The Plight of the Bumblebee - a talk by Gill Perkins, CEO of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Bumblebees are endearing and familiar insects. Their animated behaviour and deep buzz as they fly from flower to flower makes them a delight to watch. Bumblebees share a unique relationship with humans but their welfare is often framed in terms of threats to human interests such as economic impact, food security or production of goods. Gill will explore how these amazing creatures have their own intrinsic value and how all of us can help them to thrive. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was started in 2006 by Professor Dave Goulson and his PhD student Ben Darvill when their research showed an alarming decline with two species becoming extinct.
Biog: Gill Perkins: Gill has been an enthusiastic conservationist from a young age, starting with building footpaths in Devon. She has been a volunteer, an ecologist for the Lake District Special Planning Board and the highlight of her early career, was counting puffins for the Icelandic National Park (there were about a quarter of a million). After a career in business Gill eventually found her way back to conservation taking a sabbatical in Borneo working with a local community to restore rainforest and reporting to the United Nations on the project. As CEO for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, she has found the perfect channel through which to promote her passion for bumblebees and their protection.
