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Today, the WHO
declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.

I'm issuing
a "stay home, stay safe" executive order.

…directing nearly all of our residents

to quite simply stay at home.

From this evening,
I must give a very simple instruction.

You must stay at home.

March 2020.
A deadly virus sweeps around the world.

Overnight, our lives are put on pause.

But as we stop…

remarkable things
start to change in the natural world.

Clearer air.

Cleaner waters.

And animals starting to flourish
in ways we hadn't seen for decades.

Filming from the start of lockdown
across five continents…

we've recorded nature's
extraordinary response.

From ocean giants communicating
in new ways with their young…

And cheetahs transforming
the chances of survival for their cubs…

This is the best time
for her to be a mother.

To endangered penguins
having a record-breaking breeding season.

This is a unique opportunity to peer into
the lives and worlds of wildlife

and see what things look like
without as much of our interaction.

It's a global experiment
of epic proportions.

This is the year Earth changed.

Just hours into lockdown,
many of us notice the silence.

With global traffic noise
reduced by up to 70%,

there is a new sound to be heard…

birdsong.

These white-crowned sparrows

adapt to the quiet
by doing something astonishing.

Living in the shadow
of the Golden Gate Bridge,

their song had been drowned out by cars.

But now, with the traffic here
at its lowest levels since the 1950s…

researchers are amazed to hear
new notes in the sparrows' mating call.

And there's hope that the birds will have
their best breeding season for years.

And it's not just noise level
that reduces.

The speed at which air pollution drops
around the globe is staggering.

Within days,

Los Angeles experiences
its best air quality for 40 years.

Across China, the levels of toxic gases
in the atmosphere halve.

And in India, which typically suffers from
some of the worst pollution in the world…

just 12 days after lockdown…

…a breathtaking sight appears.

We were sitting on the table
having breakfast,

and then my dad came, rushed in.

He said, "Come upstairs.
The mountains are visible."

Amateur photographer Anshul

goes to see
what all the excitement was about.

People were standing
on the rooftops saying,

"Wow. Wow. Mountains. Mountains."

And I pause, and I saw.

With the clear skies,
for the first time in a lifetime,

we can see the Himalayas.

Over 200 kilometers away,

the highest mountain range on Earth,

hidden behind smog for 30 years,

is suddenly visible.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

The Himalayas have been right there
behind the pollution all along.

Anshul's photograph of
this moment went viral around the world.

It's a vivid illustration

that the moment we paused,
the Earth was able to breathe again.

Lockdown extends into weeks.

And the travel bans
limit our movement still further.

Those holidays that you might
have been planning to take, cancel them.

Passenger numbers
and passenger bookings are all down.

Air travel has just fallen off a cliff.

It's down roughly 90% worldwide.

April 2020,

and there are 114 million fewer
international tourists

than in the same month the previous year.

In Spain, visitor numbers drop
from over seven million to zero.

And in Florida, beaches normally packed
with holidaymakers on spring break…

are deserted.

Could this be the opportunity
for one endangered sea creature

to boost its numbers?

Female sea turtles return
every two to three years

to the shores
where they themselves hatched

in order to lay their eggs.

Globally, turtle numbers
have been in steep decline,

partly because they have been reluctant
to visit the ever-busier beaches.

But this year…

is different.

Our cameraman,
working with local researchers,

is lucky enough to film here
on Juno Beach…

one of the densest nesting sites
for loggerhead turtles in the world.

As the breeding season begins…

the female is able to lay her eggs
in peace

for the first time in her life.

And over the following weeks,

hundreds more do the same.

It's long been thought
that human disturbance

is a major problem for breeding turtles.

But this is the first time
that scientists can accurately measure

the scale of the impact.

Each morning, this team of researchers

counted the number of turtle tracks
that lead to a nest.

Over the last ten years,

the average nesting success rate
for loggerheads

had dropped to just 40%.

Have they been any more successful
with the beach to themselves?

When the beaches were closed to humans,

that number jumped all the way up to 61%,
which is the highest we've ever seen.

This is a dramatic improvement.

Every extra nest means
another hundred or so hatchlings,

each with the potential to become
breeding adults themselves.

With these beach closures,
these animals were able to do

what they've been doing
for millions of years

more successfully than when we have
a human presence.

Six thousand kilometers away,

on the west coast of America…

a new quiet beneath the waves
offers an opportunity

for ocean giants.

Every year,
more than 10,000 humpback whales

migrate from Hawaii…

to these bays in Alaska in order to feed.

