William hails ex-illegal fisherman as one of most committed guardians of nature
William appears in the introduction to the third episode of Guardians, his series of wildlife documentary shorts highlighting the conservation work of rangers across the globe.
Heir to the throne William is said to be passionate about restoring the health of the world's oceans.
Veteran broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, whose new film Ocean premiered last month, is William's inspiration for the six-part docuseries which he hopes will help nature's wardens be 'valued, respected, seen' and promote the 'wonderful' regions they protect.
In his filmed introduction, William describes how the Sea of Cortez – once called the world's aquarium — is under pressure from warming waters, vanishing species, and illegal fishing which has 'pushed this ecosystem to the brink'.
The eight-minute episode, released on Friday ahead of World Oceans Day on Sunday, features boat captain Jose Luis Cesena Calderon who spent more than 35 years diving at night as an illegal speargun fisherman before being invited to switch sides.
Since 2009, he has been part of the monitoring crew of the non-profit Citizen Observers Network (Red de Observadores Ciudadanos) known as ROC and made up of local residents working with the authorities to patrol the waters.
He takes part in dangerous night missions under cover of darkness to protect the marine environment in the Bay of La Paz.
William, who is travelling to Monaco this weekend to mark World Oceans Day at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, says: 'In this episode, we meet Jose – once an illegal fisherman – now one of the region's most committed guardians of nature.
'From La Paz, he leads a quiet revolution at sea, building trust, turning the tide, and showing how those who were once part of the problem can become the ocean's greatest protectors.'
The number of illegal boats in the area has dropped from 58 to around six, the film reveals.
Mr Cesena Calderon says: 'For me, being a guardian of the bay now, honestly, it makes me proud.
'Before, I was one of the people damaging the ecosystem. Now I really see the damage we were doing with the fishing methods we used.'
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The Sea of Cortez is one of the earth's most biodiverse marine ecosystems and home to 900 species of fish including more than 70 of which are only found in that region.
Over the last few decades, overfishing and poaching has devastated marine life and severely damaged the seabed.
The Guardians series, created by The Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife programme, has had more than 5 million combined views of its episodes and social content since it was launched two weeks ago.
The films are available to watch on BBC Earth's YouTube and social channels, with episodes also be screened at Adventure Cinema locations across the UK.
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