First and foremost I would like to thank the many farmers and communities I have been privileged to work with, and who participated in our pollinator projects across East Africa. Though
far too many to mention individually, they hold the future of pollinators in their hands. Only with their help can we develop more sustainable agriculture, and ensure that pollinators persist as part of our heritage contributing to our lives and livelihoods.
This publication is the result of collaboration and support from many different institutions over the years including Nature Kenya, the National Museums of Kenya, the Turkana Basin Institute-Stony Brook University,
the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, the Kenyan Horticultural Society, the Mpala Research Centre, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, the Pest Control Products Board, the Suyian Trust and the National Geographic Society. The Global Pollination Project of the Global Environment Facility – United Nations Environment Program – Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations has directly supported this work in Kenya, as has the Whitley Fund for Nature.
In Kenya, the work of the GEF-UNEP-FAO Kenya Pollination Project being implemented through the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) has been a key part of this work. I would like to thank W. Kinuthia, C. Odhiambo, L. Njoroge (NMK), M. Kasina (KARI) and all the members of the National Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Committee as well as staff and scientists of the National Museums of Kenya.
Information, insights, support, and collaboration in many different forms have been provided by the following people:
A. Powys, G. Powys, L. Coverdale, D. Roberts, N. Pierce, W. Tong, J. Kingdon, L. Snook, D. Estes, E. O. Wilson, K. Horton, R. Leakey, M. Leakey, L. Martin, A. DeRosalia, G. Domberger, D. Wallis, E. Whitley, A. Whitley, I. Angelei, P. Kahumbu, S. Kahumbu, H. Herren, S. Miller, T. Kuklenski-Miller, S. Kocher, M. Kinnaird, J. Mamlin, S. E. Mamlin, N. Croze, E. Krystall, M. N. Mutiso, V. Otieno, P. Matiku, D. Kathurima, F. Ng’weno, M. Gikungu, L. Njoroge, T. Griswold, L. Packer, B. Danforth, C. Eardley, M. Kulhmann, J. Ascher, N. Azzu, P. Lomosingo, B. Obanda, W. Okeka, W. Tiren, J. Margaret, C. Zook, J. Sandhu, Q. Luke, H. Beentje, A. D. Q. Agnew, P. D. Paterson, and many others.
I very much appreciate the many years of guidance, information, and support provided to me by Barbara Gemmill-Herren.
I am grateful too to Catherine Ngarachu for her energy and assistance, and to Job Ballard for his outstanding design.