Even though some environmentalists criticised him for not giving enough prominence to environmental messages in his documentaries, Sir David believed in persuading people that “the natural world is precious, beautiful, worth saving and complex” since “if people don’t understand that and don’t believe that in their hearts, conservation doesn’t stand a chance”. Thus he actively refined his storytelling to bring the most fascinating side of nature to the viewers, so that people will be convinced of the worth of conservation.
Besides being hailed as a prominent natural history filmmaker and presenter, he has advocated for several conservation movements with the help of his fame and authority.
Overpopulation
Source: This Heaving Planet, by Sir David
Sir David is an active advocate of preventing overpopulation on our planet. In many interviews, he spoke about the dangers of the explosion of the human population. He warned of ‘perfect storm of population growth, climate change and peak oil production’, leading to ‘insecurity in the supply of food, water and energy’. As such, he joined environmentalists and scientists in calling for a campaign to limit the world’s population. Some suggestions for the campaign include encouraging people in the poorer countries to have fewer children through women emancipation, and the richer countries subsidising costs of contraception. He lent his fame to the cause by becoming a patron of the Population Matters, the organisation that campaigns for sustainable populations. In addition, he wrote an essay for New Statesman on this issue and encouraged ‘breaking the taboo over talking about population growth’.
Conservation of Gorillas
Sir David helped setting up a foundation, which later became part of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, to assist the conservation of gorillas. Sir David had spent a week filming with the gorillas during the making of Life on Earth with the help of Ms Fossey, and thus pledged his support for her work. Also, Sir David helped to host a charity event to raise funds for the foundation, which also supports the eco-tourism of gorillas by bringing in tourist dollars to conserve their habitats.
Conservation of Butterflies
Source: The Daily Mail
Sir David is the President of Butterfly Conservation since 1998. The Society was set up in 1968 following the sharp decline of butterflies in the UK and the mission of the Society is “The conservation of butterflies, moths and our environment”. Sir David helped to launch several butterfly conservation projects, such as the Moth Count initiative that “aims to encourage interest in moths throughout the UK and to run the National Moth Recording Scheme to improve knowledge and conservation of the 900+ species of larger moths.” Sir David is also a patron of Butterfly Conservation Europe, which helps to extend butterfly conservation work to the rest of the continent. Sir David also called for farmers to help out in the decline of butterflies by encouraging more wild flowers and cutting the use of pesticides, during the launch of a campaign by the Society and Marks and Spencer in 2010.
Conservation of Coral Reefs
In a meeting with wildlife experts in 2009, Sir David warned that tropical reefs face ‘imminent destruction’ unless the world cuts the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The concentration of carbon dioxide in oceans have exceeded safe levels for the reefs, thus he calls for action to reduce carbon emissions, as well as reducing the present concentration of carbon dioxide in oceans. The meeting that was chaired by Sir David looked at the latest evidence linking the increased carbon emissions with the deaths of coral reefs.
Exposing the young to nature
Sir David with Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1958. Source: BBC Archives
Sir David spoke out against laws that prevent children from collecting fossils and flowers, as he liked to do so when he was young. He opined that the country might be losing the next generation of naturalists because of such restrictions and irrational fears over the safety of such activities. He urged schools and parents to allow children to explore wildlife on their own, in places such as the countryside or even at their own gardens to fulfil children’s basic instinct in collecting and identifying objects.
Alternative Energy – Windmill
Sir David helped in the launch of the wind turbine near the famous opera house Glyndebourne in East Sussex, England. During the launch, he encouraged other areas to adopt wind power to meet energy needs. In his words, “Wind power can never provide for all our wants but every bit of power generated by wind must be welcomed… Even if we only generate a fraction of what our country needs in this way, then we must.”
Others
Sir David helped to endorse and publicise the launch of the Wing water project in Rutland, Leicester, England. The project received Sir David’s support due to the commitment to the local environment. Sir David also gave suggestions on how to be more environmentally friendly for Christmas in his 2006 article “I am dreaming of a green Christmas”. Sir David also launched a layer on Google Earth in collaboration with wildlife organisation Wildscreen, which illustrates the world’s endangered species, so that awareness can be raised.