Normally, they would
have to share these waters

with ships carrying
a million visitors a year.

But now, with every cruise canceled…

it's as much as
25 times quieter underwater.

In this hush,
scientists using underwater microphones

record a remarkable change.

Humpbacks are talking to each other
more often…

and in new ways.

Well, it was really exciting
and actually very moving

to hear these whales
having this long vocal exchange.

One vocalizing,
and then a mother and calf.

I mean, I'd never heard that before.

You can imagine, if you were
trying to communicate with your friends,

and you're in a crowded bar.

It's hard to do, you don't say as much,
and when you do, you have to scream.

But if you find yourself
a nice, quiet coffee shop

where there isn't much noise,

you can carry on a much more elaborate
and productive conversation.

But there's something
even more surprising.

Now the whales can communicate across
greater distances without interruption.

And some mothers, like this one,
leave their calves alone.

An extremely rare sight.

She can now head off to feed,

safe in the knowledge that she can hear
her calf if it needs her.

A nursing mother
needs to eat as much as possible…

and the best way to do so
is to hunt with other adults.

The whales dive down…

blowing a circular wall of bubbles…

corralling the fish into shoals…

before gorging on them
in their thousands.

It's one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Reassured by the quiet,

humpback mothers are able to team up
in this way more often.

This year,
they've got the place to themselves.

They're doing anything they want,
wherever they want, whenever they want.

In previous years,

as few as 7% of calves
made it to adulthood.

But this season, there's every chance
many more will survive.

Hopefully, after a few tough years
where whales were not doing so well,

this pandemic has given them a break
at a time that they needed it most.

This change in underwater
noise levels went far beyond Alaska.

Global shipping traffic drops by 17%
in the first three months of lockdown,

improving the lives of animals
across the oceans.

Dolphins off New Zealand

triple the range
of their communication.

And researchers in Vancouver
record a fourfold reduction in ship noise

that allows killer whales
to use their sonar

more effectively in hunting their prey.

It's three months into the pandemic.

In the United States, nearly half
the labor force is working from home.

And globally,
a quarter of businesses are shut.

Bars, restaurants and cafés remain closed.

When all is said and done,
the retail business is shut down.

Right now it feels abandoned.
Like there's no one around.

Across the world's major cities,

footfall is reduced by more than 90%.

With urban centers almost deserted…

remarkable pictures emerge

of animals taking advantage
of city living.

A hippo on a trip to the gas station.

Jackals enjoying the local park.

Even a puma prowling the sidewalk.

But one animal adapts to these
abandoned urban spaces

with particular ingenuity.

The city of Nara
has been home to a group of sika deer

for at least 1,300 years.

Most of the meadows
they relied on for food

had been taken over by buildings.

But these normally shy animals
had found a solution.

The deer turned to the 13 million
annual visitors to Nara's temples…

and discovered that showing
a bit of respect…

would bring tasty rewards.

Rice bran crackers
had become a vital part of their diet.

But the pandemic changed that.

Their favorite takeout
disappeared overnight.

No people means no crackers.

There's concern
that the deer might starve.

But some of the older generation
appear to have a plan.

They lead a group
out of the temple grounds.

And they seem to know exactly
where they're going.

They're heading down a major road…

deep into the concrete jungle of the city.

But where will they find food
in this urban sprawl?

After a two-and-a-half kilometer trek…

the group comes to a halt.

This unassuming patch
was once part of their grazing grounds.

Remarkably, the older deer

seem to have remembered it
as the place where they used to feed.

And it provides everything they need:

fresh grass, leaves and herbs.

Over the following weeks,

they graze across a patchwork
of these surviving scraps of land.

And there was another upside
to the absence of people.

Scientists have discovered that not only
did this new diet make them healthier…

but fewer visitors
meant less plastic trash,

which can kill deer.

Even when it seems that
animals benefit from our presence…

in many cases,
they're actually better off without us.

Four months into lockdown,
and wherever we step back,

the space we leave is providing wildlife
with new opportunities.

In Argentina…

normally shy capybara

raid the manicured gardens
of this well-heeled suburb…

which has been built
on their former wetland home.

Nothing seems to stop them enjoying
what was originally theirs.

Well…

almost nothing.

The longer our absence continues,
the more daring animals become.

And when the safari season in Africa
is canceled…

…one deadly hunter rewrites the rule book.

This luxury lodge stands empty.

But it doesn't take long
before new guests begin to check in.

Vervet monkeys reserve a spot by the pool.

While impala and nyala antelope

take advantage of the salad bar.

But not far behind…

a fully grown male leopard.

