Beloved nature presenter David Attenborough, who has been bringing the natural world into our homes for more than 70 years, will turn 99 on May 8. The date will be marked with a theatrical release of his new project, one with an urgent message about our oceans.

Ocean with David Attenborough, which will also be available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ beginning June 8, covers the threats facing our oceans. It also goes over the essential benefits they provide, and how they can be revived through strong conservation efforts. Attenborough is sharing this message as he nears the end of his time here.

He says, “When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity. Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.

“After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”

There are many threats to our oceans, including pollution, climate change, and habitat loss and degradation. The disappearance of wetlands and seagrass habitat have been especially stark, as has the deteriorating health of coral reefs.

Our direct impact on marine habitat is highlighted heavily in Attenborough’s project, though, with a large portion focusing on harmful industrial fishing practices like bottom trawling. It points to its impacts on sharks and turtles, whose survival over millions of years is now being threatened. In fact, recent research showed more than half of reef sharks and rays are at risk of extinction.

One of the film’s directors, Keith Scholey, says they hope their work will highlight the June UN Ocean Conference in Nice and that the message of the film will lead to more action.

As Attenborough says in the documentary, "If we save the sea, we save our world… After a lifetime of filming our planet, I'm sure nothing is more important."

You can watch the trailer below.