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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,080 This place, the equator, is easily, hands down, one of the most exciting, 2 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,240 most beautiful, most vibrant places on the planet. 3 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,440 I'm Gordon Buchanan and I'm a wildlife cameraman. 4 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,360 I'm traveling the line that runs 25,000 miles 5 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,480 around the globe 6 00:00:32,480 --> 00:00:34,080 to find out what's happening to our planet. 7 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:41,320 Here, between the tropics, 8 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,000 there are more plant and animal species 9 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,480 than anywhere else on earth. 10 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:47,960 Every square inch has some form of life 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,400 scurrying or scuffling around. 12 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,040 But today this same region is also home to a staggering 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,440 40 percent of humanity. 14 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,640 This collision between man and nature... 15 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,880 Oh my goodness. 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,480 ...is affecting all of us. 17 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,720 To get to grips with this reality, 18 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,200 experts are investigating the equator from a new angle... 19 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,360 This is one flight that I am very much looking forward to. 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,960 Up we go. 21 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:25,440 ...from the air. 22 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,360 Wow! 23 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,040 I can see something from up here that would be impossible to see from ground level. 24 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,840 From up high, startling discoveries are being made. 25 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,200 Have we passed a new species? 26 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,120 For sure. 27 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:43,440 Really? 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,840 This is really the front line because you see 29 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,040 the soya plantations, cattle ranches, illegal activity, 30 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,640 human population growth, it is all here. 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,320 Around the equator this aerial view 32 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,160 is changing our relationship with nature. 33 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,640 Oh, got it, got it. 34 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,200 Look at that. 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:07,960 Unbelievable. 36 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:08,840 As we race to protect its future 37 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,960 and ours. 38 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,680 We live in an incredibly exciting, 39 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,600 pivotal time in our planet's history 40 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:22,320 when salvation for the natural world could come from above. 41 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,120 Never seen anything like it. 42 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,560 Woo-hoo! 43 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:32,960 [BUCHANAN] How's the adrenaline? 44 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,960 [BUCHANAN] My journey around the planet begins in Africa. 45 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:57,840 Where the Equator stretches nearly 46 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,920 two and a half thousand miles, from the savannahs of Kenya, and Uganda in the east 47 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:02,920 to the pristine rainforests of Gabon in the west. 48 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:19,960 When I was 17 49 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,760 I stepped onto an aeroplane for the very, very first timeand I was coming to this place, 50 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:24,240 I was coming to Africa. 51 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,400 And I' 52 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:30,160 ve returned many times since then and I have seen our planet's wildlife at its dramatic best. 53 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,120 I saw this abundance and diversity of life here. 54 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,200 But there's been a huge change in recent history. 55 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,920 [BUCHANAN] The human population here is growing way faster 56 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,800 than on any other part of the equator. 57 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,560 Towns and cities are expanding fast, 58 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,680 while farming and industry eat into the wilderness. 59 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,600 I'm here to 60 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,480 investigate the impact of this rapid transformation, and to see how aerial research 61 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,480 is pointing the way to a more sustainable future 62 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,920 in which animals can thrive alongside the people 63 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,320 who live here too. 64 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:39,000 My journey begins in the Great Rift Valley: an enormous trench 65 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,440 that cuts through the highlands of East Africa. 66 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,120 I'm heading for the Kenya's part of the rift, 67 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,520 where there's a line of unusual lakes 68 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,440 strung along the valley floor. 69 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:58,400 This is th 70 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,120 e setting for an incredible gathering of wildlife, which I've been told 71 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,360 is best appreciated from the air. 72 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,360 Hi Hamish. 73 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:06,560 Hi Gordon. 74 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:07,320 How are you? 75 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:08,000 How's it going, man? 76 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:08,720 Yeah, good thanks. 77 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:10,720 Good to meet you. 78 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:15,240 Yeah, you too.[HAMISH] Alright, let's do it. [BUCHANAN] Let's do it. 79 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,800 I'm just gonna drift along this, uh, here. 80 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,200 [BUCHANAN] Hamish Rendall has been flying in this area 81 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,960 for 15 years. 82 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,720 So have you seen much in the way of, 83 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,000 of kind of human expansion in the time that you've been here? 84 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,560 Yeah, you definitely notice the new roads going through 85 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,080 and little towns setting up on the roads or power stations, 86 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:42,000 new power lines. 87 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:42,400 So that type of thing's really started to come in the last 88 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,160 10 years. 89 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:45,960 Really? 90 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,080 Yeah. 91 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,880 [BUCHANAN] But in some places the balance between people and nature 92 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,880 has been carefully managed. 