Katherine Clarke

Bee kinder was founded by Katherine...

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“One thing I care about as much as nature and the health of the environment, is the desire and ability of others to care too, simply because they are in awe of it.”

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Katherine has been working and volunteering in the environmental sector for over 30 years and has travelled the country working for many organisations including the Peak District National Park, RSPB, National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts, The Northmoor Trust, Severn Trent Water, United Utilities and Wyre Borough Council.

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With an MSc in Behaviour Change in the environment and conservation, Katherine applies psychologically based models and theories of behaviour change to her work. She believes that if we spend time recognising and appreciating what people value, believe and know, we can help them to be the solution to nature conservation rather than deemed the problem. 

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Katherine knows that when managing spaces for nature that have public access, it is essential to involve people from the outset. She has developed her skills in facilitating team planning meetings and stakeholder consultations, ensuring everyone’s voices are heard and opinions respected. She has written articles, delivered presentations and created ‘how to’ guides in the art of applying a social-ecological systems approach to land management; an approach which enables organisations to deliver efficient, economic and sustainable management of wildlife places with public access.

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Managing The Wildlife Trusts' Children for Change programme, she travelled the UK training and mentoring adults and young people in the art of facilitation and participation. The success of the project led her to deliver workshops for environmentally based youth groups in New Zealand for the Department of Conservation.

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Katherine’s career is rich and varied and always involves building relationships between people and wildlife. Appreciating the wellbeing benefits being in nature brings, she has set up and run environmental education classrooms and curriculum linked outreach programmes, events, art projects, wildlife explorer and youth ranger groups and created family friendly volunteering opportunities.

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Katherine's career and love of nature has enabled her to develop her wildlife and habitat knowledge. She has designed and co-created wildlife spaces with schools and local communities and in her own back garden!