105-549: Pench National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and was established in 1975 with an area of 257.26 km (99.33 sq mi). It is part of Pench Tiger Reserve and derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south dividing the park into almost equal western and eastern halves, the well-forested areas of Seoni and Chhindwara districts respectively. It
210-419: A BBC One wildlife series that ran for 253 episodes between 1977 and 2005. At its peak, it drew a weekly audience of eight to ten million, and the 1987 episode "Meerkats United" was voted the best wildlife documentary of all time by BBC viewers. He has narrated over 50 episodes of Natural World , BBC Two's flagship wildlife series. Its forerunner, The World About Us , was created by Attenborough in 1969, as
315-515: A BirdLife International project to stop the killing of albatross by longline fishing boats. He gave support to WWF 's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo 's rainforest designated a protected area . He serves as a vice-president of The Conservation Volunteers , vice-president of Fauna and Flora International , president of Butterfly Conservation and president emeritus of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust . In 2003, Attenborough launched an appeal on behalf of
420-488: A Peabody Award . Prompted by an enthusiastic ornithologist at the BBC Natural History Unit, Attenborough then turned his attention to birds. As he was neither a birdwatcher nor a bird expert, he decided he was better qualified to make The Life of Birds (1998) on the theme of behaviour. The documentary series won a second Peabody Award the following year. The order of the remaining "Life" series
525-425: A magnificent park ... A nation's Park , containing man and beast, in all the wild and freshness of their nature's beauty!" The first effort by the U.S. Federal government to set aside such protected lands was on 20 April 1832, when President Andrew Jackson signed legislation that the 22nd United States Congress had enacted to set aside four sections of land around what is now Hot Springs, Arkansas , to protect
630-445: A "national park" simply describes a general area that is relatively undeveloped, scenic, and attracts tourists, with some form of planning restrictions to ensure it maintains those characteristics. There may be substantial human settlements within the bounds of a national park. Conversely, parks that meet the criteria may be not be referred to as "national parks". Terms like "preserve" or "reserve" may be used instead. Starting in 1735
735-545: A 2013 interview with the Radio Times , Attenborough described humans as a "plague on the Earth", and described the act of sending food to famine -stricken countries as "barmy" for population reasons. He called for more debate about human population growth, saying that since he "first started making programmes 60 years ago, the human population has tripled." According to Attenborough, improving women's rights around
840-647: A clause inserted in his contract that would allow him to continue making programmes on an occasional basis. Later the same year he filmed elephants in Tanzania, and in 1969 he made a three-part series on the cultural history of the Indonesian island of Bali . For the 1971 film A Blank on the Map , he joined the first Western expedition to a remote highland valley in New Guinea to seek out a lost tribe . BBC Two
945-740: A few. John Muir is today referred to as the "Father of the National Parks" due to his work in Yosemite. He published two influential articles in The Century Magazine , which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on 1 July 1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias (later becoming Yosemite National Park ) to
1050-513: A final section of the work. He also narrated Wild Karnataka , a documentary about the Karnataka forest area. In 2019, Attenborough's one-off film documentary about climate change for BBC One called Climate Change – The Facts was aired; the tone of the documentary was significantly graver than previous work for the BBC. This was followed by Extinction: The Facts , which is partly based on
1155-399: A five-part earth science series for BBC One. Attenborough was a key figure in the build-up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and gave a speech at the opening ceremony. In his speech he stated that humans were "the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth" and spoke of his optimism for the future, finishing by saying "In my lifetime I've witnessed
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#17327796986391260-560: A freelance broadcaster and started work on his next project, a trip to Indonesia with a crew from the Natural History Unit. It resulted in the 1973 series Eastwards with Attenborough , which was similar in tone to the earlier Zoo Quest ; the main difference was the introduction of colour. Attenborough stated that he wanted to work in Asia, because previous nature documentaries had mostly focused on Africa. That year, Attenborough
1365-704: A heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone was put under national control at its establishment six years later. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States' first national park, being also the world's first national park. In some European and Asian countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed - though typically as game reserves and recreational grounds set aside for royalty, such as
1470-589: A long-lasting increase in public, media and political attention to plastic pollution . Attenborough narrated the 2018 five-part series Dynasties , each episode dealing with one species in particular. In 2021, he presented the three-part series Attenborough's Life in Colour , and The Mating Game , a five-part series. Attenborough returned to prehistoric life with Dinosaurs: The Final Day and Prehistoric Planet aired in April and May 2022 respectively. By