93 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,720 The land around Lake Bogoria has been made a national reserve 94 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,480 to protect a wildlife spectacle I've always wanted to see. 95 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,360 Oh my goodness, that is unbelievable! 96 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,920 [BUCHANAN] This is the largest gathering of lesser flamingos on earth. 97 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,720 [BUCHANAN] Gee whizz! 98 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,000 This is incredible. 99 00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:37,720 It's like a tide of flamingos. 100 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:43,200 Just trying to take it all inand it's, it's, it's mesmerizing. 101 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,200 So we're looking at thousand 102 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,760 s of birds just in this one image. 103 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,600 [RENDALL] Uh, estimating about 1.2, 1.3 million birds here 104 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,160 at the moment. 105 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:00,320 [BUCHANAN] On this one lake? 106 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:01,880 [RENDALL] Yeah. 107 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:02,960 This is something that I've waited 30 years to see 108 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,640 and it is utterly breath-taking. 109 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,160 From above, the reason so many birds congregate here 110 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,320 becomes apparent. 111 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:23,400 [RENDALL] So now you can actually even start to see the blue-green 112 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,640 algae trails out in the middle of the lake, 113 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:27,720 which is what the flamingos are all here to eat. 114 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,120 [BUCHANAN] The blue-green algae only prosper in very salty, 115 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,320 alkaline waters. 116 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:37,680 And Bogoria is one of only three large lakes in Kenya 117 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:39,840 with exactly the right chemical conditions. 118 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,640 This microscopic life 119 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:46,320 is the flamingos' main source of nutrients. 120 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,360 To get close enough to see them feeding,I need to get my feet on solid ground. 121 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:07,320 For each of these birds to survive they have to eat 122 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,600 roundabout 72 grams of algae every single day. 123 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,560 And to do that they have to filter something like 124 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,160 360 litres of water. 125 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,400 That in itself kind of defies belief. 126 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:24,680 In this ecosystem, 127 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,520 that balance is very fragile because it relies on the chemistry 128 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,240 of each of these lakes. 129 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:32,160 And that can be upset very easily. 130 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,720 [BUCHANAN] To see how delicate the balance is, 131 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,800 we're heading 35 miles south: to another lake, 132 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,400 which until recently was also a flamingo hotspot. 133 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:55,720 This is Lake Nakuru. 134 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,160 Along one shore, the city of the 135 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,480 same name has grown into Kenya's third largest. 136 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,080 [RENDALL] This is a big town. 137 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,520 Lake Nakuru used to be basically the jewel 138 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:12,120 of finding pink flamingos in Africa 139 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,000 and it would just be littered with hundreds of thousands 140 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,000 of them around this lakeshore 141 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,040 and they literally don't come here at all anymore. 142 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,400 [BUCHANAN] My goodness. 143 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,440 So, when did the flamingo move out of this, this area? 144 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,480 So, the flamingos started leaving Lake Nakuru about 145 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,880 probably eight to 10 years ago when the water started rising. 146 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:40,440 [BUCHANAN] The shores of the lake used to be covered in forest, 147 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,040 and when it rained, the trees and soil soaked up the water 148 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,440 like a sponge. 149 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,680 Now the area's been developed, rain runs off rooftops, 150 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:52,840 roads and farmlands, into drains, 151 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,480 and straight into the lake. 152 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,280 Geez, and you can actually see how the water levels come up 153 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:01,640 with all those dead trees around the edge. 154 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,200 [RENDALL] Yup, there you go. 155 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:06,880 [BUCHANAN] So it's come up significantly. [RENDALL] You've got power lines down there in the water to your left. 156 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,280 And some buildings down there, completely underwater. 157 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,120 [BUCHANAN] In just a few years, it's estimated the water level 158 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,000 has risen by over five metres and runoff 159 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:24,240 appears to have been a major factor. 160 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,760 As a result, the saline waters have been diluted, 161 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:28,840 and the blue-green algae has all but disappeared. 162 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:36,160 It's a dramatic example of the unintended consequences 163 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:39,800 that can result from population growth. 164 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:43,600 To avoid more situations like this, 165 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:44,640 key habitats need protecting before it's too late. 166 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:51,920 Moving on from the lakes, I'm heading for Kenya's most 167 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,640 famous wildlife reserve. 168 00:10:54,640 --> 00:11:00,080 Just south o 169 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,120 f the equator, on the border with Tanzania,lies one of the world's very best places 170 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,640 for spotting wildlife. 171 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,120 The Maasai Mara. 172 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:20,280 Established in the 1960s, the Mara reserve is almost 173 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:24,240 600 square miles of open savannah, 174 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,200 where Africa's most iconic animals roam free. 175 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,800 But even this precious wilderness is now changing. 176 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:44,920 As 177 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:46,280 people begin to set up home around the margins, it's causing problems for one species in particular. 178 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,680 Hello Irene. 