Sir David Attenborough turns 99 on May 8 and he has a special birthday gift for the world: a message of hope about our environment and a special global cinema release of a new feature-length documentary, Ocean With David Attenborough.
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The film, narrated by Sir David, shows how the protection of our oceans is vital for stabilising the climate and securing a healthier future for humanity.
And the British naturalist says it offers hope by setting out not just the scale of damage caused by human activities but also the capacity of the ocean to recover.
One of the world's best-known nature broadcasters and filmmakers whose work spans seven decades, Sir David charts the challenges faced by the seas over his lifetime, from destructive industrial fishing practices to mass coral reef bleaching, and evidence of its resilience.
"After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea," he said.
"The ocean can recover faster than we had ever imagined, it can bounce back to life.
"If we save the sea we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet I'm sure nothing is more important."
The film's worldwide release, including in Australian cinemas on May 8, coincides with Sir David's 99th birthday.
At its premiere in London on Tuesday celebrities and dignitaries walking a blue - not red - carpet.
King Charles met Sir David and his daughter Susan ahead of the screening.
The King, who is patron of the Marine Biological Association, has advocated for protecting the environment and sustainability, including in the oceans, for more than five decades.
Charles said he was "so glad" Sir David was involved with the film.
Toby Nowlan of Silverback Films - the movie's producer and director - said it was the naturalist's "most important story" and came at a crucial moment for global environmental efforts.
"A lot of people got together and said we need to make a seminal film to enact change for our ocean, to be released now - halfway through the United Nation's decade of the ocean, this year, the year of the ocean - in time for the United Nations Oceans conference in June in Nice," he said.
"So the idea was basically to find the greatest authority on storytelling and the greatest authority in wildlife filmmaking to front this piece."
Ocean includes dramatic footage of the devastation fishing practices such as bottom trawling wreak on the seabed and its wildlife, as well as highlighting the wonder of natural habitats, from kelp forests to coral reefs, and the need to protect them.
"If we just let nature take its course, the sea will save itself," Sir David says in the film.
National Geographic Pristine Seas founder Enric Sala, an executive producer of the film, praised his lifetime of raising environmental awareness.
"When David Attenborough started there were two TV channels and everybody knew him as the voice of nature," he said.
"Now there are hundreds of channels, social media but yet he is still the voice for nature. We hope that the younger generations coming to the screening today are going to feel so inspired that they will want to be the David Attenborough of the future."
The film's release comes ahead of the United Nations Ocean conference in Nice, France, in June where it is hoped more countries will ratify a 2023 agreement to protect ocean biodiversity.
So far only 21 countries have officially signed, falling well short of the 60 countries needed for the agreement to come into force.
Conservationists are calling for governments at the conference to deliver on pledges to protect 30 per cent of the world's oceans, protect the high seas or open ocean outside national maritime borders and halt the most damaging forms of fishing.
Ocean With David Attenborough drops on Disney+ from June 8.
With Reuters/PA
