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Our planet is home to a seemingly
infinite variety of species.
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From ocean giants...
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..to the tiniest insects.
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We call this abundance of life
biodiversity.
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But today, it's vanishing at rates
never seen before in human history.
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The UN panel of experts has found
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that one million animal and plant
species face extinction.
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It is worse than expected.
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This is happening much faster
than we've ever seen before.
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Today, we are the asteroid that's
causing many, many species
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to go extinct simultaneously.
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The evidence is that unless
immediate action is taken,
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this crisis has
grave impacts for us all.
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00:01:07,420 --> 00:01:10,820
We're not just losing nice
things to look at.
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We're losing critical parts
of Earth's system.
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And it's threatening our food,
our water, our climate.
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This year has shown us
we've gone one step too far.
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Scientists have even linked our
destructive relationship
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with nature to the emergence
of Covid-19.
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We are encroaching further and
further every day
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into wildlife habitat, and that
drives emerging diseases.
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If we carry on like this,
we will see more epidemics
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as bad as this, and some of them
could even be worse.
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The decisions made as we rebuild
our economies are critical.
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Get it wrong and we will be
in deeply dangerous territory.
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Get it right and we still
have the ability to pull back
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and rein in the collapse
of biodiversity.
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We have a moment
when we can change our world
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and make it better.
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This is that moment.
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Over the course of my life,
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I've encountered some of the world's
most remarkable species of animals.
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Only now do I realise
just how lucky I've been.
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Many of these wonders seem set
to disappear forever.
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We're facing a crisis, and one
that has consequences for us all.
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It threatens our ability to feed
ourselves, to control our climate.
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It even puts us at greater risk
of pandemic diseases
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such as Covid-19.
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It's never been more important
for us to understand the effects
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of biodiversity loss,
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of how it is that we ourselves
are responsible for it.
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Only if we do that
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will we have any hope
of averting disaster.
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Last year, the United Nations
asked over 500 scientists
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to investigate the current state
of the natural world.
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This is the first time
there's been a global assessment
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where all the evidence has been
pulled together,
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thousands and thousands of papers.
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We're losing biodiversity at a rate
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that is truly unprecedented
in human history.
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All groups in the natural
world are in decline,
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which means their populations
are getting smaller, day by day.
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Since 1970, vertebrate animals -
things like birds, mammals,
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amphibians and reptiles -
have declined by 60% in total.
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Large mammals have on average
disappeared from three quarters
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of the range where
they were historically found.
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What's different is that
it's happening simultaneously
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in the Amazon, in Africa,
in the Arctic.
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It's happening not at one place
and not with one group of organisms,
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but with all biodiversity
everywhere on the planet.
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It means that one million species
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out of eight million species
on Earth
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are now threatened with extinction.
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500,000 plants and animals
and 500,000 insects.
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Extinction is a natural process.
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Things come, they grow,
their populations get huge
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and then they decline.
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But it's the rate of extinction.
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That's the problem.
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So when you look at previous groups
in the fossil records,
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then it's over millions of years
they go extinct.
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Here we're looking at tens of years.
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Since 1500, 570 plant species
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and 700 animal species
have gone extinct.
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Studies suggest that extinction
is now happening 100 times faster
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than the natural evolutionary rate,
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and it's accelerating.
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Globally, there was a shock.
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Because you hadn't pulled all that
data together,
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people hadn't realised that we have
a very serious crisis on our hands.
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Many people think of extinction
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being this imaginary tale
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told by conservationists,
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but I have lived it.
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I know what it is.
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I am caretaker of the
northern white rhinos.
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We only have two left on the planet.
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They are mother and daughter.
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This is Najin, the mother,
who is 30 years old.
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She is very quiet.
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And her daughter is Fatu.
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This is Fatu.
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Hey, come on. Hey, Fatu.
Fatu, no, come on.
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She's 19 years old.
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She's pretty much like
a human teenager.
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She's a little bit unpredictable
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and can be feisty sometimes,
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especially when she wants something.
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Northern white rhinos were once
found in their thousands
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in central Africa, but were pushed
to the brink of extinction
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by habitat loss and hunting.
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By 1990, just seven known
individuals survived.
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I've seen these beautiful rhinos
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count from seven down to two.
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They're here because
we've betrayed them.
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And I think they feel it,
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this threatening tide of extinction
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that is pushing on them.
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They feel their world is collapsing.
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Unless science saves them,
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when Najin passes away, she'll leave
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the daughter Fatu alone forever.
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The last northern white rhino.
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And their plight awaits
one million more species.
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Once we lose these species,
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we do not have hope
of accumulating them back
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on a timescale that we exist on.
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Unique animals with complex
and varied lives disappearing
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from our planet forever
isn't just disturbing.
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It's deeply tragic.
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But this is about more than losing
the wonders of nature.
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The consequences of these losses
for us as a species
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are far-reaching and profound.
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What we now know about the natural
world is that
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everything is joined up.
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From a single pond to a whole
tropical rainforest.
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All of biodiversity is
interlocked on a global scale
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and all parts of that system
are required to make it function.
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We tend to think that we're somehow
outside of that system,
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but we are part of it and we are
totally reliant upon it.
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The problem is we're now changing
those ecological systems
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on a massive scale,
right across the globe.
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And it's threatening food
and water security.
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We're losing many of the things
that nature provides for us.
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One of the big threats
is the loss of insects.
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We've estimated 10%
are at risk of extinction.
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00:10:00,260 --> 00:10:04,860
Other scientists believe the
number could be much larger.
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00:10:04,860 --> 00:10:09,740
Driving around, we don't have moths,
butterflies, bees,
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all sorts of insects on our
windshield any more.
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And that is scary.
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Because they form the food chain
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for hundreds of thousands
of other species.
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And they are extremely important
for pollination.
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Three quarters of the world's food
crops rely partly on pollination
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by insects to produce
the food that we need.
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Another threat is the loss
of diversity below ground.
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Soil should be teeming with life.
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But reports have suggested
that up to 30% of the land's surface
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globally has been degraded
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00:11:01,580 --> 00:11:04,300
and has soils of low biodiversity.
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00:11:05,620 --> 00:11:08,620
One of the most important things
that animals in the soil do
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is break down organic matter...
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..which can then be used
for plant growth.
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So if we lose the diversity
of the soil,
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the consequences of that
can be catastrophic.
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We're seeing already that due
to soil degradation and changes
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in the Earth's climate,
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food production in some parts
of the world is going down.
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Unfortunately, the most affected
would be poor people
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in developing countries.
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But there's no question everybody
in the world, one way or another,
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is being affected by the loss
of biodiversity.
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One of the really big problems
is what's happening to plants.
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The picture is grim.
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25% of the plant species
that have been assessed
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are threatened with extinction.
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One in four plants.
I find that terrifying.
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00:12:14,780 --> 00:12:18,740
Plants underpin almost every
single thing that we require.
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Think about the air we breathe,
concentration of CO2 in the air,
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clean water.
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Trees regulate water flow
across landscapes.
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Intercept the rainfall and the roots
hold the soil in place.
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So you chop all those trees down,
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there's nothing doing that,
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you end up with a landslide.
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We've learnt that many, many times,
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and yet we carry on
making the same mistake.
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Even in the UK, we've converted
many areas that have been
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natural wetlands,
which would absorb the water.
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What we're now seeing
is major floods.
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The impacts of biodiversity loss
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are no longer a threat for future
generations to face.
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We ourselves must do so.
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00:13:20,260 --> 00:13:23,300
It's never been more critical
for us to understand
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what is driving this crisis.
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Scientists have identified
the key ways in which we humans
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are destroying the ecosystems
on which we depend.
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There are many ways to remove
pieces of the puzzle.
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The most obvious way
is to kill something,
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and we do a lot of that.