179 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:56,760 Hello. 180 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,840 How are you? 181 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,920 Fine thanks, welcome to the Mara. [BUCHANAN] To get close to these animals requires a stealthy approachand Dr. Irene 182 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:14,200 It definitely has to be the coolest way 183 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,360 you can take to the air, 184 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:17,160 in one of the most amazing places on the planet. 185 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:29,240 We're here during the annual migration, 186 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,160 when huge herds of wildlife cross the savannah 187 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,440 in search of green pasture. 188 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:39,920 [BUCHANAN] One animal far outnumbers all the rest. 189 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:51,280 Wildebeest. 190 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:52,160 My goodness, this is incredible. 191 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,800 Right in front of us we have thousands, 192 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,920 literally thousands of them. 193 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:02,520 More than you can count. 194 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:12,120 [BUCHANAN] Altogether, more than a million wildebeest migrate 195 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,880 through East Africa every year. 196 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,680 Following the seasonal rains, they travel hundreds of miles 197 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:23,480 in search of the best grazing. 198 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,720 This is one of the most incredible sights on our planet. 199 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:26,920 Yeah, it is, and the sound, the sound of the wildebeest. 200 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:35,520 I think it is an amazing sound, I like it. 201 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,480 The Mara reserve was created so that wildlife could move freely. 202 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,800 But all is not as it seems. 203 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,320 [AMOKE] Inside the reserve there's this false sense of its pristine 204 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:01,080 and it's stayed the way it was centuries ago. 205 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:03,760 But then once you leave the reserve then it becomes private 206 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,320 property and then you start seeing fences coming up 207 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,400 almost daily and the impacts of those fences 208 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,240 are already being felt. 209 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:21,000 [BUCHANAN] Dr. Amoke is Director of the Kenya Wildlife Trust 210 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,560 and she's part of a team that's charting the spread of fences 211 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:26,640 around the edge of the reserve. 212 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:34,880 By analysing satellite images, they've mapped almost 5,000 fences that impede access to huge swathes of grassland. 213 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,480 We're going down for a closer look. 214 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:43,600 Please get your landing positions for me. 215 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,720 All that grace and beauty, turns to indignity 216 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,640 as you hit the ground with a bump and a tilt. 217 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,440 Ah, I could do with a lie down. 218 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:25,120 Just outside the protected area, we find what the wildebeest 219 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,320 are coming up against. 220 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,840 [BUCHANAN] It's a very lonely looking wildebeest, 221 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,240 you don't often see them all by themselves. 222 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,240 They are, I think it's a, they're a bit confused. 223 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,800 So there's a fence there, there's fence behind us, 224 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,240 so is it kind of effectively trapped in here? 225 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,960 Yeah, it's, you know, there's a lot of fragmentation, 226 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,240 so it might get a bit of space to move and, 227 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:52,280 and then it hits a fence again and in a way, 228 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,560 they'll end up just going around in a circle. 229 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,640 There's been nomadic herding of sheep and cattle here 230 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,800 for centuries. 231 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,600 But Kenya's growing population has increased demand, leading to large, permanent farms, 232 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,240 surrounded by fences. 233 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,280 There's been cases reported of, 234 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,280 you know, wildebeest just getting strangled on the fences 235 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,880 as they try and just run, run through before realising that, 236 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,480 you know, you can't actually get through, 237 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:25,080 and by then it's, it's late for some of them. 238 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,000 So if the fencing carries on in this way, 239 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,560 it would be I think a major disaster. 240 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,760 [BUCHANAN] Now that she's revealed the scale of the problem, 241 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,040 Irene hopes that by limiting fences to certain areas, 242 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,640 wildlife corridors could be created. 243 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,840 That would give the wildebeest some freedom back, 244 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:50,800 while allowing farmers the space they need, 245 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:52,760 to make a living. 246 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:00,360 Elsewhere in the Mara, the pressure of a growing human 247 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:01,800 population has caused direct conflict. 248 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,200 The continent's biggest animals are under threat, 249 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,760 and I'm heading out with a man who monitors them from above. 250 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,400 Morning Marc. 251 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:20,840 Morning. 252 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,080 How are you doing? 253 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:22,840 Very well, how are you? Yeah, good, good. 254 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:28,960 Up we go! 255 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:37,280 [BUCHANAN] Marc Goss is CEO, and pilot for the Mara Elephant Project. 256 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:41,360 An organisation that supports conservation 257 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:44,400 by deploying rangers. 258 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,400 Across this huge territory, a helicopter is by far the best 259 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,520 way to protect elephants and other wildlife. 260 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:58,720 We're responding to Marc's first call-out of the day, 261 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,760 when we spot something on the ground. 