1575-514: A lower cost basis and a larger geographical coverage (in 1989 when created, it was the largest protected area in Asia). It includes four of the six tallest mountains in the world: Everest , Lhotse , Makalu , and Cho Oyu . The QNNP is contiguous to four Nepali national parks, creating a transnational conservation area equal in size to Switzerland. In 1993, the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park
1680-568: A more prominent role in Frozen Planet , a major series on the natural history of the polar regions ; Attenborough appeared on screen and authored the final episode, in addition to performing voiceover duties. Attenborough introduced and narrated the Unit's first 4K production Life Story . For Planet Earth II (2016), Attenborough returned as narrator and presenter, with the main theme music composed by Hans Zimmer . In October 2014,
1785-488: A national park system, with the creation of the Nahuel Huapi National Park in 1934, through the initiative of Francisco Moreno . After World War II , national parks were founded all over the world. The United Kingdom designated its first national park, Peak District National Park , in 1951. This followed perhaps 70 years of pressure for greater public access to the landscape. By the end of
1890-546: A part of the Forest of Fontainebleau (France, 1861). Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory . With no state government that could assume stewardship of the land, the federal government took on direct responsibility for the park, the official first national park of the United States. The combined effort and interest of conservationists, politicians and the Northern Pacific Railroad ensured
1995-484: A producer for the Talks department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His early projects included the quiz show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter, a series about folk music presented by Alan Lomax . Attenborough's association with natural history programmes began when he produced and presented the three-part series Animal Patterns. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo , with
2100-447: A programme which highlighted the plight of endangered species to the BBC's Saving Planet Earth project in 2007, the 50th anniversary of the Natural History Unit. In 2019, Attenborough narrated Our Planet , an eight-part documentary series, for Netflix . In contrast to much of his prior work for the BBC, this series emphasised the destructive role of human activities throughout the series. Before, he would often note concerns in
2205-572: A scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge in 1945 to study geology and zoology and obtained a degree in natural sciences . In 1947, he was called up for national service in the Royal Navy and spent two years stationed in North Wales and the Firth of Forth . In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan. Jane died in 1997. Robert
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#17327796986392310-453: A series on tribal art ( The Tribal Eye , 1975) and another on the voyages of discovery ( The Explorers , 1975). He presented a BBC children's series about cryptozoology entitled Fabulous Animals (1975), which featured mythical creatures such as mermaids and unicorns . Eventually, the BBC signed a co-production deal with Turner Broadcasting and Life on Earth moved into production in 1976. In 1979, he visited China and reported to
2415-443: A ten-part series focussing on extraordinary animal behaviour, and narrated Nature's Great Events , which showed how seasonal changes trigger major natural spectacles. In January 2009, the BBC commissioned Attenborough to provide a series of 20 ten-minute monologues covering the history of nature. Entitled David Attenborough's Life Stories , they were broadcast on Radio 4 on Friday nights. In 2011, Fothergill gave Attenborough
2520-613: A terrible decline. In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery." In 2022, the United Nations Environment Programme recognised Attenborough as a Champion of the Earth "for his dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy for the protection of nature and its restoration". Attenborough's programmes have often included references to the impact of human society on the natural world. The last episode of The Living Planet , for example, focuses almost entirely on humans' destruction of
2625-497: A vegetarian diet or to reduce meat consumption to save wildlife , noting that "the planet can't support billions of meat-eaters." Attenborough has linked anthropogenic effects on the environment with human population growth . He has attracted criticism for his views on human overpopulation and human population control . He is a patron of Population Matters , a UK charity advocating for family planning , sustainable consumption and proposed sustainable human population . In
2730-499: A vehicle for colour television. In 1997, he narrated the BBC Wildlife Specials , each focussing on a charismatic species, and screened to mark the Natural History Unit's 40th anniversary. As a writer and narrator, Attenborough continued to collaborate with the BBC Natural History Unit in the new millennium. Alastair Fothergill , a senior producer with whom Attenborough had worked on The Trials of Life and Life in
2835-484: A young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his collection. He spent much time in the grounds of the university. Aged around 11, he heard that the zoology department needed a large supply of newts , which he offered through his father to supply for 3d each. The source, which he did not reveal at the time, was a pond right next to the department. A year later, his adoptive sister Marianne gave him a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures; some sixty years later, it would be