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Over the last 20 years, the illegal
wildlife trade has become
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a multi-billion dollar
global industry.
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One of the biggest ever hauls, worth
more than £4 million...
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326 pieces were seized...
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..was found in a shipping container.
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Poaching is still
sort of like a war,
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a constant battle that we have
to fight.
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Every day, we lose between two or
three rhinos in Africa.
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And it is not just rhinos.
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We're talking about millions
of animals being snatched
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from the wild, from thousands
of species.
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Illegal wildlife trafficking ranks
fourth of transnational crimes
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after human trafficking,
arms and drugs.
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00:14:56,980 --> 00:15:00,420
One of the drivers
for increasing demand
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00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:05,100
is increased income in China,
Vietnam or elsewhere.
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If you have money,
if you have internet,
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you can literally order
anything that you want.
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It could be a status symbol
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or it could be
for medicinal purposes.
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But it's all made up.
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People claim these are cultures
and traditions,
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but a lot is really just
a marketing scheme
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00:15:33,780 --> 00:15:37,540
by traders looking for the next
animal to exploit.
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Today, the most trafficked
animal in the world
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is one few people have ever seen
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and many have never even heard of.
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Pangolins are nocturnal animals
found throughout Asia and Africa.
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They are natural pest controllers.
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Each one can consume
70 million ants a year.
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00:16:08,260 --> 00:16:13,500
Pangolins are the only mammal
covered in scales,
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and this is their downfall.
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The massive demand in Asia
for pangolin scales
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is driving the decimation
of pangolins.
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Traders claim that they have
medicinal purposes,
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00:16:31,660 --> 00:16:35,060
but, you know, pangolin scales
are made of keratin.
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It's like our fingernails.
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So they have no medicinal
properties.
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It's all right, sweetheart.
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The numbers of African pangolin
scales that have been intercepted
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going into Asia has dramatically
increased over the last few years.
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00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:56,380
Last year, 2019, it was just over
100 tonnes of scales.
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That's 175,000 pangolins
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that have been killed
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for the scale trade.
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We work closely with law
enforcement officials.
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This little pangolin came in
off the trade,
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00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:15,100
and they're usually dehydrated
and emaciated.
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This pangolin's still got the little
white tips at the end of each scale
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which shows his use.
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00:17:23,180 --> 00:17:25,740
And this is a particularly
pretty little pangolin.
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00:17:27,340 --> 00:17:29,900
Poaching is a brutally cruel
business.
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00:17:31,380 --> 00:17:34,620
I have seen video footage
of them being boiled alive.
243
00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:40,460
It's extremely distressing to see
how these animals are killed.
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00:17:45,100 --> 00:17:48,260
Last year, when Covid-19
first emerged,
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00:17:48,260 --> 00:17:53,300
pangolins were pointed to as a
potential source of the virus.
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00:17:53,300 --> 00:17:56,740
And everybody hoped that this would
cut down the trade straight away,
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00:17:56,740 --> 00:17:59,980
but unfortunately,
that's not happened.
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00:17:59,980 --> 00:18:04,420
The trade is highly profitable
and it's unlikely to stop.
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00:18:08,540 --> 00:18:12,340
There are four Asian pangolin
species and four African.
250
00:18:14,860 --> 00:18:19,460
And all eight species
are threatened with extinction.
251
00:18:27,220 --> 00:18:31,020
There is another huge trade
that is driving
252
00:18:31,020 --> 00:18:33,580
the loss of biodiversity,
253
00:18:33,580 --> 00:18:36,420
and this one happens in plain sight.
254
00:18:44,060 --> 00:18:49,340
We have created a database
that has world fisheries statistics,
255
00:18:49,340 --> 00:18:54,100
and we were the first ones to study
fisheries on a global basis,
256
00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:58,860
and this global view shows
that we have massive
257
00:18:58,860 --> 00:19:00,900
and widespread overfishing.
258
00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:04,380
In the last 40 years,
259
00:19:04,380 --> 00:19:08,820
the scale of global fishing
has dramatically increased.
260
00:19:10,460 --> 00:19:15,500
At any one time, there could be as
many as 100,000 trawlers
261
00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:17,300
operating in our seas.
262
00:19:19,020 --> 00:19:25,700
Modern fishing is an industrial
operation run by huge corporations,
263
00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:28,740
boats, factories, ships.
264
00:19:28,740 --> 00:19:34,660
Some sweep up the ground with a net
that might be as big as this house.
265
00:19:34,660 --> 00:19:39,940
And you can put four jumbo jets
in the mouth of a big trawl.
266
00:19:39,940 --> 00:19:43,300
And everything that is in the path
goes in.
267
00:19:45,420 --> 00:19:48,380
The problem is, as you remove
more and more of the adult fish,
268
00:19:48,380 --> 00:19:50,940
particularly the larger sized fish,
269
00:19:50,940 --> 00:19:54,140
you end up with fewer and fewer
of the eggs and the fry,
270
00:19:54,140 --> 00:19:58,580
and there's simply not enough
for the population to recover.
271
00:19:59,820 --> 00:20:02,860
There are ways of sustainably
managing fish stocks.
272
00:20:02,860 --> 00:20:06,700
Reducing fishing in an area
can get a population back
273
00:20:06,700 --> 00:20:09,180
to sustainable levels.
274
00:20:09,180 --> 00:20:12,700
But you have to choose
whether you want to extract
275
00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:17,700
a sustainable, modest catch or have
a big catch for a short term.
276
00:20:17,700 --> 00:20:21,780
And we have always opted
for the big catch for a short term.
277
00:20:23,860 --> 00:20:26,420
Even where fish quotas
are put in place,
278
00:20:26,420 --> 00:20:28,860
often they're not being implemented.
279
00:20:28,860 --> 00:20:30,660
And in some parts of the world,
280
00:20:30,660 --> 00:20:33,940
there's not even good regulations
to limit the catches.
281
00:20:36,460 --> 00:20:39,060
The waters around the edge
of fishing countries
282
00:20:39,060 --> 00:20:40,420
are being emptied.
283
00:20:42,660 --> 00:20:44,940
We found that in China,
284
00:20:44,940 --> 00:20:48,860
we have about 16% left
of what we had 120 years ago.
285
00:20:50,460 --> 00:20:53,380
And studies suggest that some
British waters,
286
00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:56,380
where industrial fishing begun,
have been decimated.
287
00:20:58,260 --> 00:21:01,780
There is now about 5% of
trawler cod fish left
288
00:21:01,780 --> 00:21:05,140
before the turn
of the 20th century.
289
00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:11,500
This is a really big problem
for the species of fish that prey
290
00:21:11,500 --> 00:21:14,220
upon the fish that we're harvesting,
291
00:21:14,220 --> 00:21:17,540
and this has huge impact
for marine ecosystems.
292
00:21:19,660 --> 00:21:23,660
We have completely destroyed
the natural balance of fish
293
00:21:23,660 --> 00:21:25,140
in the world's oceans.
294
00:21:35,300 --> 00:21:38,980
Across the globe, the pressures
faced by the natural world
295
00:21:38,980 --> 00:21:41,380
are becoming ever harder to solve
296
00:21:41,380 --> 00:21:45,020
because of our growing demand
for nature's resources.
297
00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:49,100
When I was a kid in the 1960s,
298
00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:52,500
there were three billion people
in the world.
299
00:21:52,500 --> 00:21:56,300
So I watched it go to six billion
around 2000 or so,
300
00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:59,460
and I'm now probably
going to see it actually reach,
301
00:21:59,460 --> 00:22:01,460
you know,
nine billion in my lifetime,
302
00:22:01,460 --> 00:22:03,100
which is pretty startling.
303
00:22:04,980 --> 00:22:08,580
Population growth is much, much
higher in the developing world
304
00:22:08,580 --> 00:22:10,220
than in the developed.