262 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,120 Elephants here, elephants, a whole herd. 263 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:06,200 Wow! 264 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,400 [GOSS] Look, many more here. 265 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:08,120 [BUCHANAN] God, it's a big herd. 266 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:12,040 More down here. 267 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:13,960 [GOSS] Oh, yeah, look at them all. They're all youngsters as well. 268 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:17,320 [BUCHANAN] Elephants like these are increasingly forced in 269 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:18,960 to contact with the people who also depend on this land. 270 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:25,400 When crops 271 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,040 are trampled or eaten, it's understandable that farmers respond. 272 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,680 And almost every day, Marc gets reports of violent conflict. 273 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:38,520 [GOSS] Every time the wildlife and people meet 274 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:40,440 it's conflict pretty much most of the time. 275 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:44,320 Going back in the, to 2012 times 276 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,040 when we didn't have a helicopter, 277 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,040 elephants were being killed almost daily. 278 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,760 Uh, that year we had 120 elephant carcasses 279 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:56,280 in, in, in this area. 280 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:58,120 120 elephant carcasses? 281 00:18:58,120 --> 00:18:59,800 [GOSS] 120. 282 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:00,400 [BUCHANAN] In, in a year? 283 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:01,800 My God! 284 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:03,080 [GOSS] Yeah. 285 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:08,200 [BUCHANAN] One herd has been attacked nearby. 286 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,320 As farmers tried to protect their crops, 287 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:12,200 an adult elephant was hit by an arrow. 288 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:22,600 In the two jeeps, a team of vets 289 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,440 has come to treat the injured animal. 290 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,480 To sedate it, they need to dart the elephant 291 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,920 with the tranquiliser gun, 292 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,920 but the herd is retreating into the bush. 293 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:39,200 [BUCHANAN] Okay, 294 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,440 we're just flying right above this herd, I got a glimpse of the elephant that's injured 295 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,280 but what we're trying to do is push them out of the thicket 296 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:45,960 so that, um, they can get a clear view of them, 297 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,840 a clear shot of the, the elephant that needs the help. 298 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,000 [BUCHANAN] In emergencies like this, the helicopter comes into its own 299 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,400 as the noise helps to drive the elephants into the open. 300 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,800 Marc and I join the team on the ground, 301 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,760 led by Dr. Limo. 302 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:18,840 We've got a clear shot of it, right in the open. 303 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:31,560 Okay, he's got the dart, he's got the dart in now. 304 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,800 [BUCHANAN] The injured elephant takes refuge amongst the herd, 305 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:47,200 but 306 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:48,400 minutes later, the tranquiliser takes effect. 307 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:53,960 To safely give the el 308 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:54,760 ephant the care she needs, the rangers are trying to keep the rest of the herd away. 309 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,840 [BUCHANAN] But that's easier said than done, 310 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:12,040 elephants are highly social creatures with strong bonds. 311 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:18,400 We're just trying to scare off the, 312 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:23,440 the other elephant, um, he's really reluctant to leave. 313 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,240 Just shows you how compassionate elephants are 314 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,680 that despite we've got three vehicles trying 315 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:30,240 to chase it away, he just doesn't want to leave. 316 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:45,080 [BUCHANAN] Now she's fully sedated, Dr. Limo can treat her. 317 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,840 There's just one wound on her 318 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,160 bang in the middle of her, her side. 319 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,000 Obviously she's a big, a big target. 320 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 It's gory stuff, but whilst she's under, 321 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,160 she'll feel no pain. 322 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:00,160 These arrows would've been attached to a long shaft, 323 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,880 but obviously once it hit 324 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:04,760 and the elephant's running through the bush,the wooden part of its come off. 325 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,320 [MAN] Wow, look at this. 326 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:13,920 Look, it's got all those barbs, huh. 327 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,400 Wow. 328 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:18,640 So that wasn't gonna come out unless, 329 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,720 we got we, pulled it out. 330 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:22,800 [BUCHANAN] Yeah, that's an evil one that, isn't it? 331 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,640 Jeez. 332 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,240 [BUCHANAN] Weapons like this do real damage, but for the farmers who fired this arrow, 333 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,360 elephants are a threat to their livelihood. 334 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:36,480 To them, this was pure survival. 335 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,080 An act of self-defence. 336 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,120 Big migratory animals need a lot of space, 337 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:45,640 and we are robbing that space from, 338 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,520 from elephants, that's how the conflict arises. 339 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:52,120 And this is life for, you know, elephants living 340 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:56,240 in this part of, of Africa. 341 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,520 Yeah, she's already kind of starting to come to. 342 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:00,600 There was a flap of the ears, her trunk twitched. 343 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,720 That was quick. 344 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:28,400 [BUCHANAN] As the elephant re-joins her herd, 345 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,520 another call comes in. 346 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:34,160 It's all just, 347 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,440 all just kicked off. 348 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:37,720 There is a baby elephant with a snare on its trunk. 349 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,560 So I'm going to go with Marc 350 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:42,280 and try and get the snare off the, the baby. 351 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:49,240 With more people living in the Mara, 352 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:50,960 there's also been an increase 353 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:52,600 in the amount of poaching for bushmeat. 