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This is Nairobi National Park in Kenya.
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Ten years ago, black rhino were being poached
quicker than they were reproducing.
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It seemed certain
that they were doomed to extinction.
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And yet... here they are.
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How's that happened?
It's happened because one species, ourselves,
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decided that it could happen and should happen.
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Today, we have the ability to make a difference,
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and what the human species does to the planet
over the next 50 to 100 years
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will determine the future of all life on earth.
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In the case of the rhino, we may have saved
the species but not necessarily its habitat.
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This city was once far away,
but over recent years
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it's grown so much
it's now hard against the park fence.
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It's a scene that's been repeated
over and over again across the planet.
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The rhino is just one of the more
obvious endangered species.
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But if things go on as they are,
it's likely that over half of all species
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will become seriously endangered
or extinct within the next hundred years.
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As the human species increases in numbers,
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so inevitably do the demands that it makes on
the earth and the other creatures that live there.
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Somehow, we must find ways of reducing
the pressures we're putting on the planet.
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In only too many places, our interests and those
of wildlife seem to be in direct conflict.
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Rwanda in Africa is one such place.
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There, the Virunga mountains are home
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of one of the most charismatic
of all species, the mountain gorilla.
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Just over 20 years ago,
I went to Rwanda to see them for myself,
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as part of a documentary that we were making.
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Then, it was comparatively easy to see
gorillas in the wild, in their very rough country,
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and even to interact with them.
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If ever there was a possibility...
of escaping the human condition,
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living imaginatively...
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...in another creature's world,
it must be with the gorilla.
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There were only about 240 of them
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in the Virunga mountains at that time.
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This friendly youngster was known as Pablo,
but he and his family were in real danger.
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Part of their forest was being felled for farms
and they were being killed by poachers.
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It was only when their plight was brought
to international attention in the seventies
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that things began to change.
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Park guards, supported by conservation
charities, reduced poaching.
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So many tourists paid to see the gorillas
that the government recognised officially
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that these magnificent animals
were a major economic asset.
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But during the 1990s, another,
much bigger tragedy started to unfold.
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Rwanda was devastated
by civil war and genocide.
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Immense refugee camps formed on the slopes
of the mountains where the gorillas lived.
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Humanitarian aid provided food
but not the fuel to cook it.
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The people took that from the forests.
They had no choice.
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What had been lush mountain vegetation
where the gorillas came to forage
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became a wasteland.
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Some of the gorillas were killed,
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but despite the shooting
and the reduction in the size of their forest,
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the gorilla community survived.
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Pablo is now fully grown.
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Miraculously, he and his family came
through the turmoil relatively unscathed.
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But there are still dangers in this forest.
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This gorilla lost his hand in a poacher's snare.
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Even so, the Virunga population
has begun to increase.
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At the last count, there were 320.
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What future do they have?
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Ian Redmond is a biologist who's been studying
and working to protect the gorillas
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for over 20 years.
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(REDMOND) Now that those gorillas are seen
as an economic resource,
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then the quality of lives of all the people
associated with the park
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is going to be increased by the fact
that there are still mountain gorillas there.
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More importantly, the gorillas are part
of the ecosystem of those mountains,
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and that's one of the most densely populated
parts of Africa; most people are farmers.
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They depend on the rainfall
that those mountains generate,
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on the streams that flow out of those mountains,
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which wouldn't flow year round
if the forest was gone.
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To save the forest,
you need the animals in the forest,
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which means the people around that forest
can benefit from it.
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(ATTENBOROUGH)
It's not just in developing countries
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that humans and wildlife can be at odds.
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That can also happen
in prosperous parts of the world.
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The state of Oregon
in the north west of the United States
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still has vast wilderness areas, but even here
there's a species threatened with extinction.
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This time it's a bird,
the northern spotted owl.
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Its diet is quite varied for an owl -
frogs, lizards, even insects.
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But it relies mainly on small rodents.
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One pair of spotted owls needs around
eight square kilometres of old growth forest
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in which to catch enough prey
to feed themselves and their chicks.
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But part of this territory, in recent decades,
has become a major centre for logging.
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When the forest is cleared,
the owl can no longer hunt,
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and it takes about 60 to 100 years
for an area to recover sufficiently
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for the owl to return.
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Around 60% of its former habitat
has now been lost.
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The timber industry here is big,
powerful and very important.
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If it were to go entirely, over 30,000 jobs
and millions of dollars in revenue would be lost.
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It's hardly surprising that the issue caused
bitter divisions among the people of the area,
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many of whom couldn't accept that they
should lose their jobs just because of a bird.
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But fundamentally, the argument
was not just about a bird,
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but about the whole complex community
of animals and plants
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living in these magnificent forests,
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and eventually it was decided
that logging should be restricted.
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However, shutting off large areas
of land to protect wildlife
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and finding local people new jobs
is not always an option.
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Elsewhere, there may not be enough space
to give each its own territory.
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In Africa, in Kenya's Shimba hills,
there is such a problem.
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What was once wild bush
is being gradually taken over by farms.
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The area, however, is particularly rich
in animals, such as elephant,
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and also contains a great range of plants.
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Within the Shimba hills reserve,
there's an area of 35 square kilometres
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containing a once migratory population
of 500 or so elephants.
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This has been fenced off to protect
growing numbers of farms
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from crop raiding by elephants.
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Unfortunately, closed reserves
may be beset by many problems.
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And this area has one - too many elephants.
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Elephants may push over trees
to get at the leaves of the higher branches.
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But with so many animals
restricted to this small area,
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there's a risk that the carefully protected
environment will be severely damaged.