305
00:22:10,220 --> 00:22:13,100
But it's problematic to just talk
about population
306
00:22:13,100 --> 00:22:15,540
because there are two things which
are going on.
307
00:22:15,540 --> 00:22:19,420
It's population,
but it's also consumption.
308
00:22:19,420 --> 00:22:22,500
And in terms of impact
on the planet,
309
00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:26,300
what's much more important
is the growth in consumption levels,
310
00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:30,500
and these are far higher
in the developed economies.
311
00:22:30,500 --> 00:22:34,020
That's why I call it a taboo topic,
because who's at fault?
312
00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:36,660
Is it the very large number
of people,
313
00:22:36,660 --> 00:22:39,500
or the small number of people
with very few children
314
00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:43,060
who are actually
driving negative impacts?
315
00:22:43,060 --> 00:22:48,420
The average person in the UK
consumes nearly four times
316
00:22:48,420 --> 00:22:52,100
the resources of the
average person in India,
317
00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:56,300
and in the United States
it's about seven times as much.
318
00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:05,260
One of the problems is that many of
the products we use are manufactured
319
00:23:05,260 --> 00:23:09,020
in ways that pollute
our air, land and water,
320
00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:13,860
making pollution another of the
drivers of biodiversity loss.
321
00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:18,900
While in a country
like the United Kingdom,
322
00:23:18,900 --> 00:23:22,780
where some very strong laws
on how to reduce pollution,
323
00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:25,380
we do have to realise
we're no longer
324
00:23:25,380 --> 00:23:27,540
a major industrial country.
325
00:23:27,540 --> 00:23:32,380
Most of the things that we actually
use are produced abroad in countries
326
00:23:32,380 --> 00:23:36,220
where the laws can be non-existent
or not implemented.
327
00:23:38,860 --> 00:23:43,260
So we are simply moving our
footprint on destroying nature
328
00:23:43,260 --> 00:23:44,660
to another country.
329
00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:51,340
Pollutants can have a
lasting impact on species -
330
00:23:51,340 --> 00:23:55,580
an impact that may take time
for us to fully understand.
331
00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:02,380
PCB stand for
polychlorinated biphenyls.
332
00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:04,340
They're used in the electrical
industry.
333
00:24:04,340 --> 00:24:06,220
We invented them in the '20s
334
00:24:06,220 --> 00:24:09,260
and then we began to ban them from
the '80s onwards
335
00:24:09,260 --> 00:24:12,660
because we realised they had quite
a serious and toxic effect on life.
336
00:24:12,660 --> 00:24:14,980
They affect the immune system
337
00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:17,380
and they also cause
reproductive impairment.
338
00:24:19,620 --> 00:24:22,700
If PCBs are not disposed
of appropriately,
339
00:24:22,700 --> 00:24:25,260
then you can get leaching out from
the landfill site,
340
00:24:25,260 --> 00:24:27,740
into river courses, river beds
and back out to sea.
341
00:24:27,740 --> 00:24:29,860
Animals at the base
of the food chain
342
00:24:29,860 --> 00:24:31,820
might absorb very small amounts.
343
00:24:31,820 --> 00:24:34,860
But then as animals above them eat
more and more of the small animals,
344
00:24:34,860 --> 00:24:37,460
they'll concentrate
up the food chain.
345
00:24:42,140 --> 00:24:45,260
In the UK, we have one
really striking example of that.
346
00:24:45,260 --> 00:24:48,220
The last remaining pod of
in-shore killer whales
347
00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:50,100
up in north-west Scotland,
348
00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:53,100
where they only have eight
individuals left.
349
00:24:53,100 --> 00:24:56,180
That population has been studied
for about 30 years.
350
00:24:56,180 --> 00:24:58,620
In all that time,
they've never had a calf.
351
00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:01,220
Lulu was a part of that pod.
352
00:25:03,300 --> 00:25:06,500
She died due to entanglement
in fishing gear.
353
00:25:08,580 --> 00:25:11,620
When we had her blubber levels
analysed for PCBs,
354
00:25:11,620 --> 00:25:13,060
they were quite shocking.
355
00:25:13,060 --> 00:25:15,660
One of the highest levels
ever recorded
356
00:25:15,660 --> 00:25:17,860
in any killer whale on the planet.
357
00:25:17,860 --> 00:25:22,460
And when we looked at her ovaries,
we found they were non-functional.
358
00:25:22,460 --> 00:25:25,940
In my lifetime, we're looking
potentially at the complete loss
359
00:25:25,940 --> 00:25:28,260
of that population.
360
00:25:28,260 --> 00:25:30,740
And then we'll have
no more killer whales left
361
00:25:30,740 --> 00:25:32,300
around the coast of the UK.
362
00:25:36,140 --> 00:25:40,940
In addition to these threats, many
ecosystems are increasingly feeling
363
00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:44,820
the impact of another driver
of biodiversity loss.
364
00:25:47,740 --> 00:25:49,180
Climate change.
365
00:25:51,820 --> 00:25:54,060
Our world is getting hotter.
366
00:25:56,660 --> 00:25:59,180
At this moment, we do have
the Paris Agreement
367
00:25:59,180 --> 00:26:03,380
that says all governments
should try and limit climate change
368
00:26:03,380 --> 00:26:05,780
to no more than two degrees Celsius.
369
00:26:07,300 --> 00:26:10,300
All of the calculations show
we're on track
370
00:26:10,300 --> 00:26:12,900
for a three to four degree world.
371
00:26:12,900 --> 00:26:16,980
And the more the Earth warms,
the worse the problem is.
372
00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:23,940
There are lots of ways that climate
change will impact on species -
373
00:26:23,940 --> 00:26:28,140
changing food sources,
how they breed
374
00:26:28,140 --> 00:26:31,540
and whole patterns
of migration and movement.
375
00:26:34,300 --> 00:26:38,740
Increasing temperatures mean some
species are unable to survive
376
00:26:38,740 --> 00:26:40,460
in their normal habitat.
377
00:26:42,620 --> 00:26:46,700
They're forced to move higher
and higher where it's cooler,
378
00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:49,900
and eventually there's
nowhere left to go.
379
00:26:51,660 --> 00:26:54,860
It's been called
the escalator to extinction,
380
00:26:54,860 --> 00:26:57,820
and we see it all around the globe.
381
00:26:57,820 --> 00:27:00,500
In the Australian Wet Tropics,
382
00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:03,580
we're already seeing that
with possums and birds
383
00:27:03,580 --> 00:27:06,420
that just can't handle
the heatwaves.
384
00:27:06,420 --> 00:27:10,500
About 50% of the endemic species
that live in these mountaintops
385
00:27:10,500 --> 00:27:13,180
are on that escalator to extinction.
386
00:27:13,180 --> 00:27:15,100
These are no longer predictions.
387
00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:16,740
We are seeing it happen.
388
00:27:17,980 --> 00:27:20,780
Scientists predict that
in the future,
389
00:27:20,780 --> 00:27:23,260
as temperatures continue to rise,
390
00:27:23,260 --> 00:27:28,340
climate change will become the
greatest threat faced by species.
391
00:27:31,780 --> 00:27:37,260
But right now, the single biggest
driver of biodiversity loss
392
00:27:37,260 --> 00:27:40,460
is the destruction of habitats.
393
00:27:48,540 --> 00:27:51,700
Many people imagine there's
this untouched wilderness
394
00:27:51,700 --> 00:27:53,940
because they see it
on their TV screens.
395
00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:58,220
But the reality is there's really
not a lot of wild left out there.
396
00:27:58,220 --> 00:28:02,940
We've already lost nearly 90%
of the wetlands around the world.
397
00:28:02,940 --> 00:28:06,620
We've transformed the forests
and grasslands,
398
00:28:06,620 --> 00:28:11,100
we've converted 75% of the land
that is not covered by ice.
