I`m not sure how far afield David Attenborough`s new series Wild Isles can reach, but it is essential and compelling viewing for many reasons.
The man himself is nothing short of a legend. There are not many people of his age, 96 I believe, carrying on what seems to be full time, very active work and in the media spotlight.
He has a message to deliver and deliver it he does, in the most amazing way.
If there are any doubters as to how diverse and wonderful our natural world is, then watching a few episodes of Wild Isles should convert even the most cynical.
Leaving aside the tensions between those who think the planet is just going through a phase as it has done before, and the environment will survive, versus those who expound the fragility of it all and how it eventually impacts on us as humans, it should at the very least make us sit up and take notice.
It is the most fascinating account of the natural world in which we live, with special relevance to the islands of the United Kingdom.
It has to be said that the delivery of this series, although with David Attenborough at the heart of it, depends very much on support from others, particularly technological support.
The fact that we can now see in such detail, the intricacies and behaviours of living creatures is down to the amazing progress and inventions of cameras and especially the use of drones.
Who could have thought that the insect that is stepped upon as not having a value, is suddenly seen on screen as something so incredibly designed that it looks straight from a science fiction movie?These sources of imagery can now follow birds in flight and into their nests, capture the salmon leap and monitor the actions of plants and flowers.
To country dwellers, some of this must come as no surprise as they will have at least some basic idea of the laws of nature, such as the return of swallows each year to the same place after flying from Africa, or watching bees collect pollen from flowers.
The biggest surprise must be to town and city dwellers who have probably limited or no knowledge that there is a world out there which can operate in such a sophisticated and efficient way.
The natural world perhaps cannot speak with us in our language, bit it can communicate universally by its actions, and we should listen.
It has shown that over the centuries it has coped with, adapted, mutated and reinvented itself many times.
It has endured extremes of weather, natural disasters, disease, and threats from within its own world. This time it is indeed going through a threat from one of its own....the human.
The planet that we live on depends on several key elements, earth,water, air, fire and space together with oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen.
These are essential to sustain the natural world including human life.
We cannot fight them if they decide to rebel. Hurricanes, fires, floods are testament to that. We can only work around them by taking preventative measures and care to minimize the fallout should it happen.
If nothing else, this programme shows that harmony and balance are required to keep everything moving along.
It is a big circle with everything playing its part and recognizing that fact.
It seems that as humans, we have not understood that message, and have railroaded, suffocated, poisoned and depleted the natural world to dangerous levels, believing we are a superior species.
Perhaps the very fact that due to to these technological advances we can now observe what is around us in a much more tangible way, and be at a level where we can see that we are but a link in a much larger chain, and realize the importance of harmonizing with the rest of the natural world and not destroy it.
We cannot and should not halt progress. The natural world doesn`t. It adapts and mutates to the situation, and we should do the same,but we should be mindful of our surroundings and our important and vital neighbours.
The current battle of opinions with two sides at opposition to one and other is devoid of common sense.
It takes compromise on both sides to reach an acceptable relationship.
A flourishing intelligent economy is needed to give humans what they want in the way of progress. At the same time, care must be given to the very backbone of our existence.
So often it seems that the winners are the biggest and most aggressive in society. Much as some predators are in the natural world.
Large conglomerates aspire to have the biggest and wealthiest contribution at the expense of the smaller more considered operations.
Two very obvious and topical examples which affect our own country are farming and fishing.
At one time farming was a way of life and a blend of feeding families and a nation. It worked with nature, had manageable animal numbers and a sustainable system of recycling and regeneration in a natural way.
Farms were at the heart of communities, providing employment and a sense of social belonging.
Along came big farming business when they were encouraged to become bigger and produce more, be it cereal or animals.
Soil was artificially fertilized, hedgerows and habitats were done away with to increase land availability, machinery size and animal herds were increased and bit by bit the industry became over commercialized.
Now as we know, farming is being given a bad press for pollution and harming the environment.
It has become so economically challenged that many are giving up, which also removes the heart of communities and what was certainly a hard, but satisfying way of life.
The advice is to do away with livestock and replace with trees, encourage wild life and switch to plant based foods.
It has to be said that many small farms have already been bought up by wealthy syndicates who benefit from large subsidies for doing just that, and are perhaps not quite as environmentally friendly as they would like us to believe.
To most country dwellers this is not a new idea, it was widely practiced before, and surely can be done again,with a bit more common sense and give and take on both sides.
Similarly the small fishing communities which are very aware of environmental issues and practice sustainability and good ethical marine management. They are being politically pushed out of their coastal fishing areas to the detriment of their livelihoods, whilst large commercial dredging boats which over fish and damage the sea bed, continue to be allowed to work.
Most people agree that fish stocks must be conserved, but once again, a sensible approach is required to link both the economy and the environment in an acceptable way.
What is the end result going to be?
Looking at the natural world, it becomes clear that certain species have very definite social rituals and domains. Those that cannot adapt or are overtaken by predators cease to exist. It`s not difficult to see why.
We are aware of the drop in wildlife in many areas which can be directly attributed to human intervention.
Not only is it affecting certain species, but we are making a very good job of deconstructing our own. When communities disappear, what are they replaced with? Often nothing at all or a completely new one.
It appears that we have gone for the somewhat faceless community, with no roots or sense of identity or belonging. The thing that links us all now is technology in all its forms.This trend is gaining strength with artificial intelligence being our new best friend.
I wonder how many schools actively promote the Attenborough series, for at one fell swoop so much could be learned and produce a new respect and awareness of our amazing planet?
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