Move over Netflix, Prince William is on YouTube. The Prince of Wales has launched a gripping new docu-series called Guardians, shining a long-overdue spotlight on the world’s most under-recognised environmental heroes: wildlife rangers.
In his most personal project yet, Prince William steps into the presenter role to champion the men and women on the frontlines of conservation calling them ‘the glue between humans and the natural world.’
He said they perform ‘one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet’ with an estimated 1,400 losing their lives over the past decade.
The six-part series, available on BBC Earth’s YouTube channel, was created through his Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife programme, with each short-form episode (6–10 minutes) offering a raw, real-world look at the threats rangers face, from poaching and armed conflict to climate change and underfunding.
Prince William, who has often met rangers on his travels, said they often told him how much more dangerous the job had become as a result of civil wars, illegal fishing or poaching.
‘At some point, we do have to say enough is enough and highlight the bravery of these men and women on a daily basis,’ he added.
Prince William said: ‘As they work to protect our oceans, our forests, our plains, our mountains and biodiversity, they are also educating, community building and furthering science. These are the unsung heroes, the true Guardians of the natural world, defending nature and the future of the planet for all of us.’
He said the role of rangers was not just about carrying guns to deter poaching adding rangers’ work encompassed community initiatives, education, teaching and scientific research and added a further 1.5 million were needed to meet global environmental biodiversity targets by 2030.
‘Because why would anyone get involved when it’s not properly funded, they are not valued, no one cares?’ the Prince said at a launch panel chaired by wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan.
Prince William’s Series Goes Behind the Scenes
The series focuses on six areas – Central African Republic, the Himalayas, Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, Kruger national park in South Africa, as well as Sri Lanka and Caru Indigenous Land in Brazil.
Each episode highlights a different story, with the first featuring Modiki Claver, who now protects the wildlife he once poached in Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic. The show will launch each Friday on BBC Earth’s YouTube and social media channels.
Dzanga-Sangha is renowned for being home to the highest concentration of forest elephants and lowland gorillas in Africa and has seen these endangered species come under increasing threat from traffickers over the past 30 years.
Through Claver’s eyes, viewers follow daily patrols, he reveals his decision to walk away from poaching and the passion and understanding he has developed of wildlife and the community that depends on it.
Wildlife rangers face a myriad of dangers, including brutal – and often fatal – retaliation from poachers, poor living conditions and little access to fresh water, a lack of equipment and even basic resources such as boots, vulnerability to disease and low pay.
Many work 80-hour weeks for less than AED120 a day, recent research has shown.
*Header Image Credit: Kensington Palace
