Our Planet

Our Planet by Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey and Fred Pearce is the official companion to the Our Planet television series, exploring Earth’s natural world and the pressures changing it. Combining natural-history storytelling with a focus on conservation and recovery, it examines what is happening to the planet’s ecosystems and the possibilities for protecting them.

• Topics covered: Climate change; conservation; ecosystem protection; rewilding; sustainable use of natural resources; collective action
• Places: Frozen worlds; fresh water; grasslands; deserts; forests; jungles; coastal seas; high seas
• Features: Still photography; specially commissioned maps and graphics; foreword by Sir David Attenborough

About the book
From deep oceans and remote forests to ice caps, Our Planet moves through some of the world’s most varied habitats, taking in rare species and natural spectacles including wildebeest migrations in Africa and penguin colonies in Antarctica.

Alongside these landscapes and wildlife, the book considers the impact humans are having on the systems that sustain them. It looks at the challenge of meeting the needs of a growing population while keeping the climate within safe bounds and leaving enough space for nature to recover.

The emphasis is not only on what has been lost. Examples such as the return of wolves, lynx and bears to the exclusion zone around Chernobyl is an example of rewilding taking place in unexpected circumstances. The book also considers approaches including tackling climate change, recycling materials, protecting wilderness and restoring ecosystems, making the case that environmental damage can still be addressed through the choices societies make.

Comparable books
If you're looking for books similar to Our Planet, these books also explore Earth, wildlife and the natural systems shaping the planet, with approaches ranging from television-series companions to photography-led and satellite perspectives.

• A Perfect Planet by Huw Cordey: Another highly illustrated companion to a landmark natural-history series, examining Earth, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental pressures. It also has a direct creative connection through Alastair Fothergill, who provides the foreword.
• Planet Earth: The Photographs by Alastair Fothergill: Shares an author with Our Planet and connects natural-history television, wildlife photography and conservation. Its approach is more specifically photography-led than the broader series-companion format of Our Planet.
• Earth from Space by Michael Bright and Chloe Sarosh: Also uses a strongly visual approach to explore Earth, wildlife, natural phenomena and planetary change, with a connection to the BBC Natural History Unit. Its distinguishing perspective is the use of satellite and space imagery to look at the planet from above.