What better way to spend TODAY - or any day, for that matter - than learning about the wonders of our world, the challenges it faces, and the people who are working diligently to protect it?
However, it would be difficult to appreciate them firsthand, especially now that health and quarantine protocols are stricter.
Fortunately, nature documentaries can give the same effect. And now, they are available for streaming!
The world is truly your gallery, with so many streaming services delivering beautiful nature documentaries on demand. We went to great lengths to assemble a list of the best tv shows and documentaries that highlight our fascinating world - and the people trying to preserve it.
Here are some of the world's best and top-rated nature documentaries available for streaming:
Also read: 5 Best Nature Literary Works of 2020
Attenborough's Life in Colour (2021)
It's another Attenborough mini-series must-watch, offering full visual effect and a poignant conclusion that we ought to preserve the natural world's vibrancy.
Sir David Attenborough began his career by describing animal appearances to people watching black-and-white videos. Now he's the right guide to show off some of the most beautiful animals in the world, with decades of practice at the cutting edge of camera technology.
Classical questions such as "why are orange elephants, stripey zebras, and green flamingos?" are all replied with complexity. A host of other familiarly flamboyant characters are applied to the new research, from peacocks to poison dart frogs. Things get even more fascinating as we view animals from their own special sensory viewpoints, which goes beyond our narrow human vision.
I am Greta (2021)
Greta Thunberg's first school strike took place outside Sweden's parliament three years ago. Still, in that short period, the feminist has managed to spawn a seismic environmental campaign, encouraging millions to exert pressure on the planet's worst polluters. Thunberg's rise to fame is chronicled in this behind-the-scenes documentary, which covers her early campaigns in Stockholm in August 2018 to her transatlantic voyage to speak at the United Nations in New York 13 months later.
David Attenborough's A life in Our Planet (2020)
Another Attenborough modern classic.
The film, which Silverback Films created and the WWF for Netflix, follows the broadcaster and conservationist as he observes the devastating changes that have arisen throughout his lifetime. Throughout his career, he has traveled to every continent and shared many of the earth's natural wonders with millions of people all over the world.
"This film is both a witness declaration and a hope for the future," says the director. The tale of how we have come to make this, our biggest mistake, and how we can even make it right if we act now.
David Attenborough's Extinction: The Facts (2020)
It is clear from the beginning that this Attenborough documentary will be a challenging and emotional watch. The initiative is in response to a UN study published in 2019 that reported that a million species are on the brink of extinction. It also discusses the connection between human encroachment into the environments of wild animals and the pandemic of the coronavirus.
It's not only troubling that rare species with complicated and diverse lives vanish permanently from our world; it's incredibly sad. But rather than simply missing the wonders of nature, the effects of these declines are far-reaching and profound for humanity as a species.
Night on Earth (2020)
What do animals do when we're tucked up in our beds? This six-part series from the creator of Planet Earth II shows the nighttime antics of animals all over the world, from urban otters traveling along city streets to whale sharks hiding in the waters of our dark seas, using modern low-light camera technology.
Following wildlife filmmakers' mind-blowing successes in recent years, it has become exceedingly difficult to push the boundaries and have a fresh take on the conventional nature documentary. Despite this, Night on Earth continues to offer a fresh insight that opens the mind.
ALSO READ: Animals That Went Extinct In 2020 (and some that might disappear in 2021)
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