AECOM women contribute key expertise to sustainability report

AECOM women are experts in their field.

AECOM's Technical Director of Natural Capital, Helen Dunn, and nature-based solutions lead for the Australia and New Zealand region, Cathy Crawley, have provided key contributions to Environment Analyst's Embedding Nature for Business Resilience report.

"Policy makers and businesses play a pivotal role in stabilizing and restoring habitats and reversing biodiversity loss, not least because those habitats and species are critical to economic growth," said Environment Analyst.

Embedding Nature for Business Resilience was written by subject matter experts and seasoned environmental and sustainability advisers to provide organizations with the insight they need to embed nature-based solutions for business resilience.

Progressing towards biodiversity action and climate goals

Each chapter of the report was authored by subject-matter experts and seasoned environmental and sustainability advisers that assist businesses and governments in measuring, reporting, and progressing towards biodiversity action and climate goals.

The women contributed to two of the report's chapters: Using the Natural Capital Protocol to Transform Corporate Decision-Making, and Using Nature-Based Solutions to Strengthen Asset Resilience.

"At its simplest level, natural capital is about recognizing the natural environment as a valuable asset, similar to other capitals," said Helen. "The Natural Capital Protocol was published in 2016 by the Capitals Coalition (formerly Natural Capital Coalition) to provide an international standardised framework for businesses to measure and value their impacts and dependencies on natural capital. It was developed from a multi-stakeholder collaboration to harmonise approaches to natural capital. At its core, the Protocol recognizes that by understanding the impacts and dependencies on natural capital, a company can better identify key risks and opportunities for improved decision-making."

Helen is a senior-level economist specializing in the application of economic techniques and analysis to policy and projects, particularly in the field of natural capital and the environment. She has extensive public policy experience as a senior economic adviser. Previously, one of her roles included a lead role in developing natural capital expertise in government, including long-term financing mechanisms, developing greener markets and valuing natural capital in the business sector.

Cathy stated: "Infrastructure and asset managers, from highway delivery bodies and energy transmission networks, to water companies and manufacturing firms, are increasingly turning to nature-based solutions (NbS) to embed climate resilience within their assets. As NbS projects have become a more mainstream feature of climate resilience approaches, there is clear evidence that NbS can create habitats and achieve environmental goals while lowering project costs."

Cathy has more than 30 years of international experience in environment, sustainability, and climate resilience consulting, and has technical knowledge of the inter-relationships between the natural environment and business needs, and the shared value gained from assessing the environment more holistically.