Could the future of water be grown not built?
Nature-Based Innovation in Water Futures – Event Agenda
9.30am – Registration
Arrival, registration, and a chance to connect before the sessions begin.
10.00am – Opening Remarks
What is today’s overarching theme?
Can we cultivate sustainable water futures through nature, rather than traditional infrastructure?
Speaker: Gabriela Dotro, Chair, Constructed Wetland Association
10.15am – Nature-Based Solutions – What’s Really New?
How do we move beyond “greenwashing” to genuine innovation in nature-based solutions (NBS)?
What makes today’s NBS approaches truly new?
Why do trials matter, and where are the gaps in measurement and evaluation?
Speaker: Kevin Barton, Robert Bray Associates
10.45am – End-of-Pipe Innovation – Clarity and Certainty
What are the latest developments in end-of-pipe technologies and biological treatment solutions?
How can we quantify their impact — for example, on nitrogen and phosphorus levels?
Speaker: Howard Grey, GreenBlue Urban
11.15am – Integrating Nature into the Pipe
Where and how can NBS complement end-of-pipe approaches?
What role do wetlands, SuDS, river rewilding, and urban greening play in this integration?
Speaker: Michael Shorey, Principal Watercourses Engineer, Enfield Council
11.45am – Break
12.00pm – Quantifying whole-life value of our SuDS
What have we achieved over three decades of SuDS deployment?
Did we collect the evidence we needed to unlock benefits from our SuDS?
Is there a parallel universe where SuDS were all empirically monitored (...and an abundance of evidence unlocks measurable performance benefits)?
What can we do from here?
Speaker: Peter Melville-Shreeve, Associate Professor, University of Exeter
12.30pm – Metrics That Matter – What Do We Measure for the Future?
What indicators best reflect carbon reduction, nutrient removal, climate resilience, and biodiversity gains?
Should we focus on whole-system health or localised outputs?
How do we align our metrics with long-term environmental outcomes?
1.00pm – Lunch
1.45pm – Biodiversity Net Gain – A Chance to Grow the Future?
What is the current regulatory backdrop for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)?
How can BNG be used to fund and shape water outcomes in practice?
2.15pm – Global Lessons in Nature-Positive Infrastructure – Insights from New Zealand’s Water Sector
Chair: Sasha Barnes, British Expertise International
Speakers:
Gillian Blythe, Chief Executive, Water New Zealand
Sarah Sinclaire, Senior Partner and Infrastructure Lead, MinsterEllisonRuddWatts
Jamie Sinclair, Chief Executive, Watercare
3pm – NBS Integration vs End-of-Pipe Innovation (Debate)
In an urbanised, impermeable world, can nature really scale?
What are the trade-offs between these approaches?
What do timelines and current evidence tell us about efficacy?
3.30pm – Reflections: So, Could the Future Be Grown? (Closing Session)
A reflective close to the day – pulling together key insights, provocations, and next steps.
3.45pm – End of Day