399
00:28:12,420 --> 00:28:15,060
Three quarters of the terrestrial
surface has been changed,
400
00:28:15,060 --> 00:28:17,660
a lot of it just to feed
one species.
401
00:28:20,340 --> 00:28:24,820
Obviously, if you clear a
rainforest or natural savanna
402
00:28:24,820 --> 00:28:28,660
and you replace it
with a monoculture agriculture,
403
00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:31,300
of course it's unsurprising
you're going to lose
404
00:28:31,300 --> 00:28:34,300
most of the species that evolved
to survive there.
405
00:28:36,820 --> 00:28:40,820
The critical thing is that there is
now enough land that's already
406
00:28:40,820 --> 00:28:45,300
been cleared to sustain the levels
of production that we need.
407
00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:48,780
But new land is still being cleared
408
00:28:48,780 --> 00:28:52,900
because often it's quicker
and cheaper to do so.
409
00:28:55,980 --> 00:28:58,540
It's estimated that every year
410
00:28:58,540 --> 00:29:02,340
around 3.8 million hectares
of forest are cleared.
411
00:29:07,260 --> 00:29:10,220
A lot of that clearance
is driven by demand
412
00:29:10,220 --> 00:29:12,500
on the other side of the world.
413
00:29:14,140 --> 00:29:16,780
We want cheap food and
we want to have choice
414
00:29:16,780 --> 00:29:18,540
on offer all year round.
415
00:29:19,860 --> 00:29:24,940
These commodities often provide the
mainstay of countries' economies,
416
00:29:24,940 --> 00:29:29,820
but many are produced in ways
that are not sustainable.
417
00:29:29,820 --> 00:29:35,100
So a consumer walking into
a supermarket may unwittingly
418
00:29:35,100 --> 00:29:38,940
be contributing towards loss
of biodiversity.
419
00:29:38,940 --> 00:29:43,100
What we're doing is taking
customs data, shipping data,
420
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:46,260
and for the first time we connect
them all together and ask
421
00:29:46,260 --> 00:29:48,140
who is buying from the hot spots
422
00:29:48,140 --> 00:29:50,660
where we're really losing
biodiversity.
423
00:29:52,580 --> 00:29:56,980
We now have enough data to be able
to identify the main drivers
424
00:29:56,980 --> 00:29:59,260
of biodiversity loss.
425
00:29:59,260 --> 00:30:02,900
Soy, cocoa, coffee, palm oil
and beef.
426
00:30:02,900 --> 00:30:05,580
Conversion of land for cattle
427
00:30:05,580 --> 00:30:10,380
is probably the greatest single
cause of habitat loss.
428
00:30:12,740 --> 00:30:15,300
Of the total mass of mammals
on Earth,
429
00:30:15,300 --> 00:30:19,940
livestock has been found
to account for 60%,
430
00:30:19,940 --> 00:30:25,340
humans for 36%,
and wild animals just 4%.
431
00:30:31,820 --> 00:30:35,380
Brazil has one of the world's
largest cattle herds,
432
00:30:35,380 --> 00:30:37,500
more than 200 million animals.
433
00:30:39,740 --> 00:30:44,180
About 12% of Brazil's beef exports
comes to the EU,
434
00:30:44,180 --> 00:30:46,340
but China is the main buyer.
435
00:30:48,620 --> 00:30:51,260
The UK doesn't import much beef,
436
00:30:51,260 --> 00:30:54,700
but we do import another product
from Brazil
437
00:30:54,700 --> 00:30:57,860
which is driving the destruction
of habitat.
438
00:31:02,180 --> 00:31:03,420
Soy.
439
00:31:05,860 --> 00:31:07,540
Soy is a bean.
440
00:31:07,540 --> 00:31:12,420
It's a very productive form of plant
protein that's widely used.
441
00:31:12,420 --> 00:31:16,740
The majority goes into animal feed.
442
00:31:16,740 --> 00:31:22,420
Since 2006, efforts have been made
to reduce deforestation for soy
443
00:31:22,420 --> 00:31:24,540
in the Brazilian Amazon,
444
00:31:24,540 --> 00:31:28,820
so production has moved
to another part of the country.
445
00:31:28,820 --> 00:31:31,300
The Cerrado is very special
446
00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:35,340
and in many ways
it's a forgotten landscape.
447
00:31:35,340 --> 00:31:38,380
At first glance, it may not
seem attractive.
448
00:31:38,380 --> 00:31:41,620
It's basically scrub grasslands,
scrub forests.
449
00:31:43,020 --> 00:31:46,060
Yet the Cerrado has many
unique species.
450
00:31:54,780 --> 00:32:00,540
Giant anteaters have been
around for millions of years,
451
00:32:00,540 --> 00:32:04,740
but they have gone extinct
from many areas.
452
00:32:04,740 --> 00:32:07,420
They only have one pup at a time,
453
00:32:07,420 --> 00:32:10,500
so this one pup is very precious.
454
00:32:10,500 --> 00:32:15,580
So the mothers carry their pups
on their backs,
455
00:32:15,580 --> 00:32:20,420
but their habitat is being lost
in front of our very eyes.
456
00:32:22,140 --> 00:32:27,540
Over 50% has now been transformed
into agricultural landscapes.
457
00:32:30,020 --> 00:32:32,860
The greatest expansion
of agriculture,
458
00:32:32,860 --> 00:32:36,260
the destruction of habitat
in the Cerrado,
459
00:32:36,260 --> 00:32:38,580
is in this northern area.
460
00:32:38,580 --> 00:32:42,380
And here we can see the exports
of soy from this area
461
00:32:42,380 --> 00:32:46,660
are predominantly
going to China.
462
00:32:46,660 --> 00:32:49,700
But some of it is actually
imported into the UK.
463
00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:52,220
We're buying as much as
half a million tonnes
464
00:32:52,220 --> 00:32:54,180
produced in the Cerrado per year.
465
00:32:58,220 --> 00:33:01,860
The majority of this is used
to make feed for chickens
466
00:33:01,860 --> 00:33:04,780
that are sold by many
British supermarkets.
467
00:33:06,740 --> 00:33:11,420
Some supermarkets and some
manufacturers are starting to shift,
468
00:33:11,420 --> 00:33:15,300
but what our data show is that the
consumption of soy in the UK,
469
00:33:15,300 --> 00:33:18,540
even though it's a small amount
of the total exports,
470
00:33:18,540 --> 00:33:20,740
because of where we're buying
it from,
471
00:33:20,740 --> 00:33:24,140
is having a disproportionate impact
on certain species.
472
00:33:28,100 --> 00:33:32,940
Anteaters have to be able to move
freely throughout its environment.
473
00:33:37,020 --> 00:33:40,860
This is important for
males to find mates
474
00:33:40,860 --> 00:33:44,300
or when young will go find
new territories.
475
00:33:45,940 --> 00:33:48,980
If there are barriers to movement,
476
00:33:48,980 --> 00:33:52,020
this can cause
very serious consequences.
477
00:33:54,020 --> 00:33:56,140
As the Cerrado is being cleared,
478
00:33:56,140 --> 00:33:59,940
anteaters can be driven into
isolated islands of habitat.
479
00:34:02,580 --> 00:34:06,260
And the surrounding areas
become lethal territory.
480
00:34:08,940 --> 00:34:12,540
The land is being crossed
by highways.
481
00:34:14,740 --> 00:34:19,100
Sometimes when a female giant
anteater dies on the road,
482
00:34:19,100 --> 00:34:20,860
her pup will survive.
483
00:34:22,700 --> 00:34:27,340
But we have found roadkill decreases
484
00:34:27,340 --> 00:34:30,620
the population growth rate
485
00:34:30,620 --> 00:34:32,540
of anteaters by half.