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A solution has to be found.
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In this case, around 30 of the worst
offenders are tracked by helicopter
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and tranquillised, to be moved elsewhere.
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This solution is only temporary because
the population that remains is still too large.
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It does, however, buy time until a more
long-term solution can be found.
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This is a dangerous procedure
that can only be tackled by specialists
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such as the Kenyan Wildlife Service.
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Paula Kahumbu is their scientific advisor.
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This is a particularly difficult area to work in
because it's forest and bush land.
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A team from the Kenyan Wildlife Service
includes our chief vet
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and his veterinary assistants
and a capture team with all the equipment.
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We're planning to move 30 bulls, so it's one
of our biggest operations we've ever conducted.
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This may be a distressingly
undignified procedure,
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but it's the only way to translocate an elephant.
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The elephants will go to Tsavo East
National Park, 200 kilometres away.
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It's a much larger reserve,
less densely populated by elephants.
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Is there a danger
of having increasing numbers
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of small, isolated patches
of natural environment?
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I do think it will happen more and more.
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We've been unable to stop the fragmentation
of these habitats, all across Africa.
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In Kenya, it's particularly bad
because our protected areas
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only cover 7.9% of the total landscape.
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But more small reserves may require
ever more damage limitation exercises like this.
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Even small areas of natural habitat may
contain thousands of animal and plant species.
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They may be smaller
and less glamorous than elephants,
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but equally important to the health of the area.
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Over several weeks,
28 elephants were translocated.
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What are the benefits of concentrating
great effort and expense
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on just a few of the larger species?
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An expert in African conservation
is Walter Lusigi.
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Although we must use
a single species as a flagship,
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we must always remember that
the species survive within an ecological system
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and they are related
to their surrounding environment,
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and protecting that species means protecting
that whole environment for it to be able to survive.
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But to conserve an elephant on its own,
that does not work.
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We now know that many of the reserves
created in the past are too small.
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One way to deal with that is to join them up.
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Across Africa, there are several hundred
protected areas and national parks,
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but they're isolated from one another.
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Here in southern Africa, where Zimbabwe,
Mozambique and South Africa meet,
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the borders are being opened up
to connect existing parks
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so that wildlife can migrate
between them, as much of it once did.
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There is now a plan to link this huge area
with other reserves across southern Africa.
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It's known as the Peace Parks Initiative
and it's headed by zoologist John Hanks.
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We stress three important things
about Peace Parks.
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The first is the role that these larger areas play
in the conservation of global biological diversity.
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The second is that Peace Parks
really do promote a culture of peace...
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and that's something Africa needs.
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The third thing we stress
is bringing in the local people as partners,
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so they benefit from it.
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That hasn't always been the case.
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This is all that is left of one of the villages
belonging to the Makeleki people
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after they were forcibly removed
to make way for the Kruger National Park
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three decades ago.
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Thirty years on, the Makeleki
have achieved something unique.
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They appealed to the law
and won back their land.
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Now they've decided to manage it
to encourage wildlife.
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(MUSIC. ; AFRICAN SINGING)
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They hope that in the next few years
such a wild and beautiful area as this,
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properly conserved, will attract tourists
and bring money and jobs,
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so both people and wildlife will benefit.
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(HANKS) Trying to get across the message
that biological diversity
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is not just conservationists saying you've got
to conserve these spectacular mammals
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because we like to look at them.
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We're talking about quality of life,
human survival, and the commercial value
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of a range of species that really can make a
difference to communities in these marginal areas.
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(REDMOND)
Conservation tends to focus on protected areas.
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Protected areas are fine
as an absolute bottom line, but they're not enough.
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We have to develop methods of living in amongst
nature, not separating humans from nature,
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and all those projects where communities
benefit from wildlife and natural resources
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in a sustainable way are the way forwards.
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Enabling both wildlife and people
to live alongside one another
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appears to be working in parts of Africa.
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But in many densely populated countries,
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places where wildlife can flourish
are now only tiny patches.
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This is eastern England, part of Cambridgeshire.
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Over the past 50 years, pasture and woodlands,
highlighted here in green,
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have been greatly reduced, and it now has
some of the largest fields in the country.
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This has had a considerable
effect on many species.
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Bats can live for up to 25 years,
so many individual bats in Cambridgeshire,
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like these long-eared, have had to make major
adjustments to their lives in order to survive.
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They feed on moths and are able to detect them
by listening for the sound of beating wings.
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One bat may catch up to 20 moths a night.
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Bats depend upon hedgerows
for their food, insects and for shelter.
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But hedgerows are also extremely
important from another point of view.
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They act as corridors between the bats' roost
and the woodlands where they feed.
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After the Second World War,
new agricultural machinery was introduced
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that needed big fields.
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So hedgerows were torn up and with them
went many of the bats' highways
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and feeding grounds.
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It takes only a few minutes to rip up a hedgerow
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but over a century for a hedgerow to build up
a richly varied population of animals and plants.
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This may seem a rather odd
and specialised example,
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but corridors can be crucially important
for animals both small and big.
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We now recognise the importance
of hedgerows for wildlife,
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and laws have been passed to protect them
and other wild habitats,
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even in the overcrowded English landscape.
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The natural environment can be
destroyed in less obvious ways,
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by alien species that have infiltrated
some of our seemingly unspoilt wildernesses.
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This is the Snowdonia National Park,
set aside as a national treasure,
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and protected for the sake of its wonderful
landscape, its wildlife and for public appreciation.
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This Welsh park has one of the highest
concentrations of different kinds of mosses
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in the country.
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It's also a place where rhododendrons in flower
bring vivid colour to whole hillsides.
