Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

(birds chirping)

The Irrawaddy Delta

is a magnificent natural landscape.

Countless arteries of the river

meander through the fertile wetlands,

their shores covered in dense mangrove forest,

the heat, water and a constant supply of nutrients

support a fascinating range of flora and fauna.

The Delta has become the rice bowl of Myanmar.

(dramatic music)

But there's a cost,

for decades the mangroves

have been subject to deforestation.

(dramatic music)

Rangers and scientists are now striving to save them.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma,

shares its borders with India, Bangladesh,

China, Laos and Thailand.

A peninsula in the southwest part of the country

is home to one of its most fertile regions,

the Irrawaddy Delta.

Loosely translated, Irrawaddy means

the river that gives people life.

It's fed by several rivers

originating in the country's interior

as well as in Thailand and Vietnam.

(gentle music)

Captain Ucho Yi heads downstream

on one of the winding channels.

Even for an experienced helmsmen like him,

the journey demands full concentration.

It's a shallow river.

And during low tide, the water level sinks

to just one and a half meters.

The effect of the tides

can still be felt 50 kilometers from the sea.

(speaks in foreign language)

As soon as I set off,

I have to keep my ears and eyes open

and watch where I'm going.

(speaks in foreign language)

It's fine during high tide

but when the water's low, I have to be really careful.

It can get really dangerous otherwise.

Submerged tree roots or another danger

for captain Ucho Yi as are other boats using the waterways.

The river is the lifeblood

of the people who live in the Delta.

It provides water for washing, for irrigating their crops,

and it serves as a transport system.

For instance, for coconuts.

They come from the surrounding plantations

and are first pealed to produce charcoal,

an essential fuel source.

In Myanmar, people who live in rural areas

cook only over open fires.

(tractor engine revs)

Captain Ucho Yi has a cargo of bamboo.

He stops by a wholesaler to load some more.

People in the eastern region of the Delta

live from bamboo farming and trading.

The thick, strong poles are sold to make scaffolding

and are also used as walls and stilts for huts

built near the banks of the river.

There are now around 3,000 bamboo poles

loaded onto the boat.

The journey to the Port of Bugare deep within the Delta

will take about five hours.

(boat engine revving)

(calm music)

Captain Ucho Yi steers the boat through a labyrinth

of backwaters, passing villages and mangrove forests.

Eventually, he arrives at the main river, the Irrawaddy.

Any minute now he'll have to go at full throttle.

So one of his crew members checks

over the boat's aging diesel engine.

(speaks in foreign language)

My parents were traders on these waterways.

So of course I learned to be a boatman from an early age.

Now I'm 48 now, and I've been doing this for 30 years.

I like the job because I enjoy trading and bargaining.

Buying bamboo cheap in one place

and selling it somewhere else for more money.

It's a good way to earn money.

(calm music)

The river has hardly changed over the years

but there's more traffic than there used to be.

You see more traders and more boats these days.

Around 5,000 vessels traverse

the Irrawaddy every day.

Alongside bamboo and other construction materials

the boats transport practically anything that can carry:

people, animals, and foodstuffs.

A third of Myanmar's total rice production comes

from the Delta planes.

The sediments carried by the river

make the soil in the wetlands specially fertile.

Humid heat and plenty of rain

allow for two harvests per year.

However, that Delta is often hit by cyclones

that bring torrential rain and floods.

The rice farmers have recently begun adopting

more resistant strains

that can better withstand the flooding.

(speaks in foreign language)

I have a crew of three on my boat.

Their main job is to load and unload the bamboo.

They also help cook the meals we eat onboard.

And if anything needs repairing on the boat

I help them out.

Captain Ucho Yi and his crew members

are approaching the port of Bugale,

the largest and most important city in the Irrawaddy Delta.

(horns honking)

Bugale is home to about 100,000 people

and is the economic center for the majority

of the delta's 6 million residents.

It's an important trade and transport hub

between the north and the south.

Ethnic groups from all over Myanmar can be found here.

The main religion is Theravada,

the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism.

Almost 90% of Burmese practice this faith.

Bugale is center of trade in the middle of the Delta.

Goods are transported in every direction from here.