354 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,520 Simple looped wire snares are used to catch anything 355 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,920 from wildebeest to warthogs. 356 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,480 But elephants can also get trapped. 357 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,360 So, they do a lot of snaring and that cuts trunks off elephants, 358 00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:09,040 so especially down on the border where we get a lot of snaring 359 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:12,360 you find elephants with, uh, short trunks. 360 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,200 But that's really a crime in many cases of, of poverty. 361 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,000 So they don't have the alternative incomes, 362 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,800 so they resort to a life of poaching. 363 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,320 We arrive to find the calf still has the snare 364 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,000 caught tightly around its mouth. 365 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,000 It's vital we remove it as quickly as possible. 366 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:49,080 It's hard to see a calf in so much distress 367 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,680 but he'll only survive if the team can treat him. 368 00:24:57,920 --> 00:24:59,840 The elephant's on the ground, we're trying, uh, 369 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,720 just trying to get the wire off without 370 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,120 having to sedate the, um, um, sedate the calf. 371 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,320 The calf is just a year old, and the team know 372 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,240 that if they sedate him, he could have trouble 373 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,200 finding his mother again. 374 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:17,840 To increase his 375 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:19,840 chances of survival, the team needs to keep him conscious, 376 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,120 and restrain him while the snare is removed. 377 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:26,720 It 378 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,280 may look brutal, but these are trained experts, who have done this many times before. 379 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,680 [inaudible] it's not very sharp, it's just 380 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:35,880 able to snip one bit of the wire, bit by bit. 381 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,160 There we go, there we go. 382 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,200 [SPEAKING SWAHILI] 383 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:57,480 They've washed out the wound. 384 00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:59,000 I can't, um, I can't show you this in any detail 385 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:00,880 but it's too, it's too bad. 386 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,880 Snare injuries are often fatal. 387 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,720 But thanks to a speedy aerial response, 388 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:34,040 the prospects this time look good. 389 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,200 The calf is on its feet, on its way, 390 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,560 a million times better off than it was 10 minutes ago. 391 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,760 This calf got lucky, and was later reunited with his mother. 392 00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:02,160 But 393 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,240 the only thing that will stop this happening to elephants is an improvement in living standards for the people 394 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,680 who share this land. 395 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:12,000 Hopefully as education a 396 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,200 nd job prospects improve this kind of hunting will happen less. 397 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:19,680 Until then, the 398 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:25,400 aerial patrol is a valuable resource. 399 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:38,000 From Kenya, I'm crossing into another country 400 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,240 dealing with a sudden increase in human numbers. 401 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:44,920 Uganda is the 6th fastest growing 402 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,000 country in the world, with a population that's now passed 40 million. 403 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:53,200 But in the north of Uganda, one patch of wilderness 404 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,720 has been transformed almost overnight, 405 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:58,720 by the arrival of people from a different country. 406 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:05,680 This sudden influx has brought a distinct set of challenges. 407 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,200 But I've heard about a project that aims to help, 408 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,200 thanks to a view from above. 409 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:16,960 I'm on my way to 410 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:17,640 a place a called Bidi Bidi, it is one of the largest refugeesettlements in the world 411 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:24,640 and here in Uganda they've got quite unique ways 412 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,760 in dealing with what is one of Africa's biggest 413 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,440 humanitarian problems. 414 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:36,080 The road t 415 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:38,200 o get there is unreliable,so medical supplies and aid workers are flown in 416 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,400 on a shuttle, and today, I'm going with them. 417 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:54,960 In 2013, civil war broke out in South Sudan, 418 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:57,920 forcing more than a million people to flee into Uganda. 419 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,080 Until then, wildlife far outnumbered the few villagers 420 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,120 who lived here. 421 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,200 God, 422 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,640 it's incredible! With a population of 280,000, 423 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,480 spread over nearly a hundred square miles, 424 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:20,880 this camp has effectively become one of Uganda's biggest cities. 425 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:46,240 But this is no tented city. 426 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,840 The Ugandan government has provided every family with land 427 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,120 and the resources to build homes and grow food, 428 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,160 with the aim of creating a permanent settlement. 429 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,720 The challenge now is to develop Bidi Bidi sustainably, 430 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,640 so the community that doesn't put stress on the wilderness 431 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:07,680 that surrounds it. 432 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:13,880 There's like a little clinic there, 433 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,840 a phone charging, um, station there. 434 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,400 So, there's, there's commerce here. 435 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:25,000 Now, this is not what I was expecting. 436 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:27,640 You can see that people are turning this place, 437 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:29,480 which was previously just a bit of Ugandan bush, 438 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,880 into, into a home. 439 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:38,640 Entrepreneurs are thriving here. 440 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,400 But to plan development properly, 441 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,440 and create the best possible home for these people, 442 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:45,080 the authorities need something we often take for granted. 