IUCN announces new branded series to be produced by BBC StoryWorks

For generations, we’ve conceived of our relationship with our planet as man versus the wild. But as environmental challenges escalate due to human activity – from climate change and deforestation to ocean degradation and biodiversity loss – our interdependence with nature is clear. Nature is an ally, a partner, and essential to the future of our living planet.

Despite this, billions of hectares of land have been degraded and biodiversity lost as humans continue to encroach on the planet’s vital resources, and every single year we lose ecosystem services worth more than 10% of our global economic output. Our societies have a lot to lose. Globally, over half of GDP is directly reliant on nature, and progress towards the SDGs will be significantly hindered by nature loss. In the year of COP30 and IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, individuals and organisations are working towards recalibrating these systems – supporting nature from protection to prosperity. 

IUCN is delighted to announce Living Legacy, a powerful new branded film series produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. The series will re-examine humanity’s relationship with nature, emphasising to a wide audience how we can work to sustain, protect and connect with the natural world. It will showcase nature-based and innovative solutions in varied environments, but also the drivers of positive change in critical ecosystems and industries, whether through technology and transformation, or research and changemaking champions. The series will highlight efforts of collaboration between sectors, between actors driving forward environmental and development goals, between climate and biodiversity, and between humans and nature.

Through human-centric storytelling, Living Legacy will explore interventions that help to reduce our impact on the natural world. Each branded piece will profile an impactful initiative, will raise awareness of the wonder of the natural world and the necessity of conservation to global audiences. It will be structured around the following themes:

• Nurturing Resilience: How can nature react to the climate crisis? While humankind holds the responsibility to combat climate change, this chapter will explore how nature can be harnessed in climate resilience as an additional tool in trying to minimise and mitigate the impacts of human activity on our climate. It will spotlight the highly effective climate mitigation and adaptation solutions we find in nature, and efforts to help protect and restore our greatest climate ally.
• Life in Balance: How does life on Earth sustain itself? This chapter will capture proximity between living species on Earth. This chapter will emphasise the importance of all life on this planet. It will showcase stories and initiatives fostering reconnection with the organisms and ecosystems that are critical to planetary harmony.
• Thriving Together: How can nature-positive economies support societal growth and prosperity? Nature[1]positive economies enable and bolster sustainable development, and allow livelihoods to flourish, and value nature’s resources. This chapter will explore efforts to marry nature and human prosperity: showcasing when nature thrives, our livelihoods can thrive too. 

Living Legacy will launch formally at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025, with further activations planned at additional major global events including COP30. The series will subsequently go live on a dedicated branded microsite on BBC.com, supported by a multi-platform digital campaign that will engage relevant audiences from among BBC.com’s 165 million monthly browsers as well as from IUCN and its network.

BBC StoryWorks’ creative teams will be working directly with a selection of partnering organisations that are leading impactful work to protect and sustain the natural world. If your organisation has a story to share in line with the above questions, please share it by 17 April by following this link: http://bbcstudios.com/iucn-series.

After review, selected organisations will be invited to discuss engaging BBC StoryWorks’ creative teams to produce a branded piece for the series, which will require a fee as determined by production variables. A dedicated BBC StoryWorks production team will work closely with selected organisations to create powerful content, and partnering organisations will be able to distribute the content on their own channels with support from the BBC StoryWorks and IUCN teams.