486
00:34:36,740 --> 00:34:40,460
The unprecedented impact
we are having on the planet
487
00:34:40,460 --> 00:34:44,820
is not only putting the ecosystems
we rely on at risk.
488
00:34:47,340 --> 00:34:51,380
Scientists believe that our
destructive relationship with nature
489
00:34:51,380 --> 00:34:55,620
is actually putting us at greater
risk of pandemic diseases.
490
00:34:58,060 --> 00:35:01,900
We've seen an increasing rate
of pandemic emergence.
491
00:35:01,900 --> 00:35:04,580
We've had swine flu, SARS, Ebola,
492
00:35:04,580 --> 00:35:08,180
and we've actually looked back
over every emerging disease
493
00:35:08,180 --> 00:35:10,860
and said, where did it originate
on the planet?
494
00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:14,740
And what are the things going
on there that could have caused it?
495
00:35:14,740 --> 00:35:19,660
And we've found we're behind
every single pandemic
496
00:35:19,660 --> 00:35:22,740
and it's human impact
on the environment
497
00:35:22,740 --> 00:35:25,140
that drives emerging diseases.
498
00:35:26,700 --> 00:35:29,340
Animals have lots of different
viruses that circulate
499
00:35:29,340 --> 00:35:32,140
inside their bodies,
just like we do.
500
00:35:32,140 --> 00:35:36,220
And so one of the most obvious ways
that we're making it more likely
501
00:35:36,220 --> 00:35:38,220
that a virus would jump
502
00:35:38,220 --> 00:35:42,780
is that we're having lots of
contacts with animals.
503
00:35:42,780 --> 00:35:46,620
The wildlife trade
is at unprecedented levels.
504
00:35:46,620 --> 00:35:51,700
We have huge markets with tens of
thousands of live animals,
505
00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:55,500
shedding their viruses
through faeces and urine,
506
00:35:55,500 --> 00:35:57,900
being killed in front of you.
507
00:35:57,900 --> 00:36:01,460
These are incredible places
for viruses to spread.
508
00:36:03,220 --> 00:36:05,700
And we're connected to that trade
509
00:36:05,700 --> 00:36:08,580
through things
like the fashion industry.
510
00:36:08,580 --> 00:36:10,540
We've seen this huge increase
in the use
511
00:36:10,540 --> 00:36:12,780
of fur trims for winter jackets.
512
00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:18,460
And that means hundreds of thousands
of animals are bred
513
00:36:18,460 --> 00:36:20,500
in fur farms.
514
00:36:20,500 --> 00:36:23,300
You have large densities of animals
515
00:36:23,300 --> 00:36:27,620
put in a situation with a lot
of people. To make things worse,
516
00:36:27,620 --> 00:36:29,580
those animals are very stressed,
517
00:36:29,580 --> 00:36:32,260
and we know that animals
that are stressed
518
00:36:32,260 --> 00:36:34,420
shed viruses at higher rates.
519
00:36:41,660 --> 00:36:44,260
What also drives emerging
diseases...
520
00:36:46,900 --> 00:36:49,380
..is that we are encroaching
further and further every day
521
00:36:49,380 --> 00:36:50,980
into wildlife habitat.
522
00:36:56,500 --> 00:36:59,980
31% of all emerging diseases
have originated
523
00:36:59,980 --> 00:37:03,180
through the process
of land use change.
524
00:37:03,180 --> 00:37:07,100
Forests around the world, where
there's a lot of biodiversity,
525
00:37:07,100 --> 00:37:11,740
have thousands of viruses that we've
never come into contact with yet.
526
00:37:11,740 --> 00:37:14,140
The minute we build
a road in there,
527
00:37:14,140 --> 00:37:15,860
we start getting exposed.
528
00:37:17,820 --> 00:37:21,340
The first people into those logging
camps go out and hunt bushmeat
529
00:37:21,340 --> 00:37:24,500
and pick up the viruses.
That's how HIV emerged.
530
00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:26,300
Then we bring our livestock in.
531
00:37:26,300 --> 00:37:29,780
Viruses move from wildlife
into livestock, into people.
532
00:37:31,420 --> 00:37:35,860
At every step of the process, we're
bringing people closer in contact
533
00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:38,100
with wildlife and their viruses.
534
00:37:39,220 --> 00:37:41,780
It's easy to imagine
that we're so far away
535
00:37:41,780 --> 00:37:45,820
from these diseases' origins
that it's nothing to do with us.
536
00:37:45,820 --> 00:37:47,860
But we drive it, actually.
537
00:37:47,860 --> 00:37:50,060
Our consumption of beef drives this,
538
00:37:50,060 --> 00:37:51,740
our consumption of poultry,
539
00:37:51,740 --> 00:37:54,820
and the products that are used in
poultry, drives this.
540
00:37:58,820 --> 00:38:03,220
My research is showing
that when humans convert habitat,
541
00:38:03,220 --> 00:38:05,820
there's also something else at play.
542
00:38:07,580 --> 00:38:11,860
It's not all species
that are likely to make us sick.
543
00:38:11,860 --> 00:38:16,060
Often the best reservoirs for the
pathogens that can jump to humans
544
00:38:16,060 --> 00:38:18,180
are smaller bodied species,
545
00:38:18,180 --> 00:38:21,500
like rats and mice
and certain kinds of bats.
546
00:38:23,220 --> 00:38:26,500
When we have intact natural systems
with high biodiversity,
547
00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:29,700
these species are kept in check.
548
00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:32,420
But when humans destroy habitat,
549
00:38:32,420 --> 00:38:36,580
the large predators and
herbivores disappear first.
550
00:38:38,020 --> 00:38:41,380
Which means the smaller bodied
species are the big winners.
551
00:38:41,380 --> 00:38:43,380
They proliferate wildly.
552
00:38:43,380 --> 00:38:47,780
They live at super high density
and are the ones far more likely
553
00:38:47,780 --> 00:38:49,140
to make us sick.
554
00:38:51,460 --> 00:38:56,660
So we've been saying for 20-plus
years that this exploitation
555
00:38:56,660 --> 00:38:59,740
of our environment
is driving pandemics.
556
00:39:03,460 --> 00:39:07,020
But what we didn't think was
it was going to happen so quickly
557
00:39:07,020 --> 00:39:08,500
and so devastatingly.
558
00:39:10,540 --> 00:39:15,020
Since the first cases of Covid-19
were identified in China
559
00:39:15,020 --> 00:39:18,700
and linked to a wet market in Wuhan,
560
00:39:18,700 --> 00:39:21,580
scientists around the world
have been piecing together
561
00:39:21,580 --> 00:39:24,220
where and how the virus emerged.
562
00:39:25,980 --> 00:39:28,700
It was figured out quickly
that it was a coronavirus.
563
00:39:28,700 --> 00:39:32,260
Those are known to reside
in various kinds of animals,
564
00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:34,900
and so people started
looking for the animal
565
00:39:34,900 --> 00:39:38,780
from which that coronavirus
would have jumped into people.
566
00:39:42,260 --> 00:39:46,780
We found the closest relative
to the virus
567
00:39:46,780 --> 00:39:49,940
in bats, in rural south China,
568
00:39:49,940 --> 00:39:52,100
in Yunnan Province.
569
00:39:52,100 --> 00:39:56,300
It's really well known for its
biodiversity of plants and of
570
00:39:56,300 --> 00:39:59,700
animals, including bats, and they
live in these
571
00:39:59,700 --> 00:40:01,940
incredibly complex colonies.
572
00:40:01,940 --> 00:40:05,820
One part of the colony's a nursery
where all the kids live
573
00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:09,060
and the parents fly out every night
to get food.
574
00:40:09,060 --> 00:40:12,500
But Yunnan has been under
incredible change
575
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:14,140
for the past few decades.
576
00:40:14,140 --> 00:40:15,980
High-speed rail links have gone
in there,
577
00:40:15,980 --> 00:40:18,420
roads have been built into
remote areas.
