Business and Nature: An Essential Relationship
October 28, 2025
09h30 - 17h00
BIOPOLIS/CIBIO - Biodiversity and Genetic Resources Research Center, University of Porto, Campus de Vairão, R. do Crasto, nº 765, 4485-684 Vairão.

Conference
Business and Nature: An Essential Relationship

Program
- Isabel Barros, President of GRACE, representing Sonae, SGPS
- Pedro Beja, Knowledge Partner of the Nature Cluster, representing BIOPOLIS/CIBIO
- Nuno Ferrand, Director of CIBIO - Center for Research in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources and of the Associated Laboratory InBIO - Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology
Moderator: Francisco Taveira Pinto, Director of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geo-Resources (DECG), Coordinator of the Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment Unit of FEUP's Institute for Sustainable Construction (ICS).
- Fátima Borges, Director of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Águas de Portugal
- Rui Calouro, Regenerative Agriculture Manager - BEL Portugal's Happy Cows Milk Program
- Fernando Coelho, Lipor's Environmental Education Technician
Presentation of 4 projects with collaborative potential and call to action to companies:
- Biosphere Hectares
- ANTARR
- Pedro Teiga, Founder and Executive Director of E-RIO
- Artur Branco, Executive Director of the Leça River Corridor Municipalities Association
Dynamization by the NBI team
- ROOM 1 - Natural Value in Consumption This session explores how nature directly influences business margins, revealing the materiality of risks and transforming them into strategic value. Using a Nature Positive approach, participants will discuss how to generate concrete results by reducing impacts and using natural resources efficiently. The session emphasizes the importance of measuring key indicators to guide decisions, with a special focus on water - showing how consuming less can mean more profit margin. The meeting closes with a practical 90-day plan, clearly defining who does what.
- ROOM 2 - Territory that counts In this room, the starting point is the territory - where the impact really happens. The journey begins with a sectoral mapping, identifying responsibilities and areas of action, and then delves into the assessment of risks, dependencies and opportunities linked to nature. The issue of water once again emerges as a priority, but now from a local perspective: how to mitigate water impacts to ensure the future resilience of territories. The closing is an invitation to collective action, aligning sectors and actors to "close ranks" and move forward together on sustainable solutions.
- Cristina Santos, Assistant Professor at FEUP and Francisco Taveira Pinto, Director of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geo-Resources (DECG), Coordinator of the Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment Unit of FEUP's Institute for Sustainable Construction (ICS).
Paula Amaral, GRACE Board, representing Bel Portugal