The appearance during the day
of this usually nocturnal hunter

is a real surprise.

Not least for our film crew.

Just stand still, guys.

I've had some intimidating moments
in my life, but that is at the top of it.

Across Africa,

leopards have lost over 60%
of their territory to people,

making hunting ever more challenging.

But here, with no guests around,

this leopard sees an opportunity

and makes a remarkable switch
in his behavior.

He starts hunting during the day.

It may take a few attempts…

but it's not long…

before his new strategy…

pays off.

Leopard numbers in Africa

have dropped by over 30%
in the last 25 years.

But by taking full advantage of
this new all-you-can-eat lockdown buffet,

this leopard is thriving.

This pretty much has become his lodge.
His private kingdom.

It's six months since the pandemic began.

By September, over 40 countries
still have restrictions in place…

limiting the activities
of over 3 billion people.

Large gatherings,

including live sporting events,
concerts and festivals,

will not be able to return until we have
a reliable treatment like a vaccine.

Whilst we adjust to our new normal,

nature's rejuvenation continues.

In India, the river Ganges

shows an 80% increase
in its oxygen levels.

And on Africa's Atlantic coast,

the water cleanliness rating
leaps from poor to excellent.

And our lighter tread
has now been continuing for long enough

for a whole new generation of animals
to benefit.

Here on the South African coast,

some proud new parents
are on their morning commute.

African jackass penguins.

They have set up home right alongside us.

During the breeding season,

every morning
they head out to sea to go fishing.

Their chicks are very demanding.

They need to eat around 15%
of their body weight every day.

Luckily, jackass penguins
are highly effective hunters…

able to dive to depths of 80 meters

to feast on shoals of fish
and crustaceans.

But delivering the catch
to their hungry chicks is a problem.

In previous years,
these beaches were packed with people.

And by the time the penguins were ready
to return from fishing…

they would find their path blocked.

So many of them waited offshore
until sunset…

when the crowds headed home.

But this year, the beach is deserted.

The penguins abandon their old routine

and now head home
after just a few hours at sea

with a bellyful of fish for their chicks.

And with plenty of daylight still in hand,
they can go out to sea once more.

These chicks are now being fed
twice or even three times a day.

They're not only healthier
and growing more rapidly,

but more families like this one
are successfully rearing twins.

And there's more good news.

Over the next few weeks,

some parents go on to successfully raise
a second clutch of chicks,

the first time this has been seen here
in over a decade.

For years, we've assumed that
penguins and people here

were getting along just fine.

But in reality,
we were making their life difficult.

And given that penguin numbers
in South Africa

have dropped by almost 70%
over the last 30 years…

they need all the help
we can give them.

It's not just the young of city-dwelling
animals that are thriving.

By now,
the effects of this year's restrictions

are even being felt
in the world's wildest places.

Transforming one big cat's ability
to protect its young.

Cheetah.

The fastest sprinter on Earth.

But they have a weakness.

Their slight build means they lack
the strength of rival predators…

like lions and hyenas.

They will happily steal a cheetah's meal

and won't hesitate to kill a cub.

Cheetahs try to keep a low profile.

But with two cubs to feed,

this mother needs to make a kill
every two or three days.

While she hunts,

her six-month-old cubs
stay hidden in the long grass.

But as soon as she's made her kill,
she faces a dilemma.

She is hundreds of meters away from them,

with a carcass too large to drag back.

And if she leaves it, she will risk it
being stolen by scavengers.

Her solution
is to use a soft chirruping call…

to tell her cubs to join her.

She must be careful.

If she calls too loudly or too often,

she will alert her enemies
to her defenseless cubs.

And it's at this very moment

that cheetah here
have found it hardest to be heard.

In the years before lockdown,

seeing a cheetah hunt
was the top of the wish list

for the Maasai Mara's tourists.

But the crowds that surrounded the mother
after her kill posed a problem.

There's a lot of commotion.
Vehicles driving up and down.

Guides talking on radio,
people talking to each other.

The hubbub drowned the calls

of mother cheetahs calling to their cubs.

All that noise

masks the natural cues
that cheetahs rely on to survive.

Forced to keep on calling,
they risked attracting rivals.

But this year…

this mother is experiencing
almost no human disruption.

After just a few calls
across the empty savanna…

her cubs hear her…

and join their mother.

We find that mothers
make fewer calls.

One or two times,
and cubs respond immediately.

Without people around,

researchers are already seeing
cheetah cubs doing better.

In pre-COVID times, you'll find
one out of three cubs will survive.

