Give nature a voice to protect it, film urges organisations

A new documentary reveals how some pioneering organisations are beginning to put nature at the heart of their ways of working, in order to better protect the natural world.

Presented by Professor Tom Oliver and released today (Monday, 5 October), NATURE CENTRIC was produced in collaboration with the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning film company, Fleeting Year Films. 

The documentary introduces the philosophy behind the idea that humans are part of (rather than apart from) nature, and how this worldview can influence how organisations work.

The film gives examples of the ways organisations can transform their ways of working to better restore nature, including Lopemede farm near Thame, managed in a way that enables nature to flourish, and six district Councils that give a ‘voice’ to the river Wye on their Nutrient Management Board.

Professor Tom Oliver, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research (Environment) at University of Reading, said: “An anthropocentric worldview, where humans are seen as superior and exceptional to the rest of nature, has wrought ecological destruction on the planet.

“We are now at a tipping point in remembering our deep interconnection with the natural world. A ‘nature-centric’ worldview, which recognises the intrinsic worth of all life, is growing and spreading. It is finding its way into some organisations, enabling positive change and sowing the seeds for a flourishing future.” 

The ideas build from a growing body of interdisciplinary research into this topic, synthesised in 2026 in Professor Oliver’s book, The Nature Delusion, and developed further by new University of Reading-led projects. 

These include a new £1.7M project with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to assess the risk of novel species conservation technologies from a nature-centric perspective, and a project exploring new nature-centric approaches to environmental governance such as giving Rights to Nature or putting nature on the Board of organisations.

NATURE CENTRIC: To fix our planet, we first of all have to fix ourselves is released today, and is available to view via YouTube.

Notes to editors: 

Professor Tom Oliver is available for interview. Contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk.