As with every eagerly awaited television production from Sir David Attenborough, his latest for the BBC, Wild Isles, is beautifully shot, narrated and presented. The five-part series focuses on the natural history of Britain and Ireland, and the stunning images of creatures native to these islands and surrounding seas are, as always, awe-inspiring and uplifting.

Sir David’s soft, engaging commentary encourages an initial feeling that all is well in the lovely garden of England and beyond. But the stark reality is that all is far from well. The Wild Isles cameras are not deceiving us with their astonishing pictures of the creatures with which we share these islands, rather they highlight and remind us of what we are close to losing forever, unless we take action now. His narration tells it how it is.

These concerns were voiced again at the launch of a joint initiative by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the National Trust, aimed at halting the destruction of nature across the UK. The new campaign is called Save Our Wild Isles, and 96-year-old Sir David, a WWF ambassador, said that “every one of us, no matter who we are or where we live, can and must play a part in restoring nature.”

A joint statement from the chief executives of the three groups said the country’s “amazing wildlife and wild places” were being “destroyed at terrifying speed.” But according to Sir David, all is not lost. He said: “It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless by the scale of the issues facing our planet, but we have the solutions. I am hopeful for the future, because although nature is in crisis, now is the time for action, and together we can save it.”