But currently we are coming across

more cubs
that are more than three months old,

which makes us optimistic

that this time around
we are going to have more cubs surviving,

which means more cheetahs.

With only around 7,000
adult cheetahs left in Africa…

every cub is precious.

While the year
continues to be challenging for us…

…more and more endangered animals

are enjoying a boost
to their chances of survival.

With less disturbance during 2020,

mountain gorillas here

gave birth to twice
the usual number of babies.

On England's south coast,

rare spiny seahorses appear in numbers
not seen for at least ten years

as their seagrass home recovers
from damage caused by visiting boats.

And in Kenya,
no rhinos were killed for their horns

for the first time since 1999.

It's a whole year
since the start of lockdown.

A year in which many of us have found
comfort in the natural world.

A year in which that world
has changed in extraordinary ways.

Annual global emissions of carbon dioxide

have fallen by over 6%,

the largest drop ever measured.

And there have been striking changes
beneath the Earth's surface too.

With the vibrations
from travel and industry halved,

it's been the quietest period underground
in recorded history.

But the impact of this lockdown
won't last forever.

What inspiration can we take
from this moment

to find ways
to better coexist with nature?

In India,
some are already seizing the chance

to live more harmoniously

alongside some very powerful
yet endangered animals.

A fully grown Asian elephant

needs to eat 150 kilos of food every day.

But with only 5%
of their natural habitat remaining,

and with much of their forest home
replaced by farmland,

elephants here
often raid crops to survive.

In response, the farmers
try to defend their fields.

But they still regularly lose over half of
the rice harvest on which they depend.

We would spend the entire night

chasing them away into the forest.

But they'd come back

and we'd have to do it all over again.

And it's not just farms that are at risk.

Elephants also search for food in villages

and have ended up trampling people.

Across the country,

around 400 humans
and a hundred elephants

are killed in these conflicts every year.

But one community
is trying a new approach

to solving the problem.

City workers who've returned home
because of lockdown

can provide the extra hands needed

for a project
spearheaded by a local conservation trust.

We got a great opportunity
during lockdown

to do plantation for wild elephants.

Along the forest edge,
they plant a buffer zone

of fast-growing wild rice and grasses
for the elephants to eat.

The entire community
of more than 500 people came to help.

Over just a few months,

they transform almost 400 acres,
1.6 square kilometers, of their land.

And now, instead of
driving the elephants away

they're holding a ceremony
to welcome them.

The crops are ready for harvest.

But will the elephants eat the grasses
that have been planted for them…

or will they raid the farmers' fields?

As the people return home…

something stirs at the edge of the forest.

One by one, the elephants emerge
from the cover of the trees.

Mothers.

Calves.

A whole extended family
of 26 hungry elephants.

But how far will they come?

Staying close to the edge of the forest…

they choose to feast only on the crops
planted for them.

Before, we used to chase them away.

But now, things have changed.

It feels good… makes us happy.

As the harvest season progresses,

the elephants never stray
onto the farmers' fields

nor do they enter the village.

If we love elephants

then elephants love us too.

A buffer zone of plants

is providing a long-term solution

to an age-old conflict.

And it's one which neighboring villages

are already talking with the local
conservation trust about adopting.

Looking back over the past year,

one that has been so difficult
for many of us,

what can we learn
to secure the future of the natural world

and our own?

We have to think of how we shall coexist.

Awaken us to the fact that
we can share our spaces with wildlife.

Not taking it for granted

that we're going to do the same things
when we go back.

The astonishing speed
and variety of nature's response

has shown that
even modest changes to our lives

can make a vital difference
to wildlife around the world.

There could be some
small shutdowns every single summer.

Nightly beach closures.
It doesn't have to be during the day.

Very small alterations that people can do

to make sure that humans and wildlife
are both successful together.

We know that
if we ask vessels to go slower,

and we maybe group vessel traffic,
they can actually have a smaller footprint

and protect the underwater soundscape
and the whales.

We are making recommendations
to the park authorities

that are aimed at promoting good conduct
among tourists and tour guides

that will ensure
the survival of these animals.

This extraordinary year,
the year Earth changed,

has not only shown us
that we can help wildlife to flourish,

but if we choose to do so,

we can also transform
the health of the planet for all.

I know it's high time now

that we should contribute in every
small way we can to reduce the pollution.

And far from being
separate from the natural world…

we've discovered
that our lives are interconnected

in deep and surprising ways.

If we are to thrive in the future,

now is the crucial moment

to find ways to share our planet…

with all the life on Earth.