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But rhododendrons are not native
to this part of the world.
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They were introduced to Britain 200 years ago
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as an ornamental shrub for gardens, originally
from Spain and Portugal and the Himalayas.
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They like high rainfall and humidity, with
an acid soil, and in these conditions they thrive.
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But rhododendrons combine
the characters of beauty and the beast.
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Here they grow into a great wall of foliage,
20, 30 feet high.
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Nothing grows beneath them,
the ground is absolutely bare.
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They simply take over from native species.
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Removing them, as is being done here,
is a very big job.
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You might think that was
the end of the matter... Not so.
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The reason that nothing else grows here
is not just because of the lack of light.
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Rhododendrons, like many plants,
rely for their nourishment on a partnership
224
00:20:47,254 --> 00:20:50,212
between their roots and a fungus.
225
00:20:50,134 --> 00:20:55,049
The fungus that grows with rhododendrons
produces a chemical that is highly toxic
226
00:20:55,414 --> 00:20:58,884
to anything else except rhododendrons.
227
00:20:59,254 --> 00:21:05,011
So the fact of the matter is
that this soil is poisoned and dead.
228
00:21:06,734 --> 00:21:12,366
Not only that, but most British mammals,
birds and insects that try to live here
229
00:21:12,494 --> 00:21:14,485
would also be poisoned.
230
00:21:15,854 --> 00:21:19,972
The park is getting rid of the rhododendron,
but it's a massive task.
231
00:21:20,334 --> 00:21:25,203
Once you've cleared an area, you can't
immediately plant it with native species
232
00:21:25,454 --> 00:21:30,448
because the rhododendron root fungus
remains poisonous for up to seven years.
233
00:21:30,774 --> 00:21:37,043
The only thing that can come back into
this soil in that time is more rhododendrons.
234
00:21:37,494 --> 00:21:41,646
The rhododendron is the most
widespread invasive plant in Britain.
235
00:21:41,814 --> 00:21:44,806
What may appear to be just
a harmless, pretty shrub
236
00:21:45,174 --> 00:21:49,929
is in fact an implacable invader
that exterminates everything in its way.
237
00:21:51,974 --> 00:21:56,684
Biologist E.0. Wilson is an expert
in plant and animal communities.
238
00:21:56,694 --> 00:22:02,087
A growing problem for biodiversity worldwide
is the invasive species.
239
00:22:02,934 --> 00:22:06,404
We're just also waking up to the fact fully...
240
00:22:06,774 --> 00:22:13,646
that due to the increased commerce
all around the world,
241
00:22:14,054 --> 00:22:17,046
quarantine systems of many countries are weak
242
00:22:16,934 --> 00:22:21,405
and more and more species are getting
introduced where they're not needed.
243
00:22:22,534 --> 00:22:28,689
A small percentage of those species will become
destructive to the environment and economically.
244
00:22:30,614 --> 00:22:34,926
But how do we prevent aliens
from taking over new territories?
245
00:22:35,254 --> 00:22:38,485
Biologist Sir Robert May has a solution.
246
00:22:38,534 --> 00:22:43,813
For some of the problems of invasive species,
the answer is indeed just tighter regulation.
247
00:22:43,814 --> 00:22:49,252
But that gets harder and harder in a more
crowded world with more and more movement.
248
00:22:50,054 --> 00:22:53,842
The root of the problem is that
we ourselves in recent years
249
00:22:54,374 --> 00:22:57,764
have become incessant
intercontinental travellers.
250
00:22:58,694 --> 00:23:03,165
Each year, there are around
eight million commercial flights.
251
00:23:03,454 --> 00:23:06,173
As our technology
makes the world a smaller place
252
00:23:06,254 --> 00:23:08,814
and as it becomes easier for us to move around,
253
00:23:08,894 --> 00:23:12,603
it also becomes easier
for animals and plants to do so.
254
00:23:14,174 --> 00:23:19,726
Each year, around ten million reptiles,
three million captive wild birds,
255
00:23:19,774 --> 00:23:22,925
30,000 monkeys and apes
and many other species
256
00:23:23,374 --> 00:23:27,686
are transported around the world,
some legally and some not.
257
00:23:29,214 --> 00:23:32,331
There are regulations
trying to control their movement.
258
00:23:33,654 --> 00:23:36,566
Customs officers working for CITES,
259
00:23:36,534 --> 00:23:40,049
the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species,
260
00:23:40,374 --> 00:23:44,686
are responsible for monitoring
the movement of endangered wildlife.
261
00:23:44,974 --> 00:23:49,650
Here at London's Heathrow Airport,
they check to see if a cargo is legal.
262
00:23:51,294 --> 00:23:55,207
(FEMALE) These aren't endangered, are they?
(MALE) No, none of this lot.
263
00:23:55,294 --> 00:23:57,364
...down there...
264
00:23:57,614 --> 00:24:02,244
Detecting the import of species that
are endangered or potentially invasive
265
00:24:02,374 --> 00:24:04,365
is a tough and skilled job.
266
00:24:04,294 --> 00:24:08,128
Last year, customs officials
made over 30,000 seizures
267
00:24:08,534 --> 00:24:13,130
of CITES-listed plants and animals
illegally entering the UK.
268
00:24:13,334 --> 00:24:17,771
- This is an uncontrolled lot, isn't it? Burchelli?
- Yeah.
269
00:24:19,134 --> 00:24:23,605
These are just some
of the illegally exported animal products -
270
00:24:24,014 --> 00:24:32,092
ivory, skins, feet, fur, coral - that have been
confiscated at London's Heathrow Airport.