Imports from abroad are unloaded here

as are domestic products from the capital, Rangoon.

Staple foods, such as rice, are available everywhere

but fresh vegetables are less common.

It's a niche market for the Lay family.

For Utin Lay, his wife and his daughter, the boat is home.

They've lived here with five guinea pigs since 2008.

They regularly sail down river from Bugale

visiting villages to sell their vegetables.

Utin Lay does a good trade in other commodities too.

(speaks in foreign language)

I buy used pots, CD players, fans,

and cables, or I exchange them for fresh vegetables.

I do good business trading in vegetables.

It provides us with a decent living.

It's a lot harder in other trades.

I'm able to support my family without any problems

by buying and selling vegetables.

Sometimes a sale happens spontaneously

in the middle of the Irrawaddy.

The customer wants to buy root vegetables

and pickled mangoes, a delicacy in Myanmar,

but it's more than just a job for Utin Lay.

Traveling the river is a new adventure every day

and he enjoys passing on the latest news from the Delta.

They've only been trading vegetables for a few years.

(speaks in foreign language)

I used to be a farmer,

but I have to give it up because things were going so badly.

I gave my land to members of my family.

Then I started trading in vegetables.

It was an immediate success so it became my new job.

From Bugale, we traveled southwards down river.

As the sea gets closer and closer,

the river water becomes more saline.

(calm music)

The Lay family lived in a village close

to Bugale until May 2008,

but then Cyclone Nargis struck,

one of the most violent storms in recent decades,

bringing devastation to the Irrawaddy Delta.

The family lost everything they owned

and it was a miracle that they survived.

(speaks in foreign language)

When Cyclone Nargis hit here,

we were lucky enough to be somewhere else.

We were spared and so was my daughter

who was in school at the time.

But when we got home, everything was destroyed.

We didn't want to build a new home

so we decided to live on the boat.

Unfortunately, our daughter can't attend school anymore

because our life is on the river now.

The cyclone swept across the Delta

with wind speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour.

At least 130,000 people lost their lives in the destruction

and an estimated two and a half million were made homeless.

Entire towns and villages were wiped off the map.

(ominous music)

Their faith gives them strength.

And every day they pray before a miniature shrine

to the Buddha.

They also pray to a spirit

who is the patron saint of the waterways.

(boat engine revving)

(speaks in foreign language)

We also exchange things like tomatoes,

chilies and sorrel,

for used electronic devices and cables.

The family visits, the remote village

every two weeks.

There are none shops here

so there's a big demand for their fresh vegetables.

(speaks in foreign language)

I don't have much for my daily life.

Luxury isn't important to me.

But I would like to help pay for my nephews

and other poor children in my village to get baptized.

I also want to donate to the monastery

where my sister-in-law is a nun.

Although they live as traveling traders,

they hope to find a good husband for their daughter

in one of the villages in the region.

The colors in the Delta change throughout the year.

Rich greens dominate during the monsoon,

while during the dry season, the landscape takes

on shades of pale beige to deep red.

On a long narrow island just 20 kilometers from the sea

is a nature reserve.

(calm music)

This protected area was established in 1986

to preserve the largest continuous mangrove forest

in the Delta.

The dense vegetation and underwater root system

protect the shoreline and mainland

from flooding and erosion.

The mangroves form an important barrier

against the storms that sweep in from the sea.

When they are destroyed, cyclones like Nargis

can rip through the land unobstructed.

It's not only the mangroves that are currently endangered.

Many native animal species are at risk too.

This colony of around 150 is the only large population

of saltwater crocodiles in Myanmar

and they can pose a serious and danger to people.

12 park rangers guard the nature reserve.

Every day they patrol the many channels and tributaries

of the Irrawaddy.

Forest Ranger Lah So Nguyen and his colleagues

try to prevent illegal logging in the mangrove forests

they also warn the locals living along the river

about the crocodiles, which often attack people.

What are you doing?

Setting out the nets?

Ever seen a crocodile here?

No, I've never seen one.

It's the mating season for the crocodiles

and that means they might be anywhere.

Watch out for yourself.

Don't take any pets onto your boat, neither dogs nor cats.

If you see a crocodile don't go into the water,

Don't attack them with sticks or stones.

If you do they'll remember and attack you

straightaway next time.

This is their territory.

You're an intruder to them so you have to be careful.

We don't even dare to take a break

on the shore.

Okay, let's move on.

Go home as soon as you're finished.

(boat engine revving)

(speaks in foreign language)

A lot of people believe

that crocodiles actively seek out human prey,

but that's not true.

They only enter the villages

when they can't find anything to eat.

They're especially dangerous during the mating season.

As a forest ranger, Lah So Nguyen's

main responsibility is to protect the mangrove forest.

He carries out regular inspections of the mangroves

in the area.

Thieves illegally cut down trees here.

He knows most of them and the places they easily go.

They are often the very poorest people in the community

who have no other means to earn money.

(speaks in foreign language)

Inspection rounds like this

are an important part of my work.

Some people come across the river to cut down trees.

And it's my job to document which trees they cut down.

That's my main task.

the first time I catch them, I give them a warning

and I explain to them that it's illegal.

If they're just collecting firewood

for their own use, I turn a blind eye.

The main problem is the thieves who come every day

and sell wood as a business.

That's illegal and then the maximum penalty is five years

in prison and a fine of 30 US dollars.

Kula Moh is one of the wood thieves.

He has no education and illegal logging

is one of the very few ways he is able

to support his family.

His wife, Mavai, helps him with unloading

and selling the wood.

It's from a mangrove species that burns especially well.

They dream of being able to save enough money

to open a general store in their village one day.

(speaks in foreign language)

It used to be a lot easier to collect wood.

But then a lot of people got caught by the rangers

and were sent to prison.

I earn about three euros a day.

It's my only source of income.

I only dare come into the forest

to collect wood at night,

then I go straight back home.

The presence of the rangers is having an effect

and it's getting harder for Kula Moh to remain undetected.

He earns less and less and can barely save any of his money.

His dream of opening a shop seems further away than ever.

(ominous music)

Mavai rubs traditionally made suncream

onto the faces of her two children.

The cream is called thanaka and it's made

from the bark of a tree that only grows

in the drier regions of Myanmar beyond the Delta.

It's mixed with fragrant sandalwood saw dust

to make a paste.

In 2008, she suffered the worst tragedy in her life.

Four of her children were killed during cyclone Nargis.

(speaks in foreign language)

My husband and my son were out at the time.

I was alone with our three other children at home.

I never thought it would be so terrible,

but I brought the canoe into the house just in case.

The storm just got stronger and stronger

and I thought our house was going to collapse.

The water was up to my 11-year-old daughter's neck.

She was barely able to stand.

But the current was so strong that we were

all swept away along with the canoe.

The entire village was devastated.

Huts were flattened and washed away.

Around half of the villagers lost their lives

in Cyclone Nargis.

Most of the bodies were never found.

My daughter tried to cling onto a tree

but the current was too strong.

She was swept away to her death with my other two children.

Afterwards I lost all my strength and my will to live.

I just sat there and vegetated.

Now we have three more children.

We have to take care of them

and make sure they have a good future.

The people of the Delta rely

on their children to help them with daily work.

And when they're grown up, they care for their parents.

Once again, Kula Moh crosses the river at night

to cut firewood in the mangrove forests

of the nature reserve.

The destruction of the mangroves

is threatening the mud skipper,

a type of amphibious fish.

They find protection in the root system

of the mangrove forest.

(calm music)

Their muscular pectoral fins

allow them to hold themselves out of the water

and onto land.

They share their habitat with various species of crab.

Sal Lohn is a Marine biologist

from the Fauna and Flora Conservation Organization.

She is accompanying Forest Ranger Lah So Nguyen

on his patrol.

She supports the rangers in their work.

The fruit from the lapa mangroves

is a favorite food of the fish here.

(speaks in foreign language)

They have red blossoms.

We've already seen a few during our patrol.

It's a very rare species of mangrove.

Here in the Delta, there are only about 200 of them left.

We have a lot of work ahead of us to raise awareness.

They should have been given protected status years ago.

In the past,

particularly during the military dictatorship,

mangroves were cut down to make way for rice fields.

Nobody seemed to be aware of their protective function

against storms and cyclones.

