We Need More Colour in Wildlife TV

I’ve wanted to work in wildlife TV since I was like eight…but it seems like forever. So for what feels like FOREVER, I’ve been hell-bent on studying wildlife and talking about it, sharing my observations and the excitement I get each time I catch the smallest glimpse of a bee or butterfly. 

And now I’m here, working in Bristol - the beating heart of wildlife filmmaking - and in an industry that is undergoing a slow but long overdue evolution in how it connects with all nature lovers.

My early experiences of representation in nature were pretty terrible; I saw no one working in reputable positions who looked, sounded, or shared the majority of life experiences I had.

This feels all the more odd when we consider that the source of wildlife television is wildlife. And wildlife is inherently diverse, colourful, multi-faceted and dynamic.

So why is it that this global-facing sector hasn’t attracted or embraced human talent in all its colours and varieties?

Access and encouragement is the first obstacle. The passions and skills we gain often come from lived experience - and they take time to grow and develop. Time and space to explore the world around them and nurture curiosity is a “luxury” many minorities do not have. Due to historic migration and socioeconomic deprivation, large groups of global majority people in modern society do not have safe and easy access to nature in the stereotypical format (large green areas, visibly diverse ecosystems, etc.). 

Moreover, the lack of financial stability that exists in many marginalised households limits the opportunities for voluntary or low paid work in nature, which are often the spring-board for paid work and creating networks. Travel requirements, time requirements, accessibility, feeling safe in these largely white, middle class spaces, and a lack of educational opportunities all intersect to dissuade people from these groups from pursuing nature as a personal passion or career.

I am at the intersectional fork in the road of many of these marginalised identities in question,  as a trans, non-binary, muslim Pakistani/Indian woman, and so I see all of the factors I have stated, resulting in a very cisgender, male-sex, heteronormative, straight, white, able-bodied, middle class and “late boomer to millennial” workforce.

My research into the concepts and ideology of queer ecology, eco-feminism and theology of natural history and its founders, shows a distinct erasure of indigenous, female led, or non-linear/non-binary methods of study in the natural history sector. This rears its head most prominently in societies with Eurocentric value systems. As these voices are erased a one tone format of storytelling emerges.

Wildlife Television is…complex. Vast. Powerful. It made me want to be what I am. But it is through the erasure I speak of, that we find those represented in the industry are mostly only those who have had the opportunity to develop, network and finance their way in. Opportunities that just aren’t available to the masses. 

The climate and biodiversity crisis, the decline of nature, the pollutive capacity of oil and energy industries, and the prevalence of patriarchal, archaic formats of learning are big, intersecting, international challenges that affect all of us.  

By accepting a system that drives out anyone that does not have the privilege to reach its sunny peaks, our complacency is losing us beautiful, passionate minds with intersectional and diverse stories who can contribute immeasurably to creating an equitable, protected and sustained planet. 

Sustainable, long-term change must come from schemes and policies that provide more money to the education and environmental industries, money that goes into the pockets and hands of boards and advisors with lived experiences of the hardships we as minorities experience. 

These policies must also change foundational issues such as working hours and provide a more flexible and comfortable system for those unable to work full hours, or even travel certain distances, or provide turn-arounds of specific types, due to health conditions or family commitments. You may think this all sounds quite radical, but all we’re asking for is an environment that is most comfortable for our most marginalised members, and thus more comfortable for all. 

Natural history and the environment have spun us a tale older than humanity - we are constantly driven to reach our fingers beneath its shell and drive our senses into its putty; moulding its stories and history. And so we should…we are a part of it after all. But when we tell stories, we shoulder the responsibility of narrating and shaping reality - for all global citizens.

This month, across social media and television output, we’ll see a plethora of rainbow flags and stories that celebrate LGBTQ+ lives. Behind the scenes I see an ecosystem where it is still often hard to exist as someone with an identity which doesn’t fit the norm. 

This is not to say that things aren’t shifting - as I’ve worked across productions, I’ve seen the results of a workforce culture that is positively changing, but changing so slowly most of us can’t come up to breathe before we drown. 

It needs to be faster. Let’s make that a reality. Please.