271
00:24:32,094 --> 00:24:38,442
As creatures like these become rarer in the wild,
so the value of their products increases
272
00:24:38,814 --> 00:24:41,612
and the price on their heads goes up.
273
00:24:44,654 --> 00:24:50,365
If you over-harvest a species, taking more
than can be replaced by natural reproduction,
274
00:24:50,414 --> 00:24:53,212
then that species is heading for disaster.
275
00:24:53,534 --> 00:24:56,207
That's happening in the West African forest.
276
00:24:56,414 --> 00:25:01,044
Many monkeys, apes and other animals
are already threatened by loss of habitat...
277
00:25:01,774 --> 00:25:07,804
but in the last ten years a new threat has
appeared - the commercial bush meat trade.
278
00:25:08,854 --> 00:25:11,766
Meat from wild animals, bush meat,
279
00:25:12,374 --> 00:25:16,083
has always been part of the staple diet
of people who live in the forest,
280
00:25:16,174 --> 00:25:20,213
but as the population grows and people
move increasingly into towns,
281
00:25:20,214 --> 00:25:25,652
they all still want their traditional bush meat,
and commercial hunters supply it.
282
00:25:25,654 --> 00:25:29,249
It is a multi-million dollar business,
the selling of bush meat,
283
00:25:29,614 --> 00:25:33,050
but great apes have such slow reproductive cycles
284
00:25:33,134 --> 00:25:39,607
that losing a part of a group can have
a huge effect, and populations are declining.
285
00:25:40,774 --> 00:25:44,926
Taking too much out of the wild
to sustain the human population
286
00:25:45,094 --> 00:25:48,291
isn't something that happens
just in less developed countries.
287
00:25:48,454 --> 00:25:52,652
Across the globe, forests are being cut down
faster than they can regenerate,
288
00:25:52,774 --> 00:25:55,527
and stocks of fish
are being plundered so heavily
289
00:25:55,654 --> 00:25:58,691
that whole populations are being exterminated.
290
00:26:04,294 --> 00:26:08,572
The obvious way to prevent over-harvesting
is to bring in regulations
291
00:26:08,614 --> 00:26:11,048
to control the amount we take from the wild.
292
00:26:13,414 --> 00:26:15,405
Whales have been hunted for centuries,
293
00:26:15,334 --> 00:26:20,362
but the introduction of explosive harpoons
and electronic techniques for finding the animals
294
00:26:20,614 --> 00:26:24,448
have reduced many species
to dangerously low numbers.
295
00:26:27,334 --> 00:26:32,124
At the height of the hunt,
50,000 whales were being killed each year.
296
00:26:38,374 --> 00:26:43,573
One species, the grey whale,
was reduced to a few hundred individuals.
297
00:26:46,494 --> 00:26:50,487
Then an international ban
on commercial whaling was introduced
298
00:26:50,934 --> 00:26:54,404
and some species were rescued
from the brink of extinction.
299
00:26:54,294 --> 00:26:57,730
But now, after fourteen years,
that ban may be lifted.
300
00:26:59,494 --> 00:27:03,692
Over-harvesting is a particular concern
of biologist John Lawton.
301
00:27:03,934 --> 00:27:08,246
I believe that it will be in the interest
and it is in the interest
302
00:27:08,254 --> 00:27:13,374
of rich, developed nations
to help developing nations
303
00:27:13,534 --> 00:27:15,570
move to more sustainable development,
304
00:27:15,894 --> 00:27:22,288
to pay for the protection of forests,
to pay for the protection of wildlife and so on.
305
00:27:23,574 --> 00:27:27,852
And that is exactly what has happened
in a far distant corner of Indonesia,
306
00:27:27,894 --> 00:27:30,362
in the Arfak mountains of western New Guinea.
307
00:27:31,774 --> 00:27:36,643
Birdwing butterflies live here, and they are
among the largest butterflies in the world,
308
00:27:36,454 --> 00:27:38,809
with a wingspan of up to a foot across.
309
00:27:39,334 --> 00:27:44,727
Ever since they were first seen by Europeans,
they've been highly prized by collectors.
310
00:27:51,414 --> 00:27:55,168
The forests are also home to the Moili people.
311
00:27:55,254 --> 00:27:58,405
They earned money
by catching and selling butterflies,
312
00:27:58,734 --> 00:28:00,690
which fetch big prices around the world.
313
00:28:07,054 --> 00:28:12,492
But so many of the birdwings were being taken
that their numbers fell dangerously low.
314
00:28:12,774 --> 00:28:16,483
Now, with the assistance
of a conservation organisation,
315
00:28:16,614 --> 00:28:21,005
the Moili are being encouraged
to harvest the butterflies in a different way.
316
00:28:21,894 --> 00:28:24,727
Inggris Wonggor and other men in his village
317
00:28:24,974 --> 00:28:29,809
recognise that the birdwings rely
on one particular vine, aristolochia,
318
00:28:30,014 --> 00:28:33,450
and they plant it in special gardens
on the edge of the forest.
319
00:28:37,134 --> 00:28:41,889
Wild butterflies come to lay their eggs
in these gardens and then fly off.
320
00:28:42,774 --> 00:28:46,653
Caterpillars hatch from the eggs,
feed on the aristolochia leaves,
321
00:28:47,014 --> 00:28:49,448
and eventually turn into pupae.
322
00:28:49,414 --> 00:28:53,043
A few days before the adults emerge,
the pupae are collected
323
00:28:53,414 --> 00:28:56,611
and taken down to the nearest town,
a day's walk away.