443 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,120 A map. 444 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,960 [BUCHANAN] Oh really? 445 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:02,680 [OQUNO] The wild 446 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:04,680 African bush! Now look at it. 447 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:05,880 [OQUNO] Okay, let's go. 448 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:11,280 [BUCHANAN] Dayan Oquno is a Ugandan, 449 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,000 who has lived near here all his life. 450 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,560 Michael Yani arrived here from South Sudan in 2016. 451 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,400 Okay, Sam. 452 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:30,280 They're working on project called The Humanitarian 453 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:31,520 Open Street Map, which covers disaster zones worldwide. 454 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:39,520 In o 455 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:42,680 rder to help people access the services they need today,and plan where to build what's required in the future, 456 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:44,600 they're creating an aerial map. 457 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:50,920 Our first stop is a water point, 458 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:51,880 used by hundreds of locals every day. 459 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:58,280 And our task is to log its exact coordinates, for the map. 460 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:02,000 Water facilities at the bottom. 461 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,040 So, you can come closer so that it... 462 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:05,200 Oh, yeah, so it's, so the, the satellite is, 463 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:06,600 is one meter accuracy? 464 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:15,280 Start geo point, right, I'm gonna stand right here 465 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,360 on top of your head. 466 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:21,840 One metre accuracy so we're good. 467 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,040 The team have 468 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:26,320 smart phones and, using GPS satellite technology, 469 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:30,400 when they locate something of interest, 470 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,320 its position is logged. 471 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:34,280 And so we're finished. 472 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:41,280 For the aid agencies who manage the camp, 473 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:42,720 having the position of these facilities at their fingertips 474 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,440 is a huge help. 475 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:50,400 Bidi Bidi's hospitals and clinics are flat out. 476 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,120 Refugees from the war arrived malnourished, 477 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,360 and with all kinds of physical and mental trauma. 478 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,640 Nurses, how many nurses? 479 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,120 [OQUNO] We have eight nurses. 480 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:08,640 [BUCHANAN] Eight nurses. 481 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,760 Adding basic information about each location 482 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:12,680 gives the map an extra layer of detail. 483 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,200 By identifying areas that are poorly served, 484 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,720 aid can be better directed in the future. 485 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,280 Does this facility dispense medicine? 486 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:25,960 [OQUNO] Yes, it does. 487 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,200 [BUCHANAN] Yes. 488 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:30,880 There are already 3,800 children enrolled in the school here, 489 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:36,960 and thousands more waiting. 490 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:38,960 There's so many children, you've been pushed out, 491 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:40,360 outside into the playground! 492 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,520 As with everything in Bidi Bidi, they need more capacity, 493 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:57,680 and they needed it yesterday. 494 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,680 But the map will provide a starting point 495 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:02,920 from which to plan for the future. 496 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:04,680 So you'll upload this tonight? 497 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:07,520 Yeah, tonight. 498 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:08,680 And then it'll be online. 499 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:09,520 You'll be on the map, the global map! 500 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:17,920 So, thank you so much. 501 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:19,280 Thank you. 502 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,800 [MEN TALKING NON-ENGLISH] 503 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,240 [BUCHANAN] Finally Dayan and Michael can add the locations, 504 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:27,400 and the extra detail they've gathered, to the map. 505 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:39,680 [BUCHANAN] This is the start of a very big, a big job for both of you! 506 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:44,320 Yeah, yeah, I think. 507 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,440 [BUCHANAN] For Michael, establishing a home here is vitally important, 508 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:50,760 given the trauma he experienced before he arrived. 509 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,240 When did you leave, um, South Sudan? 510 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:21,000 [BUCHANAN] So, your, your father was, was killed before you left? 511 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:41,200 It's certainly not an easy life, 512 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:42,920 but having been wrenched with such violence from their homes, 513 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,080 so many people here are in need of stability. 514 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,200 Across Africa, growing and shifting human populations are encroaching on the natural world. 515 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,720 But here, as in many parts of the continent, 516 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,640 people are in urgent need of the space 517 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,440 and resources that nature provides. 518 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:08,120 The solution is for development to continue, 519 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:09,600 but in a sustainable way. 520 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:16,840 In Bidi Bidi, by harnessing satellite technology, 521 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:18,600 that goal is within reach, as this place becomes a new home, 522 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,320 for people to rebuild their lives. 523 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,120 I'm leaving Uganda and travelling West 524 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:38,280 to a country which has developed fast 525 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:39,520 thanks to the wealth of its natural resources. 526 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:51,320 From Uganda, the equator cuts through the huge 527 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:52,480 expanse of the Congo rainforest, and into Gabon. 