I'm taking part in a Poem-a-Thon on Saturday 8 February, raising money for Bees for Development. Poets will take turns to read for 10 minutes each from 11am to 6pm in order to raise money for environmental charities in this time of biodiversity and climate crisis.

I'm raising money for Bees for Development. I'm a Conservation Scientist who has spent 15 years working on biodiversity in agricultural habitats. Pollinating insects such as bees are vital to for crops and wild plants, but their populations have declined globally. Keeping bees - as the forest-edge communities I work with in West Africa do - is a great way of improving sustainable livelihoods so that the world's poorest communities don't have to engage in more destructive practices such as forest removal in order to make a living.