ARE SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH AND CHRIS PACKHAM 'RELEVANT' TO TODAY'S YOUNG PEOPLE?

                                                                       

Celina Chien - fresh thinking required 

OLDER wildlife broadcasters such as Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham have "had their time".

That was the forthright message from Celina Chien, one of the panellists who took part in a Saturday-evening discussion at Global Birdfair.

She went on to describe Sir David's wildlife documentaries as "interesting" but she queried whether his approach was "relevant", especially to young people in a fast-changing world.

Since both Sir David and Chris Packham are widely regarded by some as 'national treasures', the comment did not necessarily go down well with the audience.

But Beijing-born Celina was sticking to her guns. What are needed, especially to inspire the young, are fresh ideas and a more vibrant 'story-telling' approach in how they are presented.

With her keen intellect and a burning passion for all of us to do what is right by the planet, this super-sophisticated and determined  naturalist is surely a shining example of environmental activism - a voice both of the present and of the future.

Also on the panel were three other under-25s - all of them with completely different personalities and all fluent in describing their commitment to birding and nature.

Indy Greene and Kabir Kaul, both aged 17, were less inclined than Celina  to go down the controversy route. They both expressed appreciation for the support they had received from older birders and organisations such as the RSPB.

The former, a countryside management student, is already an authority on the goshawks which inhabit Sherwood Forest near where he lives.

He agreed with an observation from a member of the audience, a former primary school teacher, that it is when they go into secondary school that children seem to forsake interest in nature so as not to seen "uncool".

Kabir has such an articulate and measured speaking style that he looks set for a career in politics, one of the A-level subjects that he is currently studying at school in Middlesex.

Earlier in the summer, he was a visitor to 10 Downing Street to present a nest box for installation in  the back garden - an imaginative finale to his highly successful campaign to have 70 such boxes installed in the grounds of individual primary school all over Greater London.

High on his current agenda is to encourage a greater awareness and enthusiasm for the wildlife of towns and cities.

Meanwhile, the fourth panellist, Mya Bembrick, aged 19 and a student at Bournemouth University, could be headed for a media career.

A talented photographer, she has already written for national titles such as Birdwatching magazine.

Always eager to get stuck into the nitty-gritty of ornithological research, she is training to be a bird ringer and is an active member of the Dorset nightjar study group.

Master of ceremonies for the conversation was David ('The Urban Birder') Lindo who fired in most of the questions, with just a handful from the audience.

The panellists - from left, Mya, Celina, Kabir and Indy

The Wryneck says: Listening to this foursome was enlightening. Definitely 45 minutes well spent, but did they come over as a tad too 'worthy' - like candidates at a party leadership hustings (without the sparks)? They seem to see birding more as a platform for their careers or as a route into politics than as an enjoyable hobby and distraction from the humdrum of daily life. Lighten up, guys - less angst, please, and more fun, adventure, discovery and laughs!