528 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:59,920 To investigate how t 529 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,480 he extraction of resources is affecting nature here, I'm heading out 530 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:03,600 to the great rainforests in the country's interior. 531 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:08,600 Bonjour Joseph. 532 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:10,080 Bonjour. 533 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:11,680 How are you? 534 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:12,400 Fine, and you? 535 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:13,000 Yeah, good thank you. 536 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,120 Can we climb in? 537 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:15,480 Yeah, okay. 538 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:16,880 Joseph Okouyi heads up Aerial Operations 539 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:19,120 for the National Parks Agency. 540 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:27,160 He goes out on patrol several times a week 541 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:28,560 to monitor Gabon's network of protected habitats. 542 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,120 This is stunning, 543 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:36,800 the mixture the forest and the, the grassland. 544 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:48,600 Close to 90% of Gabon is covered in tropical rainforest: 545 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,880 the highest proportion in the whole of Africa. 546 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,680 Wow, this is a beautiful landscape! 547 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,320 [OKOUYI] Yeah, yeah, very, very nice. 548 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,640 [BUCHANAN] These forests are home to chimpanzees, 549 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:06,840 leopards and more than a quarter of Earth's remaining gorillas. 550 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:13,680 You have to take it from me, this is so 551 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,880 me of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. 552 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:21,080 You do feel like you're, you're looking down 553 00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:23,520 on some kind of Eden. 554 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:27,080 And, you know, what you can see from the air is 555 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:30,160 as pristine a habitat as you can see on our planet 556 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:36,240 at this point in our, in our history. 557 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:37,360 It's a very, very special place. 558 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:44,200 But Gabon's great wilderness also contains one of the most 559 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,320 precious natural resources of all. 560 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:51,920 Be 561 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:58,120 neath these forests, lie huge deposits of gold. 562 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:00,280 I think I can see the mine site up ahead. 563 00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:02,800 It's like a big scar in the forest. 564 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,320 [OKOUYI] You see? 565 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:09,080 [BUCHANAN] Yeah. [OKOUYI] Okay. 566 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:12,640 [BUCHANAN] In recent years multinational companies 567 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:14,960 have been allowed to mine for gold, 568 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:16,080 deep within the rainforest. 569 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:23,160 At this site, not far outside Ivindo National Park, 570 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,080 operations just closed after several years of production. 571 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:32,240 Yeah, look at that! 572 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:34,320 That's horrible! 573 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:35,120 [OKOUYI] Yeah, yeah, very terrible, all this is destroyed, all. 574 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:40,720 Yeah, 575 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:43,240 you can see the, the, the erosion. That's caused by, by removing the topsoil, 576 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:47,600 removing the trees. 577 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,240 [OKOUYI] Exactly, look the colour of this river thing. That is not, it's not normal. 578 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:55,480 [BUCHANAN] Hi 579 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,960 ghly toxic solutions are sometimes used to separate gold from the soil. 580 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:01,520 If that was the case here, wildlife downstream 581 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,320 is bound to have suffered. 582 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,720 To take a closer lo 583 00:40:08,720 --> 00:40:09,040 ok at the damage, we're heading down to the ground. 584 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:18,600 [BUCHANAN] It's, um, yeah, it's like a lunar landscape. 585 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:26,040 All the trees ha 586 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:27,680 ve gone. [OKOUYI] Yeah, all, all. 587 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:30,480 [OKOUYI] All is destroyed. 588 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,640 [BUCHANAN] Not too long ago, this site wa 589 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:34,360 s a busy commercial mine. 590 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:39,120 If damaging chemicals were used, then as well as nature, 591 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,640 the health of workers would have been put at risk. 592 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:18,560 [BUCHANAN] It seems there's been no effort here 593 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:19,200 to decontaminate the site or replant the trees. 594 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:31,480 [BUCHANAN] And it's, I think people think, oh, well, 595 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,440 all the animals that lived here will just go into there. 596 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:37,600 That's not how it work, the, the balance of nature 597 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,080 has been shifted and everything that 598 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:41,960 once lived here has no chance of surviving. 599 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:44,000 Exactly. 600 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:02,560 [BUCHANAN] Commercial gold mining is damaging pristine rainforests. 601 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:10,600 But while 602 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:12,600 much of the profit goes to multinational corporations, the extraction of natural resources 603 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:15,960 also generates revenue for Gabon. 604 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:21,080 It a 605 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,280 ll helps the country to support conservation efforts,with its national parks and aerial monitoring team. 606 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:31,680 [BUCHANAN] And another natural resource 607 00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:34,040 makes an even bigger contribution. 608 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:37,520 The discovery of oil has transformed the country, 609 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:41,600 with an industry that dominates the Atlantic coast, 610 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:43,400 and drives unprecedented growth. 611 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:48,960 But while the economy benefits, 612 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:49,960 wildlife offshore faces uncertainty. 613 00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,600 [BUCHANAN] Before I leave Africa, I'm joining a team 614 00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:59,800 that's researching how industry and shipping 615 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:02,320 might be affecting the very largest visitors 616 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,480 to these waters. 