Investors wanting to better understand deforestation and nature risk in Asia can now take a new online course offered by the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC). It draws on a May study by the AIGCC and PwC, which found an “alarming” degree of nature loss in the region, and considerable shortfall in investment to halt and reverse it. The course – open to all AIGCC members but particularly directed at investment analysts and portfolio managers – includes four modules: introduction to deforestation; deforestation risks and opportunities; integration of deforestation risk and opportunities into investment strategies; and case studies. The latter include Schroders’ work on reducing commodity-driven deforestation, Resona Asset Management’s efforts on managing the nature risks of palm oil, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management’s engagement strategy on nature risks. “Asia’s investors have been clamouring for resources to help them manage nature risks and opportunities,” AIGCC CEO Rebecca Mikula-Wright said. “Despite nature being such a financially significant investment factor, until now there hasn’t been high-quality and reliable training that meets investors’ needs.” The training will give AIGCC’s members a solid foundation in an increasingly important area, Mikula-Wright added.