Two thirds of the ancient mangrove forests

have been destroyed in the past four decades.

Today, mangroves cover just 8% of the Irrawaddy Delta.

These trees are also a vital source

of food for several marine species.

For example, fish and crustaceans feed on them.

It's very simple.

The fish grow big and fat which is good for the fishermen

and that in turn benefits the villagers

and the villages themselves.

People here need to understand that.

They hope practical projects

will help the locals understand these interrelationships.

Together with villagers from Gungchangi,

they have set up a nursery for mangrove trees.

They give the village elder Cho-chon Ying advice

on how to improve her young tree nursery.

They have already planted the first small trees

on the southern side of the village.

(speaks in foreign language)

We can use the big trees for firewood

and they also protect us from cyclones.

These trees are my passion.

I'd like to be an example for future generations

to remind us how important mangroves are.

(calm music)

Many of the survivors of Cyclone Nargis

have now moved away.

They are afraid of being caught defenseless

if another disaster strikes.

For those who have chosen to remain, Cho-chon Ying

aims to build a protective wall of mangroves

to ensure a safer future.

The marine biologist Sal Lohn

is helping her realize her goal.

This looks very dry.

The plant needs more water.

Then it'll grow faster in the strong sunlight here.

And these plants need more water too.

They need more space for the roots as well.

You have to be very careful about the roots.

(calm music)

The lives of the fishermen along the Irrawaddy

have barely changed for decades.

They mostly use funnel shaped nets

that they attach in the direction of the incoming tide

and then hope for a good catch.

One of them is the fishermen Uteng Wei.

They always remove the motor.

It's too valuable to be left on board

because it can easily be stolen.

The Irrawaddy Delta was once a rich fishing ground.

Uteng Wei used to support his family of six

by selling his catch.

But since last year, the situation has become a very bad

for the fishermen.

Their incomes have dropped by up to 80%.

Now he has to travel farther and farther

to catch anything at all.

He's the chairman of the local fishermen's association

and is deeply troubled by the vanishing fish stocks.

I usually leave the nets out

from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.

Low tide is in the morning and high tide in the afternoon.

But I hardly find anything in my nets.

It used to be different.

I'd catch plenty of fish every day.

These days, my catch is usually just a handful of fish.

(speaks in foreign language)

Up to now this suspicions of Uteng Wei

and his fellow fishermen have not been verified.

Scientists have not found evidence

of pesticides in water samples.

They suspect that the decline in fish stocks

is caused by many years of overfishing.

So few fish again,

and most of them are small.

All we can do is dry them.

There are too few big ones.

This isn't enough for a meal.

To make a decent meal we'll need to add

a lot of extra vegetables.

It's certainly not worth trying

to sell his modest catch

but at least he and his family won't go hungry tonight.

His village is located around 200 meters from the sea

where it's better protected against cyclones and storms.

There are a few shops that serve their daily needs.

His wife is making a fish curry

with lots of chilies, tomatoes and rice.

Until a year and a half ago,

Uteng Wei earned around 500 euros per month.

Now that has fallen to just 60 euros on average.

What can I do if we only have

these few fish?

We'll just have to make do.

In order to survive, Uteng Wei constantly

has to borrow money at high interest rates.

The repayments are growing every month.

It's a vicious cycle.

He's considering changing his line of work,

maybe starting something new.

(calm music)

For several decades during the military dictatorship,

there were hardly any international

scientific investigations in Myanmar.

This changed when democracy was established

the Marine biologist, Dr. Cherry Ah,

and her students have come

from the University of Pathein

of in the Western part of the country.

In cooperation with an American team

from the University of Washington,

they plan to study the Delta more closely.

I'm very interested in river deltas.

Right now I'm studying the geology

of the Irrawaddy Delta and the neighboring region.

Deltas are very interesting to us scientists

because they are composed of a mixture

of freshwater and saltwater.

The researchers take sediment

and water samples.

There's too much mud in there.

Every month we analyze the water quality

and the deposits caused by sediment.

Using this device we are able to take water samples

from different depths.

Using a refractometer like the ones

used by wine makers, they measure the salinity of the water.

15. 15?

