marketing and PR

INTERVIEW: SIMON KING

Why do you think wildlife events like the Lee Valley Spring Wildlife Weekend are so important?

I think that anything that can further the cause of encouraging people to appreciate and understand the natural world is all good. And not just younger people of course. Kids are interested - you need to give them the facilities, put fuel on the fire. So events like this are fabulous for that. And what a great resource. I can see the skyline of the City and here we are in a nature reserve surrounded by birdsong and green stuff!

So far, what do you think of the 'new look' event?

It's my first visit to the Waterworks, but my initial impressions are that the location is fab. It's great to be in a green field site that is so accessible to a town centre. That's what impressed me about Lee Valley Park in the first place. Wherever I have been here it is almost always for the first time, which shows how much there is to discover. And even if one is to revisit, there is always so much more to rediscover, whether it's a species, a little corner, a lake, a tree or a whole patch. The sense of discovery is part of the wonder of the natural world. Having the marquees in an open field and being in touch with grass makes it very much part of the natural experience. And the sun is shining, blossom is on the trees, and the birds are singing. It's pretty good isn't it?

What have you got on the cards for the rest of 2008?

It's a fun year... I am going to Shetland for a series on the islands, spanning the next couple of years. There's Big Cat Diary transmitting live for the first time. Then, Autumnwatch in November. And various other things - leading safaris and other projects, so it's pretty busy from here on in.

Is there any wildlife you haven't seen but would like to?

Everywhere I see, smell, hear, I want to know more and that's just the places I've been. The world is a wonderful spectacular, amazing adventure. I'd love to see a wild jaguar. I'd also like to watch a wild wolverine for some time. I love working with otters - they break the boundary between water and land - a seamless transition.

What is your favourite spot in the UK or abroad for wildlife or open spaces?

I am biased because of my exposure to certain places. The highlands and islands of Scotland I love. And then I have a bias to the Southwest: Devon, Cornwall, the Somerset Levels. Bits of countryside that are not neglected, but sometimes forgotten. Discovering who my neighbours are - it's very special and personal, whether it's your back garden or your estate. I feel enormously privileged to be a custodian or at least a witness of what's going on at that patch of ground. I'm sure if I lived nearer to the WaterWorks, it would be my favourite place.

What is the most exciting wildlife moment you've shot?

That would be very much up to the viewers to decide. Filming Orcas in Patagonia ranks pretty highly. They work together in a family unit which suggests they communicate in a sophisticated way and that is always intriguing and endearing. They are powerful predators but very discerning. Great White Sharks - they have a frightful reputation which really isn't fair. Filming them for Planet Earth in South Africa was for me something special to watch. Or the quiet moments in Britain like watching an Otter hunting through the seaweed.

What do you think about global warming and what can people do to help - how can they play their part in nature conservation?

We have to adjust the way we live. I am sure most people know this but fairly recently I have started going round the house switching appliances off at the plug. We need to get in touch with the natural world. Places like Lee Valley Regional Park play a vital role in giving people the facility to realise what it is they are losing. It's too easy in an urban centre to believe that is the real world, with concrete and cars and congestion. It's not. It's a human fabrication and we need to be able to hold a leaf or smell a flower again - and upon it we rely. Everything depends on it. We need to take responsibility - each and every one of us.

What job would you have done, if not this one?

When I was a child, I would have been a zoo keeper, a warden on a reserve like this. If someone said to me you are banned from the natural world...probably a musician, something that moves me emotionally or spiritually.