2940-629: Is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit , the nine nature documentary series forming the Life collection , a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth. Attenborough was a senior manager at the BBC , having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in
3045-591: Is a patron. He later became patron of the World Land Trust. In 2020, he backed a Fauna and Flora International campaign calling for a global moratorium on deep sea mining for its impact on marine life. During the COVID-19 pandemic , Attenborough advocated on behalf of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and its conservation efforts, which have been impacted by the economic fallout from
3150-682: Is a senior lecturer in bioanthropology for the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra . Susan is a former primary school headmistress. Attenborough had a pacemaker fitted in June 2013 as well as a double knee replacement in 2015. In September 2013, he commented: "If I was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very glad indeed to stop. But I'm not. I'm swanning round
3255-494: Is also harbours more than 210 bird species including several migratory ones. Some of them are Indian peafowl , junglefowl , Indian vulture , crow pheasant , crimson-breasted barbet , red-vented bulbul , racket-tailed drongo , Crested serpent eagle , Nisaetus cirrhatus , Indian roller , magpie robin , lesser whistling teal , pintail , shoveller , egret and herons , minivet , oriole , wagtail , munia , myna , waterfowl and common kingfisher . Pench National Park
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3360-729: Is covered with maze of grasses , plants, bushes and saplings. Bamboo is also found at places. Scattered white kulu trees, also referred to as 'ghost tree', stand out conspicuously among the various hues of green. Another important tree for both wildlife and tribal people of this region is mahua . The flowers of this tree are eaten by mammals and birds, and also harvested by the tribal people as food and to brew beer . Pench National Park hosts Bengal tiger , chital , sambar , nilgai , wild boar golden jackal , Indian leopard , sloth bear , Indian wolf , dhole , porcupine , Semnopithecus entellus , Rhesus monkey , jungle cat , striped hyena , gaur , four-horned antelope and barking deer . It
3465-478: Is no comment whatsoever on Terry Wogan's talents." Attenborough has also acknowledged that he sanctioned the wiping of television output during this period to cut costs, including a series by Alan Bennett , which he later regretted. In 1969, Attenborough was promoted to director of programmes, making him responsible for the output of both BBC channels. His tasks, which included agreeing budgets, attending board meetings and firing staff, were now far removed from
3570-531: Is now Royal National Park was established just south of Sydney , Colony of New South Wales , on 26 April 1879, becoming the world's second official national park. Since Mackinac lost its national park status, the Royal National Park is, by some considerations, the second oldest national park now in existence. Banff National Park became Canada's first national park in 1885. New Zealand established Tongariro National Park in 1887. In Europe,
3675-470: Is one of many places that may have inspired Rudyard Kipling 's The Jungle Book . The forest reserve has also provided location for the BBC wildlife series Tiger: Spy in the Jungle , a three-part documentary narrated by David Attenborough , which used concealed cameras placed by elephants, in order to capture intimate tiger behavior, and also retrieved footage of various other native fauna. The programme
3780-411: Is perceived as a brand name that is associated with nature-based tourism and it symbolizes a "high quality natural environment with a well-designed tourist infrastructure". The duties of a park ranger are to supervise, manage, and/or perform work in the conservation and use of park resources. This involves functions such as park conservation; natural, historical, and cultural resource management; and
3885-568: The American frontier and were meant to be monuments to America's true history. Yet, in some instances, the lands that were to be set aside and protected in formerly colonized lands were already being inhabited by native communities, who were then removed off of these lands to create pristine sites for public consumption. Critics claim that the removal of people from national parks enhances the belief that nature can only be protected when humans do not exist within it, and that this leads to perpetuating
3990-659: The BBC Natural History Unit was formally established in Bristol . Attenborough was asked to join it, but declined, not wishing to move from London where he and his young family were settled. Instead, he formed his own department, the Travel and Exploration Unit, which allowed him to continue to front Zoo Quest as well as produce other documentaries, notably the Travellers' Tales and Adventure series. In
4095-517: The Naples government undertook laws to protect Natural areas, which could be used as a game reserve by the royal family; Procida was the first protected site; the difference between the many previous royal hunting preserves and this one, which is considered to be closer to a Park rather than a hunting preserve, is that Neapolitan government already considered the division into the present-day wilderness areas and non-strict nature reserves. In 1810,
4200-682: The Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve (in what is now Trinidad and Tobago; established in 1776) and the area surrounding Bogd Khan Uul Mountain (Mongolia, 1778), which were restricted from cultivation to protect surrounding farmland, are considered the oldest legally protected areas . Parks Canada , established on May 19, 1911, is the world's oldest national park service. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) have defined "National Park" as its Category II type of protected areas . According to
