.
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Appointed by the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as a Member and then Deputy Chair, of the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee (2009-16), he nurtured a strategic shift to a natural capital approach in JNCC statutory advice to UK Government and devolved administrations.
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Guy led the Innovation Workstream for the EU Business @ Biodiversity Platform (2014-2019).
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He led the research team underpinning the UK Ecosystem Markets Task Force (2013-14) and research for Defra on the design of biodiversity offset markets (2013-14), informing development of the provision for biodiversity net gain in the Environment Act 2021.
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As lead for biodiversity policy at the European Commission (2002-07), Guy fostered an EU policy shift to engage the private sector in the delivery of biodiversity targets. He was instrumental in the launch and resourcing of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), precursor to the Capitals Coalition, the Dasgupta Review and the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
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As a director at ERM (1998-2002) he built a £1M net p.a. consultancy practice on natural resources and biodiversity with international development clients (EU, DFID, SIDA, World Bank, GEF).
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Guy is Honorary Professorial Fellow, Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, University of Lancaster and Fellow, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. He was previously Honorary Research Associate, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford (2011-21).
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Founding Director
Policy and Practice
UK Clients​
Defra | UK Ecosystem Markets Task Force | Environment Bank Ltd | Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
EU/Global Clients
European Commission (DG Environment, LIFE+) | CompteCO2 (FR) | German Environment Agency (UBA) (DE) | Stichting Capitals Coalition (NL) | Forest Trends (US)
Clients
Research and Innovation
UK Clients​
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) | Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, University of Lancaster​
EU/Global Clients
European Commission (FP7, H2020, Horizon Europe) | Research Executive Agency (REA) | European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
UK Collaborators​
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) | Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) | UNEP-WCMC | eftec
EU/Global Collaborators
​German Environment Agency (UBA) (DE) | Oppla (NL) | Stichting Capitals Coalition (NL) | World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (CH) | Oppla EEIG (NL) | Forest Trends (US) | LGI Sustainable Innovation (FR) | CompteCO2 (FR) | Vlaamse Instelling Voor Technologisch Onderzoek N.V. (Vito) (BE) | Fundación Tecnalia Research and Innovation (ES) | IDEEA Global Ltd (IRL) | Environmental Institute (SK) | ICLEI European Secretariat Gmbh (DE)
Policy and Practice
Collaborators
UK Collaborators
Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business, The University of Birmingham | Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CiSL), University of Cambridge | Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter |
School of Anthropology and Conservation​, University of Kent | Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, Lancaster University | University of Nottingham | Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford | Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford | Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR), University of St. Andrews | UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)
EU/Global Collaborators
Vlaams Gewest (INBO) (BE) | Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Forderung Der Angewandten Forschung Ev (DE) | Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH (UFZ) (DE) | Aarhus Universitet (DK) | Universidad de Burgo (ES) | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES) | Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (ES) | Suomen Ympäristökeskus (SYKE (FI) | Tampereen Korkeakoulusaatio Sr (FI) | Centre National du Machinisme Agricole, du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (Cemagref-IRSTEA) (FR) | Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG) (HU) | Joint Research Centre, European Commission (JRC) (IT) | Università degli Studi Di Trento (IT) | Università degli Studi Di Firenze (IT) | Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (NL) | Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (NL) | Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (ALTERRA) (NL) | Stiftelsen Norsk Institutt for Naturforskning (NINA) (NO) | Academia de Studii Economice di BucureÈ™ti (RO) | Forest Trends (US)
Research and Innovation
Expertise in natural capital, ecosystem services and biodiversity
Non-executive board-level roles—public and private sector
Research, innovation and technical support for the private sector—land management, infrastructure,
finance and other sectors
Brokering the interface between knowledge providers, business and finance
Research & Innovation projects (coordination / project direction)
Research & innovation proposals (coordination / lead authorship)
Research & Innovation proposal evaluation, project monitoring
Development of research and innovation agendas
Convenor—round tables, conferences
Training and capacity-building
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