324
00:29:04,454 --> 00:29:06,888
Here, there's a butterfly co-operative,
325
00:29:06,814 --> 00:29:11,490
which helps the villagers get the best price
for the butterflies on the world market.
326
00:29:11,894 --> 00:29:14,772
(CONVERSE IN OWN LANGUAGE)
327
00:29:15,694 --> 00:29:20,051
Inggris is paid 5,000 rupiah,
just less than one dollar,
328
00:29:20,454 --> 00:29:23,252
for each butterfly pupa he brings in.
329
00:29:25,774 --> 00:29:29,164
The co-operative has special
temperature-controlled rooms,
330
00:29:29,374 --> 00:29:31,934
where the adults emerge without any problems.
331
00:29:51,214 --> 00:29:55,492
The butterflies are killed, packed
and sent to collectors around the world.
332
00:29:55,814 --> 00:29:59,443
The income from the butterfly co-operative
is the only source of money
333
00:29:59,494 --> 00:30:02,804
for most villagers like Inggris Wonggor.
334
00:30:04,614 --> 00:30:07,572
(INGGRIS TALKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
335
00:30:07,894 --> 00:30:10,454
(TRANSLATION)
The environment is very important to us.
336
00:30:15,334 --> 00:30:22,092
If the forest is devastated, it means
no butterflies, so we can get nothing.
337
00:30:25,414 --> 00:30:28,690
(ATTENBOROUGH)
The project also helps wild butterflies.
338
00:30:29,734 --> 00:30:33,090
Not all the pupae
in the aristolochia gardens are collected.
339
00:30:32,894 --> 00:30:37,206
A significant proportion hatch there,
and the adults fly off into the forest,
340
00:30:37,414 --> 00:30:40,133
where they replenish the original population.
341
00:30:41,894 --> 00:30:47,412
So both the people and the butterflies in these
mountains now have a more secure future.
342
00:30:51,974 --> 00:30:56,923
There's another strange and romantic species
that has found a market internationally.
343
00:30:57,214 --> 00:30:59,774
You can find examples of it,
if you know where to look,
344
00:30:59,934 --> 00:31:04,450
in Chinese communities all over the world,
including London's Chinatown.
345
00:31:05,934 --> 00:31:11,054
At least 50 different countries
are involved in the trade for seahorses.
346
00:31:11,214 --> 00:31:16,652
Some are caught for keeping in aquaria
or as curios, but many, like these dried ones,
347
00:31:16,654 --> 00:31:18,849
are for use in traditional medicine.
348
00:31:19,054 --> 00:31:23,844
Worldwide, up to 20 million
seahorses are caught each year,
349
00:31:24,334 --> 00:31:26,973
and the demand for them seems to be limitless.
350
00:31:27,214 --> 00:31:33,449
Needless to say, this is having a dramatic
effect on some local seahorse populations.
351
00:31:33,334 --> 00:31:36,246
In the Philippines, there are some local people
352
00:31:36,694 --> 00:31:40,004
who depend upon the seahorse trade
for their living,
353
00:31:40,054 --> 00:31:43,126
so there a conservation programme
has been started
354
00:31:43,414 --> 00:31:48,329
which tries to ensure that their needs, as well
as those of the seahorses, are being considered.
355
00:31:53,094 --> 00:31:55,927
Most of the seahorses are gathered at night.
356
00:31:58,334 --> 00:32:02,930
They rely for their defence on camouflage,
but these divers are very skilled
357
00:32:02,774 --> 00:32:07,768
at spotting them among the coral and seaweed.
Few escape their practiced eye.
358
00:32:17,934 --> 00:32:23,213
Seahorses are more prone to the dangers
of over-harvesting than most species of fish
359
00:32:23,214 --> 00:32:26,092
because of the extraordinary way
in which they breed.
360
00:32:28,014 --> 00:32:31,370
Instead of laying several thousand eggs,
like many fish,
361
00:32:31,654 --> 00:32:38,127
seahorses produce only a few hundred, and
incredibly it's the male that becomes pregnant
362
00:32:38,094 --> 00:32:41,086
and gives birth to the young, alive.
363
00:32:59,574 --> 00:33:03,203
Males and females form bonds for life.
364
00:33:03,414 --> 00:33:08,408
If one of them is taken, then the other may not
find another mate for a very long time.
365
00:33:08,214 --> 00:33:13,334
But, commonly, both partners are caught
since they tend to live close to one another.
366
00:33:20,654 --> 00:33:25,125
But in this village, a new method
of seahorse fishing has been introduced,
367
00:33:25,134 --> 00:33:28,092
thanks to the support
of an international conservation group
368
00:33:28,214 --> 00:33:32,173
organised by marine biologist
Dr Amanda Vincent.
369
00:33:32,694 --> 00:33:37,006
Project Seahorse
is trying to ensure the long-term persistence
370
00:33:37,494 --> 00:33:40,372
of healthy seahorse populations,
371
00:33:40,374 --> 00:33:44,367
healthy populations of their relatives
and healthy habitats in which seahorses live.
372
00:33:44,654 --> 00:33:49,170
We're doing this in a way that respects human
needs and we're also focused on education.
373
00:33:49,454 --> 00:33:52,252
(SPEAK L0CAL DIALECT)
374
00:33:52,814 --> 00:33:55,886
The fishermen bring their catches
to a local buyer in the village.
375
00:33:55,974 --> 00:34:00,365
On a good night, a man can
reckon to earn a couple of dollars.
376
00:34:00,294 --> 00:34:03,923
The seahorses will be dried and sent abroad.
377
00:34:04,334 --> 00:34:09,454
Records are made of what was caught so that
the effects on the population can be monitored.