4305-523: The World Land Trust to create a rainforest reserve in Ecuador in memory of Christopher Parsons, the producer of Life on Earth and a personal friend, who had died the previous year. The same year, he helped to launch ARKive , a global project instigated by Parsons to gather together natural history media into a digital library. ARKive is an initiative of Wildscreen , of which Attenborough
Pench National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-689: The buffer zone . Elevation ranges from 425 to 620 m (1,394 to 2,034 ft). The protected area is covered with small hills and teak mixed forest in the southern reaches of the Satpura Range . The temperature varies from 4 °C (39 °F) in December to 42 °C (108 °F) in May. Average rainfall is 1,300 mm (51 in). The forest cover in the park area includes teak mixed with other species like saja , bijiayasal , lendia , haldu , dhaora , salai , amla , amaltas . The ground
4515-515: The 10th project for Attenborough and Atlantic, and saw him returning to a location he first filmed at in 1957. On radio, Attenborough has continued as one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4's Tweet of the Day , which began a second series in September 2014. Attenborough forged a partnership with Sky , working on documentaries for the broadcaster's new 3D network, Sky 3D . Their first collaboration
4620-647: The 1960s and 1970s. First becoming prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as writer, presenter and narrator has spanned eight decades; it includes Natural World , Wildlife on One , the Planet Earth franchise , The Blue Planet and its sequel . He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black and white, colour , high-definition , 3D and 4K resolution . Over his life he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration . While Attenborough's earlier work focused primarily on
4725-660: The 2019 IPBES report on the decline of biodiversity . In 2020, Attenborough narrated the documentary film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet . The film acts as Attenborough's witness statement, reflecting on his career as a naturalist and his hopes for the future. It was released on Netflix on 4 October 2020. Further work for Netflix includes the documentary titled Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet , released on 4 June 2021. In October 2020, Attenborough began filming in Cambridge for The Green Planet . In 2021, Attenborough narrated A Perfect Planet ,
4830-572: The 431 sites managed by the National Park Service of the United States, only 63 carry the designation of National Park. Countries with a large ecotourism industry, such as Costa Rica, often experience a huge economic effect on park management as well as the economy of the country as a whole. Tourism to national parks has increased considerably over time. In Costa Rica for example, a megadiverse country , tourism to parks has increased by 400% from 1985 to 1999. The term national park
4935-590: The English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a "sort of national property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy." The painter George Catlin , in his travels through the American West , wrote during the 1830s that Native Americans in the United States might be preserved "(by some great protecting policy of government) ... in
5040-597: The Freezer , the first television series to survey the natural history of Antarctica . Although past normal retirement age, he then embarked on a number of more specialised surveys of the natural world, beginning with plants. They proved a difficult subject for his producers, who had to deliver hours of television featuring what are essentially immobile objects. The result was The Private Life of Plants (1995), which showed plants as dynamic organisms by using time-lapse photography to speed up their growth, and went on to earn
5145-501: The Freezer , was making The Blue Planet (2001), the Unit's first comprehensive series on marine life . He decided not to use an on-screen presenter due to difficulties in speaking to a camera through diving apparatus, but asked Attenborough to narrate the films. The same team reunited for Planet Earth (2006), the biggest nature documentary ever made for television and the first BBC wildlife series to be shot in high definition . In 2009, Attenborough co-wrote and narrated Life ,
5250-599: The IUCN definition. In many countries, including Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, national parks do not adhere to the IUCN definition, while some areas which adhere to the IUCN definition are not designated as national parks. As many countries do not adhere to the IUCN definition, the term "national park" may be used loosely. In the United Kingdom , and in some other countries such as Taiwan ,
5355-506: The IUCN, 6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006. IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. The largest national park in the world meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park , which was established in 1974 and is 972,000 km (375,000 sq mi) in area. In 1969, the IUCN declared a national park to be a relatively large area with
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#17327796986395460-606: The Natural History Unit, who came up with a title Life on Earth and returned to Bristol to start planning the series. Attenborough harboured a strong desire to present the series himself, but this would not be possible so long as he remained in a management post. While in charge of BBC Two, Attenborough turned down Terry Wogan 's job application to be a presenter on the channel, stating that there weren't any suitable vacancies. The channel already had an Irish announcer, with Attenborough reflecting in 2016: "To have had two Irishmen presenting on BBC Two would have looked ridiculous. This