(speaks in foreign language)

Okay, we've got the water samples.

Let's take a mud sample now.

Have you reached the bottom?

Oh yes, we've got a big load.

The mud samples are kept for later analysis

in a lab.

The scientific study with the Americans

will go on for another three years.

Sunset in the Delta is always a magnificent spectacle.

Several black birds circle over the mangrove forests

in the nature reserve.

Their diet consists mainly of fish

and they prefer the moist areas close to the river banks.

This is why they are also known as water kites.

With a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters,

these large birds make use of the evening breeze.

They then rest on sand banks

in the middle of the Irrawaddy River.

The Rangers estimate that the colony

consists of 1,000 individuals.

(calm music)

The forest ranger Lah So Nguyen

is still on patrol with a colleague.

They are visiting a shrimp fisherman.

He told them that over the last few months

he's been raising a female brahminy,

a large bird of prey.

(speaks in foreign language)

How young was it when you found it?

Very young.

She could hardly stand up.

A chick?

How old is she now?

12 months.

(speaks in foreign language)

You mustn't put her in a cage though.

She needs freedom.

Yeah, I know.

She doesn't come much now anyway.

How often?

Only every two or three days.

(speaks in foreign language)

What do you give her to eat?

She eats fish.

She really likes fish but sometimes

I give her shrimp.

I give her shrimp too.

(ominous music)

Tonight, Forest Ranger Lah So Nguyen

and his colleagues set out on a nocturnal mission

in the Mymalanchon Nature Reserve.

They are joined by Sal Lohn, the marine biologist

from Flora and Fauna International.

They want to count the salt water crocodiles,

in particular the young ones.

During the day, they remain hidden

because they are easy prey for other animals.

But at night they are easy to find

with a flashlight because their eyes reflect the light.

The light bewilders them and they freeze.

They count the population and check to see

if their numbers have remained stable or have changed.

Look, there's one in the light beam.

The baby crocodiles mainly eat insects

and small amphibians,

though they have many enemies as well

including birds of prey, fish, and larger crocodiles.

(speaks in foreign language)

Just 1 or 2% of them survive

the first three or four months of life.

We check their population levels regularly.

The figures tell us if their living conditions

are optimal or if they have too many predators.

When the conditions deteriorate

for saltwater crocodiles

in the nature reserve, they venture outside it.

The shortage of food drives them

into the surrounding villages

where they can pose a danger to the inhabitants.

(ominous music)

At the end of our survey,

we'll know if the population has increased or decreased.

If it has remained stable

it means they're happy in their habitat

and there's enough to eat.

At the end of the night,

it becomes clear that the population of saltwater crocodiles

has actually risen slightly.

The animals are obviously doing well.

(calm music)

The nature reserve is home to a diverse range

of amphibians, insects and birds.

The outskirts there are also larger mammals

such as water buffalo which belong to the farmers.

Last time out, the fishermen Uteng Wei

had more luck with this catch.

A few larger fish found their way into his net.

He and his wife went to sell them the town

of Kadon Kani in the south of the Delta.

It's a one and a half hour journey by boat.

(boat engine revving)

The port is the last major town

before the Irrawaddy flows into the sea.

In the past, Uteng Wei would only travel here

if his ice box was full.

Nowadays, he makes the long journey

even for a relatively modest catch

because he can get a better price than in the local villages

where everybody lives from fishing.

The fish trader shops are located

on the outskirts of the city.

(calm music)

Everything that the traders and Kadon Kani buy

is intended for resale in Rangoon,

the former capital of Myanmar.

Most of the buyers are restaurants which sell

huge amounts of fish, mangrove shrimps,

and various types of prawn to their customers.

(speaks in foreign language)

Now, it's Uteng Wei's turn.

A few bass, ribbon fish, and croakers

are all he has to offer.

(speaks in foreign language)

Since the supply of fish is quite low at the moment,

Uteng Wei gets a slightly better price.

It's better than nothing.

(speaks in foreign language)

I earned 22,000 kyats.

It's not very much, but at least it's enough

to buy some groceries for the family.

(calm music)

Kadon Kani is famous for its many colorful bustling shops

and its wide range of goods.

