Broadcast on 31 May by naturalist and TV Presenter Gillian Burke, Cool Earth’s BBC Radio 4 Appeal took listeners to the Peruvian Amazon to meet María.

Having fallen severely ill a few years ago, María overcame great adversity and multiple challenges with Cool Earth’s timely support. She is now chief of her community, part of a successful cacao-growing, income-generation project and inspires others to keep their forest standing.