5565-410: The Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's fledgling television service. Attenborough, like most Britons at that time, did not own a television, and he had seen only one programme in his life. He accepted Adams' offer of a three-month training course. In 1952 he joined the BBC full-time. Initially discouraged from appearing on camera because Adams thought his teeth were too big, he became
5670-451: The West for the first time about China's one-child policy. Beginning with Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body of work which became a benchmark of quality in wildlife film-making, and influenced a generation of documentary film-makers. The series established many of the hallmarks of the BBC's natural history output. By treating his subject seriously and researching
5775-490: The advent of colour television , Attenborough brought snooker to the BBC to show the benefits of the format, as the sport uses coloured balls. The show – Pot Black – was later credited with the boom of the sport into the 1980s. One of his most significant decisions was to order a 13-part series on the history of Western art , to show off the quality of the new UHF colour television service that BBC Two offered. Broadcast to universal acclaim in 1969, Civilisation set
5880-437: The arts, entertainment, archaeology, experimental comedy, travel, drama, sport, business, science and natural history all found a place in the weekly schedules. Often, an eclectic mix was offered within a single evening's viewing. Programmes he commissioned included Man Alive , Call My Bluff , Chronicle , Match of the Day , The Old Grey Whistle Test , Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Money Programme . With
5985-544: The best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." The first area to use "national park" in its creation legislation was the U.S.'s Mackinac National Park , in 1875. (The area was later transferred to the state's authority in 1895, thus losing its official "national park" status. ) Following the idea established in Yellowstone and Mackinac, there soon followed parks in other nations. In Australia, what
6090-408: The blueprint for landmark authored documentaries , which were informally known as "sledgehammer" projects. Others followed, including Jacob Bronowski 's The Ascent of Man (also commissioned by Attenborough), and Alistair Cooke 's America . Attenborough thought that the story of evolution would be a natural subject for such a series. He shared his idea with Christopher Parsons , a producer at
6195-434: The business of filming programmes. When Attenborough's name was being suggested as a candidate for the position of Director-General of the BBC in 1972, he phoned his brother Richard to confess that he had no appetite for the job. Early the following year, he left his post to return to full-time programme-making, leaving him free to write and present the planned natural history epic. After his resignation, Attenborough became
6300-414: The conservation of 'wild nature' for posterity and as a symbol of national pride is a common motivation for the continued protection of all national parks around the world. National parks are almost always accessible to the public. Usually national parks are developed, owned and managed by national governments, though in some countries with federal or devolved forms of government, "national parks" may be
6405-533: The corporation announced a trio of new one-off Attenborough documentaries as part of a raft of new natural history programmes. "Attenborough's Paradise Birds" and "Attenborough's Big Birds" was shown on BBC Two and "Waking Giants", which follows the discovery of giant dinosaur bones in South America, aired on BBC One. The BBC also commissioned Atlantic Productions to make a three-part, Attenborough-fronted series Great Barrier Reef in 2015. The series marked
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#17327796986396510-499: The creation of Yellowstone, Yosemite, and nearly 37 other national parks and monuments, another 44 years passed before an agency was created in the United States to administer these units in a comprehensive way – the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). The 64th United States Congress passed the National Park Service Organic Act , which President Woodrow Wilson signed into law on 25 August 1916. Of
6615-582: The decade a further nine national parks had been designated in the UK. Europe has some 359 national parks as of 2010. The Vanoise National Park in the Alps was the first French national park, created in 1963 after public mobilization against a touristic project . In 1971, Lahemaa National Park in Estonia was the first area to be designated a national park in the former Soviet Union . In 1973, Mount Kilimanjaro
6720-459: The delicate balance between them be destroyed. The idea that mankind was endangering nature by recklessly despoiling and plundering its riches was unheard of at the time, but it is one that has remained part of Dave's own credo to this day." In 1999, Richard directed a biopic of Belaney entitled Grey Owl . Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester. He won
6825-519: The development and operation of interpretive and recreational programs for the benefit of the visiting public. Park rangers also have fire fighting responsibilities and execute search and rescue missions. Activities also include heritage interpretation to disseminate information to visitors of general, historical, or scientific information. Management of resources such as wildlife, lake shores, seashores, forests, historic buildings, battlefields, archaeological properties, and recreation areas are also part of