378
00:34:14,054 --> 00:34:18,730
Scholarships have been set up for local
students, who help with the record taking.
379
00:34:19,614 --> 00:34:23,493
With this information, the harvesting
of seahorses can be properly planned
380
00:34:23,774 --> 00:34:29,212
to prevent the over-fishing of any one area
and to conserve a healthy breeding population.
381
00:34:30,534 --> 00:34:35,403
The villagers still go out fishing for seahorses,
but the project is helping them
382
00:34:35,814 --> 00:34:39,602
to make a better living through
associated crafts and some tourism.
383
00:34:39,534 --> 00:34:43,368
So now a chain of carefully guarded
sanctuaries has been created,
384
00:34:43,574 --> 00:34:46,372
where the seahorses can breed in safety.
385
00:34:47,894 --> 00:34:51,170
Both the seahorse
and the birdwing butterfly projects
386
00:34:51,574 --> 00:34:54,088
are concerned with sustainability.
387
00:34:53,974 --> 00:34:57,091
That means not taking too much out of the wild
388
00:34:57,334 --> 00:35:00,724
so that species of animals and plants
will continue to flourish.
389
00:35:00,694 --> 00:35:06,405
If you do take too much, of course,
then those populations can decline dangerously,
390
00:35:06,934 --> 00:35:09,368
sometimes beyond recovery,
391
00:35:09,334 --> 00:35:14,044
and then there's nothing for anyone
to take out, now or in the future.
392
00:35:19,174 --> 00:35:25,329
Protecting a population from over-exploitation
is essential, but even that may not be enough
393
00:35:25,414 --> 00:35:28,611
if another threat to their environment
is not tackled quickly.
394
00:35:28,774 --> 00:35:31,527
That threat comes from pollution.
395
00:35:34,534 --> 00:35:40,484
Pollution is often localised and sometimes
even reversible, but one kind is not reversible -
396
00:35:40,774 --> 00:35:44,767
the continual release of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases
397
00:35:45,094 --> 00:35:47,244
into the earth's atmosphere.
398
00:36:00,374 --> 00:36:03,730
This has a long-term effect
on the earth's temperature.
399
00:36:03,734 --> 00:36:06,373
Stephen Schneider is a climatologist.
400
00:36:06,614 --> 00:36:10,766
The world is going to warm up something
like one to five degrees in the next century.
401
00:36:10,934 --> 00:36:15,166
One being mild, five being catastrophic.
Not satisfying, but we have to tell the truth.
402
00:36:15,374 --> 00:36:18,605
The truth is it's likely that
something significant will happen.
403
00:36:18,734 --> 00:36:20,850
But it gets much more complicated.
404
00:36:21,614 --> 00:36:25,846
The big problems occur
when the warming gets to several degrees,
405
00:36:26,414 --> 00:36:29,326
because that starts to get to be
the number where some species
406
00:36:29,294 --> 00:36:32,252
really want to move hundreds
to thousands of kilometres,
407
00:36:32,654 --> 00:36:35,407
and it'll be very difficult
for those migrations to take place
408
00:36:35,534 --> 00:36:38,606
across the world's factories, farms,
freeways and urban settlements,
409
00:36:38,414 --> 00:36:41,087
and at a rate at which climates could change.
410
00:36:44,854 --> 00:36:50,326
But is there any real evidence to suggest
that species might be able to move in this way?
411
00:36:53,014 --> 00:36:57,530
Here in King's Canyon in California's
Sierra Nevada there is proof,
412
00:36:57,814 --> 00:37:02,365
and it comes in the form of a butterfly
called Edith's checkerspot.
413
00:37:03,854 --> 00:37:09,486
Like most butterflies, this species is sensitive
to changes in temperature or climate.
414
00:37:11,014 --> 00:37:17,169
It's at its most vulnerable not when it flies
as an adult but when it feeds as a caterpillar.
415
00:37:18,374 --> 00:37:20,524
It lays its eggs in summer.
416
00:37:20,294 --> 00:37:24,572
When the caterpillars hatch out,
they feed on a particular plant, figwort,
417
00:37:25,094 --> 00:37:28,291
as they prepare to hibernate until the next spring.
418
00:37:28,534 --> 00:37:32,083
But if spring comes too early
due to climate change,
419
00:37:32,094 --> 00:37:36,406
then the plants flower and die before
the caterpillars have a chance to eat them.
420
00:37:36,294 --> 00:37:41,084
Studies going back as far as 20 years
have shown that in order to survive,
421
00:37:41,374 --> 00:37:44,923
this species has gradually moved
its range farther up the mountains
422
00:37:45,214 --> 00:37:50,049
to get to the cooler temperatures, where
the plants put out their leaves at the right time
423
00:37:50,014 --> 00:37:52,653
for the caterpillars to feed,
424
00:37:52,894 --> 00:37:58,730
and it's been found the butterflies have extended
their range northwards by 200 kilometres.
425
00:38:03,454 --> 00:38:07,891
The earth has gone through many changes
of temperatures and climate in its history.
426
00:38:07,774 --> 00:38:10,925
But now conditions are changing at such speed
427
00:38:11,134 --> 00:38:14,604
that some species will have
to move really rapidly.
428
00:38:14,974 --> 00:38:17,932
So what happens if they can't do so?
429
00:38:22,174 --> 00:38:26,008
These are the Maldive Islands
in the Indian Ocean.
430
00:38:26,014 --> 00:38:29,609
They have one of the least polluted
habitats on the planet
431
00:38:29,854 --> 00:38:34,291
and their spectacular reefs make them
one of the top spots for divers.
