'Saving the Land of the Wild': Wales wildlife under threat

If you're a fan of programmes like Planet Earth and Our Planet, then keep reading because a new nature programme starting this Sunday could be right up your street.

The four part series is called Saving the Land of the Wild, and has been filmed in Wales.

But rather than just showing off the beautiful scenery and cute animals, this programme is focusing on worrying reality: that lots of native species are disappearing.

Iolo Williams, the man behind the programme also presents Springwatch and has been watching wildlife for fifty years.

He says he felt it was important to make a programme showing how some species, are very scarce with some in danger of dying out altogether.

He told Newsround: "Birds like the lapwing, curling, yellowhammer, habitats like hay meadows, I just took for granted when I was a kid.

"I've got two boys, and when they were were younger I took them out to see as much nature as I could. But it really struck me how I wasn't able to show them a lapwing nest or a curling nest. I wasn't able to walk through a hay meadow and look at butterflies and grasshoppers because they're just not there anymore."

In the programme Iolo shows his concerns for the future of wildlife in Wales, looking at the problem of pollution of rivers, decline of species familiar to many in Wales, as well as the loss of biodiversity, impact of government policy, conservation, and farming.

He said: "Wales looks stunning and people think it is full of birds, mammals and insects. Unfortunately the truth these days is very different."

It's not just a problem in Wales either. Habitats are being damaged and destroyed across the UK, Europe, and across the world.

Iolo and his team have been encouraged by the recent climate change protests by both adults and schoolchildren.

Iolo worked on the programme with cameraman Graham Horder

Speaking to Newsround he said: "If only some of our politicians would listen to them, the UK would be a far better place.

"We haven't done enough about it but the younger generation are saying 'Enough is enough! We're not going to go to school because we want more being done'.

"They're doing something about it whereas the vast majority of us we're not we're just accepting, carrying on with our lives.

He continued: "We're not thinking about the impact we're having on our planet, and we've only got one planet."

"We must look after our planet, and thankfully we have youngsters coming through now who are willing to take on that battle and who are willing to take on our politicians as well."

This week 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg met with UK leaders to discuss the future of climate change, asking politicians to urgently do more to tackle the problem.

Climate change activist, Greta Thunberg, met leaders of the UK political parties at the House of Commons in Westminster

Iolo says he's full admiration for her, and other young people like her doing their best to make a difference.

He said: "She's an amazing individual, kind of like a conservation hurricane."

"And she is such a brilliant speaker, I'm full of admiration for her. She's only a young girl but speaks with the passion, knowledge, eloquence of someone five times her age."

The Saving the Land of the Wild team are hoping that, given the public's changing views on the importance of the natural world, the programme can help highlight simple ways changes can be made.

'Iolo: Saving the Land of the Wild' will be broadcast on BBC One Wales at 5:35pm on Sunday 28th April 2019. Viewers outside of Wales will be able to catch the programme on BBC iPlayer.