578
00:40:18,420 --> 00:40:22,460
And so we think Covid-19
maybe even started there.
579
00:40:23,700 --> 00:40:27,540
And either somebody got infected
and travelled to Wuhan themselves
580
00:40:27,540 --> 00:40:30,340
or sent animals that they were
shipping into the wildlife trade
581
00:40:30,340 --> 00:40:32,020
into those wet markets
582
00:40:32,020 --> 00:40:34,820
and then the virus exploded
from there.
583
00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:41,180
We don't know exactly
what happened yet,
584
00:40:41,180 --> 00:40:44,300
but it's my view that it's our
relationship with nature
585
00:40:44,300 --> 00:40:46,380
and the way
we interact with it
586
00:40:46,380 --> 00:40:48,820
that drove the emergence of Covid.
587
00:40:50,020 --> 00:40:54,140
We've been changing biodiversity
in really critical ways
588
00:40:54,140 --> 00:40:56,820
that made this more likely
to happen.
589
00:40:58,420 --> 00:41:00,860
If we continue on
our current pathway,
590
00:41:00,860 --> 00:41:05,420
then what we've experienced this
year might not be a one-off event.
591
00:41:06,860 --> 00:41:10,580
We estimate there are going
to be five new emerging diseases
592
00:41:10,580 --> 00:41:12,620
affecting people every year.
593
00:41:14,020 --> 00:41:16,700
We cannot live with that.
594
00:41:16,700 --> 00:41:18,940
And the rate
at which they're increasing
595
00:41:18,940 --> 00:41:22,620
and crushing our economies, if we
have one of these every decade,
596
00:41:22,620 --> 00:41:25,100
we cannot persist with that level.
597
00:41:29,900 --> 00:41:32,620
We face a frightening future.
598
00:41:32,620 --> 00:41:35,180
So how has it come to this?
599
00:41:35,180 --> 00:41:38,580
Why haven't we acted sooner
to address these issues
600
00:41:38,580 --> 00:41:41,220
and stem the loss of biodiversity?
601
00:41:48,540 --> 00:41:51,300
Many scientists, including myself,
602
00:41:51,300 --> 00:41:54,540
have been saying for
the last 25 to 30 years
603
00:41:54,540 --> 00:41:58,500
that biodiversity is being lost
due to human action.
604
00:41:59,780 --> 00:42:03,820
Thousands arrive for the largest
UN meeting ever held
605
00:42:03,820 --> 00:42:08,460
in an effort to prevent drastic
and irreversible changes.
606
00:42:08,460 --> 00:42:13,180
I'm here to speak for the countless
animals dying across this planet.
607
00:42:13,180 --> 00:42:15,860
We're a group of
12- and 13-year-olds
608
00:42:15,860 --> 00:42:19,420
come to tell you adults,
you must change your ways.
609
00:42:21,260 --> 00:42:24,180
In 1992 at the Earth Summit,
610
00:42:24,180 --> 00:42:28,620
a convention was signed
to protect biodiversity.
611
00:42:30,100 --> 00:42:34,900
It was recognised to be of critical
importance to the future of Earth.
612
00:42:34,900 --> 00:42:38,980
The bleak warning from scientists at
a major UN conference in Japan...
613
00:42:38,980 --> 00:42:42,140
In 2010, governments came up
with 20 targets
614
00:42:42,140 --> 00:42:44,780
to protect biodiversity.
615
00:42:44,780 --> 00:42:48,380
While we're making some progress,
to be quite candid,
616
00:42:48,380 --> 00:42:51,460
we probably will not meet any
of the targets.
617
00:42:52,540 --> 00:42:55,420
Part of the problem is that we don't
618
00:42:55,420 --> 00:42:58,620
have really good environmental laws
619
00:42:58,620 --> 00:43:01,100
that are global.
620
00:43:01,100 --> 00:43:04,380
Also, unfortunately,
many in the private sector
621
00:43:04,380 --> 00:43:08,180
make a huge profit at the expense
of our natural world.
622
00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:12,500
They want the status quo to exist.
623
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:16,020
The reality is our world is based
624
00:43:16,020 --> 00:43:18,140
on economic growth,
625
00:43:18,140 --> 00:43:20,180
grabbing more and more.
626
00:43:23,060 --> 00:43:27,260
Thank you for joining us
to examine the extinction crisis.
627
00:43:27,260 --> 00:43:29,340
The evidence is unequivocal...
628
00:43:29,340 --> 00:43:32,980
Even today, there are people
that will do anything
629
00:43:32,980 --> 00:43:37,220
in their power to make sure that
the politicians do not act.
630
00:43:38,820 --> 00:43:42,740
I'm here to tell you that the three
lead authors here from the UN
631
00:43:42,740 --> 00:43:46,900
are part of this con that the United
Nations presents itself
632
00:43:46,900 --> 00:43:49,220
as the world's expert on science.
633
00:43:49,220 --> 00:43:51,460
At a recent Congressional
testimony,
634
00:43:51,460 --> 00:43:54,140
two of the Republican witnesses
635
00:43:54,140 --> 00:43:58,500
argued that the loss of biodiversity
was nowhere near as serious
636
00:43:58,500 --> 00:44:01,060
as what we were saying
in the report.
637
00:44:01,060 --> 00:44:03,780
As with the manufactured
climate crisis,
638
00:44:03,780 --> 00:44:06,900
they are using the spectre
of mass extinction
639
00:44:06,900 --> 00:44:10,540
to scare the public into compliance.
640
00:44:10,540 --> 00:44:15,060
We've wasted 20 to 30 years
when the governments of the world,
641
00:44:15,060 --> 00:44:19,180
working with the private sector,
could have done a much better job
642
00:44:19,180 --> 00:44:21,460
conserving biodiversity.
643
00:44:25,180 --> 00:44:27,580
If we had acted more seriously,
644
00:44:27,580 --> 00:44:31,020
many species could have been saved
645
00:44:31,020 --> 00:44:34,740
and we would not be facing
such serious threats
646
00:44:34,740 --> 00:44:36,580
as we're seeing today.
647
00:44:41,340 --> 00:44:45,540
This year has shown the
vulnerability of our societies.
648
00:44:45,540 --> 00:44:50,500
Will we take the opportunity,
finally, to change our course?
649
00:44:50,500 --> 00:44:54,660
What can governments, industries
and we as individuals do
650
00:44:54,660 --> 00:44:57,660
to slow this decline
of the natural world?
651
00:45:02,780 --> 00:45:06,580
The world has been on pause
during the pandemic,
652
00:45:06,580 --> 00:45:09,260
and as we begin to move forward,
653
00:45:09,260 --> 00:45:11,500
we have a moment,
654
00:45:11,500 --> 00:45:15,140
we can change the way
we're running our world
655
00:45:15,140 --> 00:45:16,780
and make it better.
656
00:45:16,780 --> 00:45:18,580
This is that moment.
657
00:45:19,740 --> 00:45:23,340
The first thing that we have to do
is to reset the way
658
00:45:23,340 --> 00:45:24,940
we run our economies.
659
00:45:24,940 --> 00:45:27,980
The massive hit to the economy
is no surprise.
660
00:45:27,980 --> 00:45:31,580
The UK economy has lost a quarter
of its value.
661
00:45:31,580 --> 00:45:33,660
The world is in a recession.
662
00:45:33,660 --> 00:45:36,940
Governments are recognising that
they have to invest
663
00:45:36,940 --> 00:45:38,940
to drive out of it.
664
00:45:38,940 --> 00:45:43,020
And I've been involved in a study
with the finance ministries
665
00:45:43,020 --> 00:45:46,060
and the central bank governors
of the world
666
00:45:46,060 --> 00:45:50,660
in thinking through what the best
ways out of this crisis are.