Using some of the money Uteng Wei earned with this catch,

equivalent to about 13 euro,

his wife wants to buy fresh vegetables

that aren't available in their village.

(calm music)

Although the items on sale are very tempting,

they can't afford anymore.

They have to save money.

They're worried about the future.

The financial burden of their loan

has become so immense that Uteng Wei has no choice

but to give up his profession,

at least until the fish stocks have a chance to recover.

It's becoming more and more difficult

for me to catch any fish in the river at all.

It's really terrible for us.

If this year turns out as bad as last year

I'll have to give up fishing completely.

Try my hand at trading, sell my fishing nets

and start a new business.

I'll buy clothes in Rangoon and sell them

in Bugale or the surrounding villages.

That's my plan.

(calm music)

The dream of a better life keeps them going.

Hopefully one without worries and free of debt.

The marine biologist, Dr. Cherry Ah and her students,

are also researching the extremely shy Irrawaddy dolphin,

which is critically endangered.

It belongs to the whale family and lives in rivers,

in the brackish waters of the Delta

and in shallow coastal waters across Southeast Asia.

The rangers usually know better than anyone

where the dolphins might be found.

Have you seen any dolphins in this area?

Yes, I've seen some over the last few days.

How many? Four or five.

Where were they?

In Thorpine Creek.

Okay, then we'll take a look

around the other side.

It's estimated that 20 Irrawaddy Dolphins

still live in the Delta.

Over the centuries, they've adapted to conditions

in the river.

Two decades ago it was possible to see hundreds of them.

Now they're at risk of extinction

according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

When there are a lot of jellyfish

in the water we see hardly any dolphins.

We want to find out why the dolphins stay away

at those times.

At the moment, we can't draw any conclusions

from the data we have.

We suspect that the dolphins avoid the jellyfish

because of their poison.

This species of dolphin behaves differently

from other species on the open sea,

but we are only just beginning to learn

about their behavior and need to study them more.

It's easy to distinguish Irrawaddy dolphins

from other dolphins.

They lack the typical dolphin snout

and have a bulbous head similar to a beluga whale.

They surface about once a minute to get air.

Can I help you?

Yes, come over here.

The rangers are a vital source

of information for Cherry Ah.

They know that Delta better than most

because they are constantly on patrol.

(speaks in foreign language)

Do you think there are more dolphins now?

I haven't seen many recently.

There's a shortage of small fish

which are their main food source.

What's it like in the other waterways

around here?

I estimate that there are at least five

or six pods in the entire delta.

Over on this side, there is one

consisting of about four or five dolphins.

Yes, some were spotted here

at about nine this morning.

I heard it from the ranger station.

Thank you, that's all for now.

You're welcome.

Just contact us if you need anything.

I'm glad to see that you're doing research here.

Thanks, we certainly will.

The biggest danger

to the Irrawaddy dolphins is fishing.

Cherry Ah learns that they frequently die

after getting caught in fishing nets.

Yet she knows it would be almost impossible

to eradicate this danger.

The fishermen are very poor

and depend on fishing to earn a living.

Nature conservation is not a priority to them.

In the estuary zone of the delta,

the Irrawaddy flows into the Bay of Bengal

where there are two islands.

The larger of the two Gadonggalay is called

Turtle Island by the locals.

The sea turtles used to lay their eggs

on the long sandy beaches here.

But in recent years, very few have been returning.

Many of them get caught in fishing nets

and suffer a painful death by suffocation,

unable to reach the surface to breathe.

The rangers observed only seven female sea turtles here

in their most recent count.

However, another species is enjoying a boom.

A colony of hundreds of ghost crabs

populates the shore feeding on carrion and insects.

When in danger, they disperse into their burrows

which reach all the way to the groundwater.

In the early light of morning,

a few sea turtles have hatched.

Instinctively, they crawl in the direction of the sea.

But it's a race against time.

They are easy prey for birds.

Once they reach the water, they're not safe either.

Only about one in 1,000 baby turtles

will survive until maturity.

(ominous music)

Gradually, people in Myanmar are becoming more aware

of the unique value of the Irrawaddy Delta.

More and more people are giving their support

to protect and preserve

this fascinating ecosystem and its diverse wildlife.