Our Changing Planet
The second series of the BBC's seven year natural history project is back on our screens...and there are some familiar faces!
Are you watching Our Changing Planet? This natural history series by the BBC documents specific conservation efforts in six places around the world, with the presenters returning each year for seven consecutive years.
Series 2 returns to our screens this April/May and features several of our project partners including Lilian Rampin from Oncafari in the Patanal, Brazil along with Dr Lucy King from Save the Elephants in Kenya, and the team from The Sheldrick Trust in Kenya too.
You can catch Series 1 on BBC iPlayer here.
Where does Our Changing Planet visit?
Kenya with Ade Adepitan - millions of Africans depend on rainfall to grow their food and keep livestock but a changing rainfall pattern has devastating consequences. Ade explores the impact of our changing climate on both humans and wildlife, including elephants. We supported Save the Elephants 2015-16 and the Sheldrick Trust in 2017. Look out for Dr Lucy King from Save the Elephants who developed the elephant & bees project in Kenya.
If you're interested in travelling to Kenya please visit our dedicated travel site, Real Africa. It is possible to include project visits on some itineraries, including the Sheldrick Trust, and Save the Elephant's research centre.
Cambodia with Ella Al-Shamah - huge economic growth is putting massive pressure on natural resources, with ever-expanding cities and devastating overexploitation of the natural world. Ella explores Tonle Sap Lake & the Mekong Delta.
If you are interested in visiting Tonle Sap Lake & the Mekong Delta for yourself you may be interested in this sample itinerary at Real Asia. We supported The Elephant Valley Project in Cambodia in 2021 and we can arrange a visit to the project for you - please see sample itinerary here.
California, USA with Liz Bonnin - devastating wildfires and biodiversity loss are re-shaping the state but as Liz discovers there are nature-based solutions to give a real sense of hope.
Image: ELIE Elephant Valley Project - working with the community in Cambodia
The Maldives with Steve Backshall - the Maldives is a country facing significant challenges because of climate change. Steve explores reef restoration in Laamu Atoll and the vital role of science in regenerating coral ecosystems. We supported Manta Ray research in the Maldives in 2021.
The Arctic States with Chris Packham - temperatures in the Arctic are rising at more than twice the annual global average. Snow and ice are melting at an increasing rate, which contributes to rising sea levels and is likely to provoke extreme temperature events beyond the Arctic. Chris travels to Iceland in series 1 and Greenland in series 2.
Image: Manta Trust - manta research in the Maldives
Brazil with Gordon Buchanan - Brazil is the most biodiverse place on the planet, and Gordon gets to grips with conservation efforts in the Pantanal wetlands, focusing on the power of ecotourism to safeguard wild spaces. We supported Oncafari's rewilding programme, working with Lilian (pictured) in 2021.
Oncafari has identified more than 150 jaguars and the daily work of monitoring jaguars has played a vital role towards better understanding the relationship between species, and shaping biodiversity conservation.
With the development of ecotourism, life in the community has improved too. More tourists means additional income for local people through job creation, with former poachers becoming Pantanal guides and whole families working in hospitality. In 2019, 98% of guests visiting Caiman Ecological Refuge, where Onçafari is based, saw jaguars.
Lili
Lili Rampin is Oncafari's lead field biologist. Lili graduated in 2005 in Biological Sciences with a focus on wildlife management and conservation. As a junior biologist Lili worked at Sao Paulo zoo with small cats. She also worked at a wildlife rescue centre and has experience in Brazil's Atlantic rainforest. She's been based at Oncafari since 2012 where she coordinates the team, organises all the data which is collected and gives presentations about behavioural research on jaguars and the three pillars at Oncafari - Ecotourism, Reintroduction and Science.
Lili and Pedro did a wonderful thank you video for Joni Mitchell who sketched a jaguar, inspired by Oncafari's rewilding work, for Sketch for Survival in 2021. This went on to sell for £17,000 in our annual auction and is the most valuable piece we've ever had in the collection.
Lili would send me voice notes, which I loved receiving - usually with the raucous Patanal macaws and parakeets in the background!