Blue Planet II: Can television help conservationism?

As the BBC's environmental masterpiece draws to a close, it is time to reflect on how documentaries can help to encourage conservationism and what key lessons must be learned from Sir David Attenborough's series.

It has only been a matter of weeks since the last episode of the BBC's seven-part wildlife series, Blue Planet II, aired. During this time, the dangerous short-term interest span of television audiences will be put to the test in order to determine just how effective the program has been not only in raising awareness of the beauty and fragility of the oceans, but more importantly, of introducing a compelling call to action whereby the general public can act to try to preserve our oceans and marine life.

Generally considered to be a bit of a bore, or a perfect mid-afternoon, pre-siesta indulgence, nature documentaries tend to be passively consumed, like the very sea breeze, as a myriad of images and anecdotes, occasionally absorbed and transformed into useful, or not so useful knowledge, that can be regurgitated during a weekend session of Trivial. However, sixteen years after airing the original Blue Planet, the premiere of the sequel to the BBC's programme was viewed 14.1 million people in the UK, making it the most watched programme of 2017, and the third most watched show of the past five years. Such a stark interest in the planet's marine life can only be a good thing.

Over its three months broadcast, we have been able to see surfing dolphins; bulbous Kobudai changing sex and challenging dominant males; underwater sea frenzies and bird-eating fish. In a similar way to the BBC's more terrestrial programme Planet Earth, the viewing has been a perfect mix of breathtaking scenery, magnificent animals, and captivating narrative accompanied by Hanz Zimmer´s enchanting soundtrack and, most importantly, The Voice himself. As unique and graceful as many of the subjects he describes, Sir David Attenborough is nothing short of a national treasure worth preserving.

Yet as delightful and endearing as many of the animals we see are, what ensures that Blue Planet is not solely categorised in the "Nature porn" section of your video directory, once the initial premise of sheer entertainment has been imposed, and spectators have been captivated by their pseudo-educational and seductive trip to the zoo, they are confronted with the most uncomfortable of truths: the magical world they are seeing is sacred for its fragility and for the terrifying fact that it is crumbling before our eyes. For every scene of sea fish using tools to open food, and astute octupuses and sociable dolphins, there are more emotionally challenging sequences. Whilst some may allude to the harshness of mother nature, for example, the cunning and loathsome Skua that literally steals food from Puffins trying to feed their young, or schools of fish being devoured in instants during feeding frenzies, other sequences not only explore the challenges faced during life in the ocean, but singles out our contribution towards climate change and plastic pollution. We encounter the tragic dwindling of the ocean's coral reef; a walrus and her tiring calf swim in the Arctic Circle, looking for a stable block of melting ice to rest upon, whilst starving polar bears wait along the shore; albatrosses unwittingly feeding plastic to their chicks or a suggestion that plastic contamination may have led to the death of a newborn whale being carried by its mother for several days. After being enamored by the Big Blue, we begin to see that it is being destroyed and turned into a warm, acidic, plastic congested quagmire.

But by the time we see the final episode shows focuses more directly on the dangers of plastic contamination in the oceans, the audience are too irrefutably invested in the program to bemoan any possible "sermonising" or politicisation on behalf of the BBC. Even so, the BBC were initially hesitant about showing content that may have been considered "politicised"but found that the evidence was too palpable to be excluded. "There would rarely be a dive where I wouldn't find some form of plastic from a thread of plastic fishing line, sweet wrappers or plastic bottles," assistant producer Sarah Conner told BBC Newsbeat. "We just couldn't ignore it- it wouldn't be a truthful portrayal of the world's oceans" producer Mark Brownlow told The Guardian. Whilst highlighting that some footage was deemed too upsetting to the broadcast, such as footage of albatross chicks dying after eating plastic they mistook for food, Brownlow added, "We are not out there to campaign. We are just showing it as it is, and it is quite shocking".

By firstly enchanting the audience and then warning them of the perils they face of losing such beauty, Blue Planet II has created a temporary new wave of marine conversationalists that must serve a more proactive purpose. "Blue Planet brought the marvels of the oceans to people's living rooms. But it also showed clearly the risks which threaten them", said Dr Lyndsey Dodds, head of marine policy at WWF. Sir David Attenborough added during the launch of the series that he hoped the programme would encourage everyone to consider how their behaviour was affecting the oceans. "What we're going to do about a 1.5 degree rise in the temperature of the ocean over the next 10 years, I don't know, but we could actually do something about plastic right now".

The final episode of Blue Planet should serve as a catalyst for change. A warning of how the future of the oceans is in our hands. Despite criticisms of manipulation, by following simple rules of television; capture, engage, and finally persuade, Blue Planet II has taken a step in the right direction to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution. "There are so many sequences that every one of us have been involved in- even in the most peripheral way- where we have seen tragedies happen because of the plastic in the ocean." Attenborough explains, "We have a responsibility, every one of us. We may think we live a long way from the oceans, but we don't. What we actually do here, and in the middle of Asia and wherever, has a direct effect on the oceans- and what the oceans do then reflects back on us."

Given the nature of television and audiences, just how long public interest in the issue will last is unpredictable. Yet already, Blue Planet II has surpassed initial concerns of preachiness by actually striking a chord with viewers. It is now up to them and up to the political agenda to act upon this, but at a time when populism and climate denial is strife, and political programmes are occupied with matters such as Brexit, nationalism and (justified) sexual discrimination, the more the public understands, empathises and cares for the environment, the higher the commitment on a political scale.