432
00:38:46,454 --> 00:38:51,812
Although coral reefs occupy less than 1%
of the vast space taken up by oceans,
433
00:38:51,734 --> 00:38:55,773
they support 25%
of all species of marine fish.
434
00:39:04,134 --> 00:39:08,969
Corals are extremely sensitive
to changes in water temperature.
435
00:39:10,374 --> 00:39:14,765
This is what one of the many coral reefs
in the area usually looks like.
436
00:39:15,174 --> 00:39:19,884
But during the month of April, 1998,
it suddenly changed.
437
00:39:24,294 --> 00:39:28,606
The whole reef turned white,
exposing its naked skeleton.
438
00:39:28,614 --> 00:39:32,573
The majority of the tiny coral polyps
that had built these structures
439
00:39:32,934 --> 00:39:38,167
had been killed by a rise in the water
temperature of just one degree centigrade.
440
00:39:40,614 --> 00:39:43,890
Marine biologists believe
this to have been caused
441
00:39:43,974 --> 00:39:47,762
by a fluctuation in the earth's climate
known as El Niņo,
442
00:39:48,294 --> 00:39:51,809
combined with the beginnings of global warming.
443
00:39:51,654 --> 00:39:55,806
Eighteen months later,
this is what the same reef looked like.
444
00:39:55,974 --> 00:39:58,772
Between 80 and 90%
of the corals were dead,
445
00:39:59,334 --> 00:40:01,894
their skeletons covered with brown slime.
446
00:40:01,734 --> 00:40:06,364
It may be decades before the reefs
of the Maldives are recolonised.
447
00:40:07,014 --> 00:40:10,529
10% of the world's coral reefs
were severely damaged
448
00:40:10,854 --> 00:40:15,530
during this one episode, when the ocean
temperatures for a short time changed.
449
00:40:15,654 --> 00:40:19,647
We know from fossil evidence
that during earlier mass extinctions,
450
00:40:19,494 --> 00:40:24,443
like the one in which the dinosaurs disappeared,
many coral species also vanished,
451
00:40:24,774 --> 00:40:27,607
probably as a result of a change in temperature.
452
00:40:27,654 --> 00:40:30,691
So what can be done about global warming?
453
00:40:31,934 --> 00:40:37,213
The solution to global warming
is more sustainable energy sources,
454
00:40:37,214 --> 00:40:42,368
so we're not burning fossil fuels
and releasing greenhouse gases.
455
00:40:42,694 --> 00:40:46,687
It's also having fewer people
and having more efficient energy
456
00:40:47,014 --> 00:40:50,927
and having less extravagant
patterns of consumption.
457
00:40:53,254 --> 00:40:56,007
All the problems we have recognised so far
458
00:40:56,134 --> 00:40:59,809
are being made greater
by the increase in human population.
459
00:41:02,854 --> 00:41:07,689
100 years ago, the world's population
was around two billion people.
460
00:41:08,134 --> 00:41:12,764
Today it stands at just over six billion,
that's 6,000 million.
461
00:41:12,934 --> 00:41:16,688
And the last thousand million
was added in the last 12 years.
462
00:41:16,774 --> 00:41:21,131
Ian Diamond is a demographer
studying population growth.
463
00:41:22,374 --> 00:41:28,210
If we don't see increases in the use of family
planning and declines in child bearing,
464
00:41:28,134 --> 00:41:32,286
as we started to see in many parts
of the world in the last few years,
465
00:41:32,454 --> 00:41:38,086
then we will have much, much bigger
populations than nine or ten billion.
466
00:41:38,534 --> 00:41:41,287
In the long term, into the 22nd century,
467
00:41:41,414 --> 00:41:45,009
the world's population
will flatten out at around 11 billion.
468
00:41:58,694 --> 00:42:01,970
What does that mean
for the future of the planet?
469
00:42:02,054 --> 00:42:04,443
As far as food is concerned,
470
00:42:04,934 --> 00:42:08,927
agricultural technologists say that
crop yields could be improved sufficiently
471
00:42:08,774 --> 00:42:11,572
to sustain around 11 billion people.
472
00:42:12,694 --> 00:42:18,451
But if six billion people are already damaging
the planet and its biological diversity,
473
00:42:18,934 --> 00:42:23,610
a population of 11 billion would put
intense pressure on global resources,
474
00:42:23,734 --> 00:42:26,453
far beyond anything we've yet witnessed.
475
00:42:26,614 --> 00:42:29,253
Are we content that that should happen?
476
00:42:31,894 --> 00:42:36,365
We understand what the problems are
and what we can do about them.
477
00:42:36,694 --> 00:42:41,324
And we have the ability to minimise
the damage to biodiversity.
478
00:42:41,494 --> 00:42:44,292
But how many species can we afford to lose
479
00:42:44,374 --> 00:42:47,093
during this immense increase
in the human population,
480
00:42:47,254 --> 00:42:50,405
without seriously compromising the future?
481
00:42:51,094 --> 00:42:58,853
Conservation of biodiversity will depend on how
we scale down our excesses in consumption.
482
00:42:59,174 --> 00:43:03,850
But if things are decisively done
at the political level, at the local level,
483
00:43:03,974 --> 00:43:09,128
at the governmental level, to be able
to address this problem head on,
484
00:43:09,254 --> 00:43:15,443
without political excuses and different people
getting excuses, then I think we have a chance.
485
00:43:18,454 --> 00:43:21,446
If we don't take those measures,
then we risk
486
00:43:21,454 --> 00:43:25,367
losing up to 50% of all species on earth.
