100 years on Earth: Iconic naturalist Attenborough marks century

DAVID Attenborough, a leading voice on climate change and biodiversity loss whose landmark documentaries transformed popular understanding of the natural world for a global audience, marks his 100th birthday today.

- AFP

Attenborough’s natural history series, such as “Life on Earth”, in which he had a famous encounter with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, has brought the most remote corners of the planet into living rooms worldwide.

“He’s taken us all to places that we would never otherwise go. That’s a huge gift,” botanist Sandra Knapp, director of research at London’s Natural History Museum, told AFP.

The BBC is leading the celebration of the Briton’s centenary with a full week of programming dedicated to his life.

Classic episodes of series including “Planet Earth II” and “Blue Planet II” are being reshown along with others such as “Life in the Freezer” and “Paradise Birds” available on the BBC’s iPlayer service.

The centrepiece will be a 90-minute live show on his birthday from London’s Royal Albert Hall. Knapp said Attenborough’s programmes had “expanded people’s horizons” and been an inspiration to many.

Jean-Baptiste Gouyon, professor of science communication at University College London (UCL), said Attenborough had made natural history as popular as football.

Attenborough’s programmes succeeded in instilling in the public an unparalleled passion and wonder for the natural world, said Gouyon.