The most popular naturalistic scientist on television, David Attenborough , was today awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences. Born in London, England, he is considered one of the pioneers in nature documentaries, along with the late Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente and Jacques Cousteau. His main contribution to the dissemination of the natural world are the series grouped under the title Life , which began with the trilogy Life on Earth (Life on Earth, 1979), The Living Planet (Living Planet, 1984) and The Trials of Life (1990), and culminated in Life in Cold Blood (2008), a monograph on reptiles and amphibians.
David Attenborough is currently Trustee of the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and President of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in the UK. In addition, he recently joined the cause of the Optimum Population Trust, an organization that aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce the human population to protect wildlife and ensure the survival of our planet.
