Patrick Holland, Director, Factual, Arts and Classical Music Television, announced Our Changing Planet, the most ambitious environmental series the BBC has ever commissioned.

For seven years, the acclaimed filmmakers of BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit will closely document six key habitats around the world, including California, the Arctic, the Maldives, and the Amazon rainforest. And over seven years, BBC viewers will watch as these habitats – and the species living in them - undergo extraordinary change.

These locations are bellwethers for the health of our planet. As pressure on the natural world increases, what happens here will happen elsewhere. As the series goes on, we will witness rapidly unfolding ecological change and observe surprising new animal behaviours as species adapt to their shifting environments.

But this is also a story of hope. In each habitat, we will meet incredible conservationists who are working to turn the tide, preserve ecosystems and save species from extinction.

Presented by six major BBC presenters, the series will launch in April 22 as part of the BBC’s centenary celebrations and return every year for the following six years – making it the longest environmental project ever commissioned for television.

The next few years will see enormous change around the globe. The world’s population is set to increase by almost one billion, one million species could face extinction and our seas are on course to rise by up to 20cm, flooding land where 147 million people currently live. Our Changing Planet will be the definitive document of a critical moment for life on earth.

Patrick Holland, Director, Factual Arts and Classical Music Television says: “Our Changing Planet is a landmark project that will provide a unique document of the biggest challenge facing humanity. Made by the Natural History unit, this is public service broadcasting at its most urgent and important.”

Our Changing Planet, a 2x60’ series for BBC One and iPlayer, is made by BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, co-produced by PBS. It was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Director, Factual Arts and Classical Music Television and Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Science and Natural History. The Executive Producer is Rosemary Edwards. International distribution will be handled by BBC Studios