487
00:43:25,374 --> 00:43:28,366
Among them would be
some of the most well known.
488
00:43:29,374 --> 00:43:33,765
But also there would be many others
which haven't even been discovered yet.
489
00:43:37,894 --> 00:43:41,807
(WILSON) We'd all like to save
biodiversity in the environment,
490
00:43:42,214 --> 00:43:44,728
the preservation of the creation, as it were.
491
00:43:44,734 --> 00:43:50,252
We have to learn... a new ethic,
that allows us to...
492
00:43:51,454 --> 00:43:56,926
care as much about the Brazilian rainforest
as our own local reserve,
493
00:43:56,734 --> 00:44:02,650
and to think beyond just a few years
or even a generation, to future generations,
494
00:44:02,974 --> 00:44:05,886
and what it is we'd like to leave to them.
495
00:44:07,094 --> 00:44:09,813
A warning of what the future could hold
496
00:44:09,974 --> 00:44:12,966
can be seen on one
of the most remote places on earth,
497
00:44:13,334 --> 00:44:19,125
a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
two and a half thousand miles from anywhere.
498
00:44:21,654 --> 00:44:27,126
This is Easter Island,
and these astonishing stone sculptures
499
00:44:27,214 --> 00:44:33,369
are vivid evidence of the technological and artistic
skills of the people who once lived here.
500
00:44:33,454 --> 00:44:35,172
How did they survive?
501
00:44:35,414 --> 00:44:39,089
There are hardly any large animals
to provide them with meat,
502
00:44:39,254 --> 00:44:42,166
there are very few different kinds of plants.
503
00:44:42,134 --> 00:44:47,606
There are no trees to provide timber
with which to build houses or ocean-going canoes.
504
00:44:47,894 --> 00:44:52,649
In terms of human survival,
this island is very barren indeed.
505
00:44:56,054 --> 00:44:59,649
But Easter Island was not always like this.
506
00:45:02,334 --> 00:45:06,327
1500 years ago, when the first
Polynesian settlers landed here,
507
00:45:06,054 --> 00:45:10,491
they found a miniature world
that had ample resources to sustain them.
508
00:45:10,934 --> 00:45:15,086
They lived well, erected their spectacular
monuments, and over the centuries
509
00:45:15,254 --> 00:45:18,644
their population grew to around 20,000.
510
00:45:21,454 --> 00:45:23,524
So what went wrong?
511
00:45:24,814 --> 00:45:29,683
These are the remains
of an early Easter Islander's house,
512
00:45:29,654 --> 00:45:33,932
and from excavations in the refuse dumps
and around the kitchen,
513
00:45:33,974 --> 00:45:37,125
we can get a pretty good idea
of what they had for meat.
514
00:45:37,334 --> 00:45:44,092
There was a lot of fish, there was also
shellfish and rats and chickens.
515
00:45:44,534 --> 00:45:47,526
And there was a lot of pollen grains too,
516
00:45:47,414 --> 00:45:52,363
and that tells us what kind of trees there were
on the island. There were a lot of them.
517
00:45:53,174 --> 00:45:56,849
Then, about 500 years ago, things changed.
518
00:45:57,014 --> 00:46:01,724
Fish almost disappear from the diet,
and changes in the pollen
519
00:46:01,814 --> 00:46:05,648
and the reduction of its quantity
give us the reason why.
520
00:46:06,134 --> 00:46:10,207
Almost the last of the trees
had been felled by then.
521
00:46:09,974 --> 00:46:14,968
So the islanders no longer had timber
to build sea-going canoes.
522
00:46:15,254 --> 00:46:21,284
And, at about the same time, the carving
of the great stone statues came to an end.
523
00:46:24,414 --> 00:46:29,932
Without wood to make canoes, the people
couldn't leave their shores, even to fish.
524
00:46:30,174 --> 00:46:34,804
Starvation threatened.
Warfare broke out between rival clans
525
00:46:34,974 --> 00:46:39,252
as they fought over the limited food
and the remaining productive soil.
526
00:46:39,294 --> 00:46:44,891
The old culture that had sustained them
was abandoned and the statues toppled.
527
00:46:45,134 --> 00:46:50,731
What had been a rich, fertile world
in miniature had become a barren desert.
528
00:47:00,654 --> 00:47:05,603
It seems we'll have to make further changes
in our behaviour and attitude
529
00:47:06,014 --> 00:47:10,166
if we're not to inflict lasting damage
on the other animals and plants
530
00:47:10,334 --> 00:47:12,894
with which we share this planet.
531
00:47:12,734 --> 00:47:17,046
We ourselves, as a species,
may well survive, come what may.
532
00:47:17,534 --> 00:47:23,609
But it could also be that unless we change,
we, like the ancient Easter Islanders,
533
00:47:23,454 --> 00:47:29,893
will be condemning generations to come
to live in a poorer and impoverished world.
534
00:47:31,054 --> 00:47:35,844
The future of life on earth
depends on our ability to take action.
535
00:47:36,334 --> 00:47:39,531
Many individuals are doing what they can.
536
00:47:39,694 --> 00:47:44,165
But real success can only come
if there's a change in our societies
537
00:47:44,014 --> 00:47:47,245
and our economics and in our politics.
538
00:47:47,374 --> 00:47:49,410
I've been lucky in my lifetime
539
00:47:49,774 --> 00:47:53,892
to see some of the greatest spectacles
the natural world has to offer.
540
00:47:54,094 --> 00:47:59,452
Surely we have a responsibility
to leave for future generations
541
00:47:59,374 --> 00:48:04,368
a planet that is healthy,
inhabitable by all species.