Blogger: Erica Howe, Communications Manager
I’ve got to mention it at some point haven’t I? It’s the tv show that’s captured mine and the nation’s heart. Every Wednesday night I sit glued to my sofa, adamant that I will digest every second of footage beamed to me via the glorious, big black box in the corner of my living room. Of course i’m talking about the BBC’s Frozen Planet series.
I’ve always admired the force of the natural world. Its strength, its resilience, its sheer beauty. But, it seems that the more I learn about the environment around me, the more magnificent it becomes; almost incomprehensible. I have a new-found respect for the changing of the seasons for instance. When biking to work on a chilly morning, the crisp yellow leaves on the pavements are remnants of a natural phenomina that simply astounds me.
However, with all this astonishment on a weekly basis and the comforting tones of Sir David at the helm, it also serves as a stark reminder of how fragile our natural world is. The vulnerability of our planet is brought to the forefront of my mind every time I see polar bears stranded on ice, barely thin enough to balance on, or killer whales that have to swim further and further each year just to find food.
The thing I love about Frozen Planet is the sense of wonder the show conjures up - to think that these creatures exist all those thousands of miles away. I will never get the chance to see some of them in real life, only in my wildest dreams can I get up close to a great grey owl or macaroni penguins in their natural environment. It’s quite sad to think that there are species that exist in the world that I will never ever see in my lifetime. What makes me even more emotional though is that there are wildlife species I see every day buzzing past me, chirping on my garden fence, crawling up my doorstep, that might not last long enough for my grandchildren to see. One day, people might watch footage of turtle doves and gasp in amazement at such a beautiful bird, only to be told that it no longer exists. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
Sadly, the reality of extinction is something that we tend to distance ourselves from. Watching wildlife spectacles on television is an incredible feat of human effort, but with same hand, we are putting this precious planet in a vulnerable position.
At the RSPB, we’ve decided to step up for nature, to give it a voice and make sure that there is a future for our grandchildren richer in wildlife tomorrow than it is today. What will you do to make sure that nature has a voice? Join the RSPB at www.rspb.org.uk
As featured in the EDP, Saturday 20 November