6930-517: The dichotomy between nature and humans (also known as the nature–culture divide ). They see the creation of national parks as a form of eco- land grabbing . Others claim that traveling to national parks to appreciate nature there leads people to ignore the nature that exists around them every day. Still others argue that tourism can actually negatively impact the areas that are being visited. David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough ( / ˈ æ t ən b ə r ə / ; born 8 May 1926)
7035-639: The dominion parks under the administration of the Dominion Park Branch (now Parks Canada ), within the Department of the Interior. The branch was established to "protect sites of natural wonder" to provide a recreational experience, centred on the idea of the natural world providing rest and spiritual renewal from the urban setting. Canada now has the largest protected area in the world with 450,000 km of national park space. Even with
7140-547: The early 1960s, Attenborough resigned from the permanent staff of the BBC to study for a postgraduate degree in social anthropology at the London School of Economics , interweaving his study with further filming. However, he accepted an invitation to return to the BBC as controller of BBC Two before he could finish the degree. Attenborough became Controller of BBC Two in March 1965, succeeding Michael Peacock . He had
7245-518: The environment and ways that it could be stopped or reversed. Despite this, he has been criticised for not giving enough prominence to environmental messages. In 2018 while promoting Dynasties , he said that repeated messages on threats to wildlife in programming could be a "turn-off" to viewers. Some environmentalists feel that programmes like Attenborough's give a false picture of idyllic wilderness and do not do enough to acknowledge that such areas are increasingly encroached upon by humans. However,
7350-752: The first national parks were a set of nine parks in Sweden in 1909, followed by the Swiss National Park in 1914. Africa's first national park was established in 1925 when Albert I of Belgium designated an area of what is now Democratic Republic of Congo centred on the Virunga Mountains as the Albert National Park (since renamed Virunga National Park ). In 1895, the Groenkloof Nature Reserve
7455-542: The first time, and in 2005, Life in the Undergrowth introduced audiences to the world of invertebrates . At this point, Attenborough realised that he had spent 20 years unconsciously assembling a collection of programmes on all the major groups of terrestrial animals and plants – only reptiles and amphibians were missing. When Life in Cold Blood was broadcast in 2008, he had the satisfaction of completing
7560-519: The focus of his programme The Amber Time Machine . In 1936, Attenborough and his brother Richard attended a lecture by Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Montfort Hall , Leicester , and were influenced by his advocacy of conservation. According to Richard, David was "bowled over by the man's determination to save the beaver, by his profound knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Canadian wilderness and by his warnings of ecological disaster should
7665-614: The following defining characteristics: In 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. These include: While the term national park is now defined by the IUCN, many protected areas in many countries are called national park even when they correspond to other categories of the IUCN Protected Area Management Definition, for example: While national parks are generally understood to be administered by national governments (hence
7770-580: The globe and shared his discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating". He is widely considered a national treasure in the UK, although he himself does not embrace the term. David Frederick Attenborough was born on 8 May 1926 in Isleworth , Middlesex , and grew up in College House on the campus of the University of Leicester , where his father, Frederick ,
7875-430: The increased urgency of environmental messaging in films such as Extinction: The Facts , which depicts the continuing sixth mass extinction , Climate Change – The Facts and A Life on Our Planet from 2019 and 2020 received praise. In Seven Worlds, One Planet , Attenborough discusses the devastating impact that deforestation is having on the planet and the species. In 2005 and 2006, Attenborough backed
7980-513: The issue until 2006. Attenborough attended and spoke at COP26 as the "People's Advocate" for the event, and urged world leaders to act to reduce emissions. He supported Glyndebourne in their successful application to obtain planning permission for a wind turbine in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and gave evidence at the planning inquiry arguing in favour of the proposal. In his 2020 documentary film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet , Attenborough advocates for people to adopt
8085-755: The job of a park ranger. Since the establishment of the National Park Service in the US in 1916, the role of the park ranger has shifted from merely being a custodian of natural resources to include several activities that are associated with law enforcement. They control traffic, manage permits for various uses, and investigate violations, complaints, trespass/encroachment, and accidents. National parks in former European colonies have come under criticism for allegedly perpetuating colonialism . National parks were created by individuals who felt that pristine, natural sections of nature should be set aside and preserved from urban development. In America, this movement came about during
8190-465: The latest discoveries, Attenborough and his production team gained the trust of scientists, who responded by allowing him to feature their subjects in his programmes. Innovation was another factor in Life on Earth 's success: new film-making techniques were devised to get the shots Attenborough wanted, with a focus on events and animals that were up till then unfilmed. International air travel enabled
