Prince William has teamed up with his charity United for Wildlife to launch the new six-part series called ‘Guardians’ which will follow the lives of enivronmental rangers across the world
Prince William has recognised the sacrifices of environmental rangers across the globe ahead of a new documentary series examining “the most dangerous job in the world”.
The Prince of Wales and his United for Wildlife programme today launched the six-part series titled ‘Guardians’, following the lives of rangers and the vital yet unseen work they do to protect our planet.
William, who helped create the programme and introduces each episode, said he hoped to help nature’s wardens be “valued, respected, seen” and promote the “wonderful” regions they protect.
The series features rangers who do “one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet”, said William, from safeguarding snow leopards in the Indian Himalayas, defending marine life in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, to protecting elephants and gorillas in the Central African Republic.
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The prince described Sir David Attenborough as the “inspiration” and said he hoped to emulate his success in storytelling, just as the broadcaster and naturalist’s films drew viewers’ attention to remote parts of the globe.
Speaking this week in London ahead of the first episode being aired on BBC Earth’s YouTube, William paid tribute to the 1,400 rangers who have been killed in the line of duty in the last decade – amounting to two a week.
He said: “Many people think, you know, being a soldier, being in the emergency services, that these drops are dangerous, and the lives of the line.
“I don’t think people realise it’s the same for these guys and girls around the world. And you know, but 1,400 rangers have died in the last 10 years. That’s about two a week. And it’s just they’re unseen and unheard of.”
He added: “Any progress, any future we want for the natural world, has to come from the ranger community being valued, respected, seen.”
New six to 10-minute episodes will be unveiled each week, with first-hand accounts of the lives of rangers and nature protectors as they urgently work to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems.
William has voiced the trailer and individual episode introductions, aiming to showcase these unsung heroes and highlight how their work impacts us all.
The series follows the remarkable stories from the Central African Republic and the breathtaking Dzangha-Sangha protected area, following a reformed poacher who now dedicates his life to protecting the wildlife he once hunted.
It also coveres The Himalayas, India where high in the Spiti Valley rangers are working to bring co-existence between the snow leopards known as ‘Ghosts of the Himalayas’, and local communities.
Also featured is Mexico’s Sea of Cortez once called ‘the world’s aquarium’ – and the story of a reformed illegal fisherman now working to protect this threatened ecosystem.