667
00:45:52,100 --> 00:45:56,620
And we've found that those
investments which are good for the
668
00:45:56,620 --> 00:46:01,700
environment are very powerful ways
out of the depression
669
00:46:01,700 --> 00:46:03,820
that we find ourselves in.
670
00:46:03,820 --> 00:46:08,580
So, for example, we could begin work
on restoring degraded land.
671
00:46:08,580 --> 00:46:10,060
We can plant trees,
672
00:46:10,060 --> 00:46:14,500
we can start retrofitting buildings
so they're much more efficient,
673
00:46:14,500 --> 00:46:17,260
make our cities much cleaner.
674
00:46:18,540 --> 00:46:21,460
All those examples
can be done quickly,
675
00:46:21,460 --> 00:46:26,060
they are labour intensive
and are strong economic multipliers.
676
00:46:26,060 --> 00:46:30,340
So exactly the kind of things
you need for a strong recovery.
677
00:46:30,340 --> 00:46:33,780
There are all these things we know
we have to do for biodiversity
678
00:46:33,780 --> 00:46:35,340
and for the climate,
679
00:46:35,340 --> 00:46:38,260
so let's bring them forward
to this period of unemployment.
680
00:46:39,420 --> 00:46:41,780
And then, going forwards,
681
00:46:41,780 --> 00:46:46,140
we need to dramatically change
the damage that we do
682
00:46:46,140 --> 00:46:48,580
from producing and consuming.
683
00:46:48,580 --> 00:46:50,100
That's the big prize.
684
00:46:53,620 --> 00:46:57,180
At the moment, nature is coming
as a free good.
685
00:46:57,180 --> 00:46:59,940
We use rivers and estuaries
686
00:46:59,940 --> 00:47:02,580
as sinks for the pollution
687
00:47:02,580 --> 00:47:05,020
we create from industry.
688
00:47:05,020 --> 00:47:07,260
Who's paying for that?
689
00:47:08,900 --> 00:47:11,580
Large chunks of the rainforests
690
00:47:11,580 --> 00:47:14,340
have been converted at prices
691
00:47:14,340 --> 00:47:16,540
which are astonishingly low given
692
00:47:16,540 --> 00:47:19,260
the cost to the rest of the world.
693
00:47:20,740 --> 00:47:23,140
As an economist, I think it's right
694
00:47:23,140 --> 00:47:26,660
that people who extract from nature
pay the due price.
695
00:47:28,660 --> 00:47:32,500
We have to recognise that nature
has true value that is taken
696
00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:35,860
into consideration
in national accounts.
697
00:47:38,380 --> 00:47:41,660
We also need to start producing
affordable food
698
00:47:41,660 --> 00:47:45,060
without expanding any further
into the forest.
699
00:47:46,260 --> 00:47:49,140
This is indeed quite possible.
700
00:47:49,140 --> 00:47:51,660
One of the biggest problems
is incredible -
701
00:47:51,660 --> 00:47:55,700
we actually waste about 40%
of the food that is produced.
702
00:47:58,100 --> 00:48:01,940
If a farmer can't produce stuff
in exactly the right form,
703
00:48:01,940 --> 00:48:04,460
he has to throw it away.
704
00:48:04,460 --> 00:48:08,460
And of course, we throw it away
from the plate.
705
00:48:08,460 --> 00:48:11,100
If we could reduce
that food waste,
706
00:48:11,100 --> 00:48:13,540
it would go a long, long way
to making
707
00:48:13,540 --> 00:48:16,380
a more sustainable
agricultural system.
708
00:48:18,180 --> 00:48:21,460
And also, we need to reduce
the amount of chemicals,
709
00:48:21,460 --> 00:48:25,420
we've got to make sure we're not
degrading our soils.
710
00:48:25,420 --> 00:48:27,940
We need the best
of the private sector
711
00:48:27,940 --> 00:48:33,140
to show the others they can make
a profit and still conserve nature.
712
00:48:34,460 --> 00:48:37,860
Another possible solution
is to make more rules.
713
00:48:37,860 --> 00:48:40,180
There does have to be some standard.
714
00:48:40,180 --> 00:48:43,180
We can't simply depend upon people
of goodwill
715
00:48:43,180 --> 00:48:46,900
and institutions of goodwill
to do what is needed to be done.
716
00:48:46,900 --> 00:48:49,700
If governments imposed legislation
717
00:48:49,700 --> 00:48:52,300
that says we will not be allowing
718
00:48:52,300 --> 00:48:53,980
the imports of products that are
719
00:48:53,980 --> 00:48:55,940
produced in an unsustainable way,
720
00:48:55,940 --> 00:48:58,620
then it levels the playing field.
721
00:48:58,620 --> 00:49:01,860
Lots of people don't like
government regulation,
722
00:49:01,860 --> 00:49:04,860
but there are some tremendous
success stories
723
00:49:04,860 --> 00:49:07,420
of international legal cooperation.
724
00:49:09,380 --> 00:49:12,500
Back in the 1980s, scientists
figured out chemicals used
725
00:49:12,500 --> 00:49:15,500
in aerosol spray or used
in refrigerants
726
00:49:15,500 --> 00:49:18,540
were actually eating
the ozone layer.
727
00:49:18,540 --> 00:49:22,500
About a million tonnes of CFCs
are produced every year.
728
00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:24,780
The nations of the world
got together
729
00:49:24,780 --> 00:49:26,780
and they banned these chemicals,
730
00:49:26,780 --> 00:49:30,300
and the problem was solved because
once the manufacturing companies
731
00:49:30,300 --> 00:49:34,020
started looking for alternatives,
they found them quite quickly.
732
00:49:35,580 --> 00:49:37,420
So we shouldn't be demoralised,
733
00:49:37,420 --> 00:49:39,340
because we know
how to do this stuff.
734
00:49:39,340 --> 00:49:42,380
It's a question of finding
the political will to do it.
735
00:49:42,380 --> 00:49:45,700
We shape the future of the planet
736
00:49:45,700 --> 00:49:48,140
irretrievably by the decisions
737
00:49:48,140 --> 00:49:50,380
we take in this next few years.
738
00:49:51,700 --> 00:49:56,780
And indeed, in the months now,
as we come out of the Covid crisis.
739
00:50:01,180 --> 00:50:04,420
For those of us who care
about the future of our planet,
740
00:50:04,420 --> 00:50:06,980
you know, we have to look
at our lifestyles
741
00:50:06,980 --> 00:50:10,140
and we can't look away
from our own behaviours.
742
00:50:10,140 --> 00:50:15,980
40 years ago, people consumed a good
deal less in the United Kingdom,
743
00:50:15,980 --> 00:50:20,460
but there is no evidence
that we were unhappier then
744
00:50:20,460 --> 00:50:21,900
than we are now.
745
00:50:21,900 --> 00:50:24,980
We can be more diligent
about thinking about
746
00:50:24,980 --> 00:50:27,180
what we're consuming and when.
747
00:50:27,180 --> 00:50:30,420
It's really digging down,
saying, what's going on here?
748
00:50:30,420 --> 00:50:32,460
Where does that come from?
749
00:50:32,460 --> 00:50:35,860
We need to think about meat
and dairy consumption.
750
00:50:35,860 --> 00:50:39,180
That's not to say that none of us
should ever eat meat
751
00:50:39,180 --> 00:50:41,820
or should cut all dairy
out of our diets.
752
00:50:41,820 --> 00:50:45,460
But we have to demand that they are
produced sustainably.
753
00:50:46,860 --> 00:50:49,460
Increasingly, I feel it's not
754
00:50:49,460 --> 00:50:52,460
just about our current lifestyle,
755
00:50:52,460 --> 00:50:54,980
but about the education of our
756
00:50:54,980 --> 00:50:57,700
children on the way nature works.