8295-565: The name), in Australia, with the exception of six national parks, national parks are run by state governments and predate the Federation of Australia ; similarly, national parks in the Netherlands are administered by the provinces. In Canada, there are both national parks operated by the federal government and provincial or territorial parks operated by the provincial and territorial governments, although nearly all are still national parks by
8400-634: The natural history genre. He wrote and presented a series on man's influence on the natural history of the Mediterranean Basin , The First Eden , in 1987. Two years later, he demonstrated his passion for fossils in Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives . In 1990, he worked on the BBC's Prisoners of Conscience series where he highlighted the case of the Sudanese poet Mahjoub Sharif . Attenborough narrated every episode of Wildlife on One ,
8505-554: The natural, thermal springs and adjoining mountainsides for the future disposal of the U.S. government. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation , but no legal authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877. The work of important leaders who fought for animal and land conservation were essential in the development of legal action. Some of these leaders include President Abraham Lincoln, Laurance Rockefeller, President Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson to name
8610-429: The naturalist Julian Huxley discussing their use of camouflage , aposematism and courtship displays . Through this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's reptile house, and they decided to make a series about an animal-collecting expedition. The result was Zoo Quest , first broadcast in 1954, where Attenborough became the presenter at short notice due to Lester being taken ill. In 1957,
8715-579: The pandemic. In 2020, Attenborough was named as a member of the Earthshot prize Council, an initiative of Prince William to find solutions to environmental issues. He is a patron of the Friends of Richmond Park and serves on the advisory board of BBC Wildlife magazine . Attenborough was initially sceptical about the human influence on climate change , and stated that a 2004 lecture finally convinced him humans were responsible. He remained silent on
8820-543: The passage of enabling legislation by the United States Congress to create Yellowstone National Park. Theodore Roosevelt and his group of conservationists, the Boone and Crockett Club , were active campaigners and were highly influential in convincing fellow Republicans and big business to back the bill. Yellowstone National Park soon played a pivotal role in the conservation of these national treasures, as it
8925-402: The responsibility of subnational, regional, or local authorities. The United States established Yellowstone National Park , the first "public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," in 1872. Although Yellowstone was not officially termed a "national park" at the time, in practice it is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. However,
9030-413: The series to be devised so that Attenborough visited several locations around the globe in each episode, sometimes even changing continents in one sequence. Although appearing as the on-screen presenter, he restricted his time on camera to give more time to his subjects. Five years after the success of Life on Earth , the BBC released The Living Planet . This time, Attenborough built his series around
9135-481: The set, brought together in a DVD encyclopaedia called Life on Land . He commented: "The evolutionary history is finished. The endeavour is complete. If you'd asked me 20 years ago whether we'd be attempting such a mammoth task, I'd have said 'Don't be ridiculous!' These programmes tell a particular story and I'm sure others will come along and tell it much better than I did, but I do hope that if people watch it in 50 years' time, it will still have something to say about
9240-402: The state of California. According to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for "public use, resort, and recreation". Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation and improvement. A public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was
9345-450: The theme of ecology, the adaptations of living things to their environment. It was another critical and commercial success, generating huge international sales for the BBC. In 1990, The Trials of Life completed the original Life trilogy, looking at animal behaviour through the different stages of life. In the 1990s, Attenborough continued to use the "Life" title for a succession of authored documentaries. In 1993, he presented Life in
9450-427: The third series showing in 2015. He has also narrated A majestic celebration: Wild Karnataka , India's first blue-chip natural history film, directed by Kalyan Varma and Amoghavarsha . Blue Planet II was broadcast in 2017, with Attenborough returning as presenter. The series was critically acclaimed and gained the highest UK viewing figure for 2017 of 14.1 million. The series is thought to have triggered
9555-560: The turn of the millennium, Attenborough's authored documentaries were adopting a more overtly environmentalist stance. In State of the Planet (2000), he used the latest scientific evidence and interviews with leading scientists and conservationists to assess the impact of human activities on the natural world. He later turned to the issues of global warming ( The Truth about Climate Change , 2006) and human population growth ( How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? , 2009). He contributed
9660-419: The wonders of the natural world , his later work has been more vocal in support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity , limiting population growth , switching to renewable energy , mitigating climate change , reducing meat consumption , and setting aside more areas for natural preservation . On his broadcasting and passion for nature, NPR stated Attenborough "roamed
9765-416: The world looking at the most fabulously interesting things. Such good fortune." After leaving the navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He soon became disillusioned with the work and in 1950 applied for a job as a radio talk producer with the BBC . Although he was rejected for this job, his CV later attracted the interest of Mary Adams , head of
9870-483: The world we live in." However, in 2010 Attenborough asserted that his First Life – dealing with evolutionary history before Life on Earth – should be included within the "Life" series. In the documentary Attenborough's Journey , he stated, "This series, to a degree which I really didn't fully appreciate until I started working on it, really completes the set." Alongside the Life series, Attenborough continued to work on other television documentaries, mainly in
9975-627: Was Flying Monsters 3D , a film about pterosaurs which debuted on Christmas Day of 2010. A second film, The Penguin King 3D , followed a year later. His next 3D project, Conquest of the Skies , made by the team behind the BAFTA award-winning David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive , aired on Sky 3D during Christmas 2014. Attenborough has narrated three series of David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities for UKTV channel Watch , with
10080-692: Was principal . He is the middle of three sons; his elder brother, Richard , became an actor and director, and his younger brother, John , was an executive at the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo . During the Second World War , through a British volunteer network known as the Refugee Children's Movement , his parents also fostered two Jewish refugee girls from Germany. Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils , stones, and natural specimens. He received encouragement when
10185-427: Was aired for the first time in March 2008 and ended a month later. National park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protected and owned by a government. Although governments hold different standards for national park designation,
10290-602: Was classified as a National Park and was opened to public access in 1977. In 1989, the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (QNNP) was created to protect 3.381 million hectares on the north slope of Mount Everest in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This national park is the first major global park to have no separate warden and protection staff—all of its management consists of existing local authorities, allowing
10395-434: Was declared a sanctuary in 1965, raised to the status of national park in 1975 and enlisted as a tiger reserve in 1992. The national park consists of dry deciduous forests; fauna includes tiger , deer and birds. Pench National Park comprises 758 km (293 sq mi), of which 299 km (115 sq mi) form the park's core area and Mowgli Pench Sanctuary. The remaining 464 km (179 sq mi) form
10500-444: Was dictated by developments in camera technology. For The Life of Mammals (2002), low-light and infrared cameras were deployed to reveal the behaviour of nocturnal mammals. The series contains a number of memorable two shots of Attenborough and his subjects, which included chimpanzees, a blue whale and a grizzly bear . Advances in macro photography made it possible to capture the natural behaviour of very small creatures for
10605-515: Was established as the first game sanctuary in Africa. In 1926, the government of South Africa designated Kruger National Park as the nation's first national park, although it was an expansion of the earlier Sabie Game Reserve established in 1898 by President Paul Kruger of the old South African Republic , after whom the park was named. Argentina became the third country in the Americas to create
10710-601: Was established in Jamaica to conserve and protect 41,198 hectares, including tropical montane rainforest and adjacent buffer areas. The site includes Jamaica's tallest peak ( Blue Mountain Peak ), hiking trails and a visitor center. The Park was also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. The world's first national park service was established May 19, 1911, in Canada. The Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act placed
10815-515: Was invited to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on The Language of Animals . After his work on Eastwards with Attenborough , he began to work on the scripts for Life on Earth . Due to the scale of his ambition, the BBC decided to partner with an American network to secure the necessary funding. While the negotiations were proceeding, he worked on a number of other television projects. He presented
10920-431: Was launched in 1964, but had struggled to capture the public's imagination. When Attenborough arrived as controller, he quickly abolished the channel's quirky kangaroo mascot and shook up the schedule. With a mission to make BBC Two's output diverse and different from that offered by other networks, he began to establish a portfolio of programmes that defined the channel's identity for decades to come. Under his tenure, music,
11025-535: Was suffering at the hands of poachers and others who stood at the ready to pillage what they could from the area. Theodore Roosevelt and his newly formed Boone and Crockett Club successfully took the lead in protecting Yellowstone National Park from this plight, resulting in laws designed to conserve the natural resources in Yellowstone and other parks under the Government's purview. American Pulitzer Prize -winning author Wallace Stegner wrote: "National parks are
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