757
00:50:59,900 --> 00:51:02,460
There's a wave of revolution
going around,
758
00:51:02,460 --> 00:51:04,740
especially with young people.
759
00:51:04,740 --> 00:51:09,020
We are waking up, we are realising
that the planet
760
00:51:09,020 --> 00:51:11,820
is an integral part
of our existence.
761
00:51:13,500 --> 00:51:18,380
If we don't act now, the youth
of today and the youth of tomorrow
762
00:51:18,380 --> 00:51:22,580
are going to look back on this
generation with absolute horror.
763
00:51:22,580 --> 00:51:24,220
"What were you thinking?!"
764
00:51:26,060 --> 00:51:28,900
I want to tell our youth
765
00:51:28,900 --> 00:51:31,580
we have taken the lessons,
766
00:51:31,580 --> 00:51:33,780
that we will not allow
767
00:51:33,780 --> 00:51:35,620
any other species
768
00:51:35,620 --> 00:51:39,780
to walk this tragic road
of extinction.
769
00:51:43,620 --> 00:51:48,340
One thing we do know is that
if nature is given the chance,
770
00:51:48,340 --> 00:51:50,620
it can bounce back.
771
00:51:53,660 --> 00:51:56,020
40 years ago, I had one of the most
772
00:51:56,020 --> 00:51:59,380
memorable experiences of my life.
773
00:51:59,380 --> 00:52:01,420
I was in the Virunga Mountains,
774
00:52:01,420 --> 00:52:03,780
which straddle the borders
of Uganda,
775
00:52:03,780 --> 00:52:06,660
the Democratic Republic of Congo
and Rwanda.
776
00:52:08,540 --> 00:52:13,020
And there I met some of the few
remaining mountain gorillas,
777
00:52:13,020 --> 00:52:17,020
including a mischievous youngster
called Poppy.
778
00:52:28,420 --> 00:52:31,500
As I sit here, there's more meaning
779
00:52:31,500 --> 00:52:34,020
and mutual understanding
780
00:52:34,020 --> 00:52:37,540
in exchanging a glance
with a gorilla
781
00:52:37,540 --> 00:52:41,140
than any other animal I know.
782
00:52:43,140 --> 00:52:47,140
As I was preparing to talk
to camera,
783
00:52:47,140 --> 00:52:51,180
Poppy was at my feet,
trying to take off my shoes.
784
00:52:57,300 --> 00:53:01,140
It was an experience
that has stayed with me,
785
00:53:01,140 --> 00:53:03,460
but it was tinged with sadness
786
00:53:03,460 --> 00:53:07,020
as I thought I might be seeing some
of the last of their kind.
787
00:53:12,540 --> 00:53:16,300
In the 1970s, this population
of mountain gorillas was estimated
788
00:53:16,300 --> 00:53:19,220
to be around 250 individuals
in this area.
789
00:53:21,660 --> 00:53:24,260
They were on the brink
of extinction.
790
00:53:25,820 --> 00:53:30,660
Their habitat was under very rapid
conversion from forest
791
00:53:30,660 --> 00:53:34,460
to agricultural fields.
792
00:53:34,460 --> 00:53:38,260
This part of Rwanda was one
of the poorest and most densely
793
00:53:38,260 --> 00:53:40,980
populated in the country.
794
00:53:40,980 --> 00:53:44,380
And the expansion of agriculture
was the only way
795
00:53:44,380 --> 00:53:46,420
for most people to survive.
796
00:53:47,460 --> 00:53:51,860
There were tensions between the park
and communities.
797
00:53:51,860 --> 00:53:55,460
We had many poachers coming,
798
00:53:55,460 --> 00:53:58,380
setting snares, cutting bamboo.
799
00:54:01,100 --> 00:54:04,020
Coexistence of humans
and mountain gorillas
800
00:54:04,020 --> 00:54:07,100
really wasn't a reality
that many people saw.
801
00:54:10,740 --> 00:54:12,900
But over the next few decades,
802
00:54:12,900 --> 00:54:15,500
the situation would start to change.
803
00:54:17,300 --> 00:54:19,820
Government in all three countries,
804
00:54:19,820 --> 00:54:21,900
conservation organisations
805
00:54:21,900 --> 00:54:23,380
and local communities
806
00:54:23,380 --> 00:54:25,260
started to work together
807
00:54:25,260 --> 00:54:28,300
with an emphasis not
just on the gorillas,
808
00:54:28,300 --> 00:54:30,900
but on the people that live
with them.
809
00:54:33,940 --> 00:54:38,460
We have over 200 rangers,
and their jobs
810
00:54:38,460 --> 00:54:42,900
is to see every gorilla
and check on the habitat.
811
00:54:44,220 --> 00:54:46,660
And since 2005, the government set
812
00:54:46,660 --> 00:54:49,260
up a tourism revenue sharing scheme.
813
00:54:50,780 --> 00:54:53,060
A portion of the price that a
814
00:54:53,060 --> 00:54:56,060
tourist pays is actually reserved
815
00:54:56,060 --> 00:54:58,500
for those communities adjacent.
816
00:55:02,820 --> 00:55:06,060
The result is that the conversion
of habitat
817
00:55:06,060 --> 00:55:10,100
for agricultural production
actually ceased.
818
00:55:10,100 --> 00:55:13,260
And the population has recovered.
819
00:55:17,220 --> 00:55:20,660
30 babies were born in this park
last year,
820
00:55:20,660 --> 00:55:24,580
and we know that these gorillas
are going to grow.
821
00:55:24,580 --> 00:55:28,380
No-one will be a victim
of poachers.
822
00:55:28,380 --> 00:55:31,460
So, things have changed.
823
00:55:31,460 --> 00:55:35,700
Their numbers have just reached
and exceeded 1,000.
824
00:55:38,780 --> 00:55:41,820
This change has not happened
overnight,
825
00:55:41,820 --> 00:55:45,300
but if it can be achieved here,
where human population pressure
826
00:55:45,300 --> 00:55:49,540
is so high, where the politics
can be very complicated,
827
00:55:49,540 --> 00:55:52,140
especially among different states,
828
00:55:52,140 --> 00:55:55,420
I believe it can be achieved
elsewhere as well.
829
00:55:59,460 --> 00:56:02,100
Poppy grew up and actually was a
830
00:56:02,100 --> 00:56:04,540
very long-lived mountain gorilla
831
00:56:04,540 --> 00:56:06,500
and had many offspring.
832
00:56:09,220 --> 00:56:12,260
Ururabyo Is right there.
833
00:56:14,300 --> 00:56:18,380
Ururabyo is actually the
daughter of Poppy.
834
00:56:22,020 --> 00:56:23,620
Ururabyo means flower.
835
00:56:23,620 --> 00:56:26,700
She is shining flower in this park.
836
00:56:29,860 --> 00:56:32,980
Ururabyo also has a daughter.
837
00:56:35,620 --> 00:56:37,540
Prosperity.
838
00:56:55,020 --> 00:56:58,100
To see Poppy's daughter and
granddaughter thriving
839
00:56:58,100 --> 00:57:00,020
is thrilling.
840
00:57:00,020 --> 00:57:04,980
It just shows what we can achieve
when we put our minds to it.
841
00:57:04,980 --> 00:57:10,180
I do truly believe that together
we can create a better future.
842
00:57:11,580 --> 00:57:13,220
I might not be here to see it,
843
00:57:13,220 --> 00:57:17,300
but if we make the right decisions
at this critical moment,
844
00:57:17,300 --> 00:57:20,540
we can safeguard
our planet's ecosystems,
845
00:57:20,540 --> 00:57:23,020
its extraordinary biodiversity
846
00:57:23,020 --> 00:57:24,780
and all its inhabitants.
847
00:57:26,140 --> 00:57:29,700
What happens next is up
to every one of us.
66928
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