617 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:06,720 [BUCHANAN] Good morning all. 618 00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:09,800 [KERR] Hey Gordon. 619 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:11,360 [BUCHANAN] Permission to come aboard? [KERR] Yeah, please come aboard. [BUCHANAN] How you doing? 620 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:12,320 [KERR] Pleasure. 621 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:13,440 Iain. 622 00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:15,320 Gordon, lovely to meet you. 623 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:17,600 [BUCHANAN] Dr. Iain Kerr is one of world's leading whale experts 624 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:20,280 and to monitor their health, he's pioneering a remarkable 625 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,840 new aerial technique. 626 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,800 He's brought his team to Gabon 627 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:29,480 to assess the impact of offshore human activity 628 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,200 on the giants of the seas. 629 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:36,880 [KERR] Alright, shall we do it? 630 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:42,760 [BUCHANAN] Let's do it. [KERR] Okay. 631 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:43,560 [BUCHANAN] We're heading for a stretch of open waterwhere whales are often spotted. 632 00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:54,680 We've got our first humpback of the day and it's round about 633 00:43:54,680 --> 00:43:57,440 maybe half a mile out, so we're gonna be 634 00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:59,600 where it was pretty quickly. 635 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:05,520 Humpback whales migrate here from their feeding grounds 636 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,080 in Antarctica to mate and give birth. 637 00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:12,280 [KERR] Okay, I thin 638 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:16,960 k that's good! [BUC 639 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:19,880 HANAN] But today, increased activity in these waters poses a whole range of potential problems. 640 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:23,560 Whales face more threats now than ever 641 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:27,280 before. Pollution, ship strikes, you know, 642 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:30,040 acoustic bleaching, habitat loss. 643 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:32,560 And so it's not just a health check on an individual whale, 644 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,040 it's almost like a, a health check on the entire 645 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:37,040 ocean ecosystem? 646 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:40,440 Well exactly. 647 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:43,600 And we've realized, you know, it's all about the habitat. [BUCHANAN] The noise from ships' engines can dr 648 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:47,120 own out the sounds that whales use to communicate. 649 00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:49,080 And marine pollution is thought to affect their immune systems, 650 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:52,880 opening the door to all kinds of health problems. 651 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:56,560 To assess the impact on the whales in these waters, 652 00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:57,600 Iain and his team have an audacious plan. 653 00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:05,840 So, underneath the magic carpet, Gordon, 654 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:09,920 is the Snot-Bot, as we call it. 655 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:14,400 [BUCHANAN] This drone has 656 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:18,320 been modified to collect samples from whales without even touching them. 657 00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:20,360 We have these little petri dishes that clip on the front 658 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:23,320 and the idea is the whale blows into here. 659 00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:26,000 So that classic plume that comes up when it exhales, 660 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:28,800 that's, that's not sea water, that's from its lungs? 661 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:32,400 Probably, yeah, it's 90 percent 662 00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:34,240 exhaled breath condensate. 663 00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:35,960 And then we just want to gather that. 664 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:38,040 So if you get a great sample... 665 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:42,480 When! 666 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:44,520 When you get a great sample,what are you going to be able to tell from, from it? 667 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:48,400 Well, we'll start with the DNA, 668 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:49,240 you know, how does it fit in, is there a lot of sort of diversity 669 00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:52,680 in the genome? 670 00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:54,800 Then we'll look at the hormones, 671 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:56,200 is it pregnant, is it lactating, and then other, 672 00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:59,920 is the animal stressed, is it calm? 673 00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:02,240 Are the virus or bacterial loads high or are they low, 674 00:46:02,240 --> 00:46:05,600 you know, could the animal have an infection? 675 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:07,920 [BUCHANAN] So all of, all of that... 676 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:10,200 [KER] Right, from a drone flight. 677 00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:11,200 [BUCHANAN] Yeah, or just one exhaled breath. 678 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:14,240 [KER] Correct. 679 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:15,160 [BUCHANAN] That is phenomenal. 680 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:19,880 Uh, we've got a whale over here at, uh, four o'clock. 681 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:24,600 Between the rig and this big old ship. 682 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:26,080 Oh, right here, look, back up, back up, there she is. 683 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:27,920 [KERR] Oh, whale is at. 684 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:30,720 I'm starti 685 00:46:30,720 --> 00:46:35,520 ng engines, three, two, one. 686 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:37,720 [BUCHANAN] To improve their chances of success, 687 00:46:37,720 --> 00:46:39,760 Iain's team used two drones. 688 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:42,760 [KERR] Three, two, one. 689 00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:44,480 [BUCHANAN] The second one gives a birds-eye view, 690 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:44,960 to help direct the snot-bot itself towards the whale. 691 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:51,720 On 692 00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:53,400 ce everyone's in position, they just need to waitfor the whale to come up for air. 693 00:46:58,280 --> 00:46:58,400 [KERR] He's coming up right here, go forward a bit, towards us. 694 00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:05,560 Oh, wow, okay, wait a minute. 695 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:07,160 [BUCHANAN] On its next breath, the whale surfaces just a few metres away. 696 00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:13,120 I don't think we've got anything but, look, 697 00:47:13,120 --> 00:47:14,080 we'll just have a quick look. 698 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:19,480 Nah, they're, they're pretty clean. 699 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:21,280 You could take a sample from my face, 700 00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:23,120 I've got some snot. 701 00:47:23,120 --> 00:47:24,760 It's a very curious whale 702 00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:25,440 but it's not actually helping the science. 703 00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:33,280 [KERR] And he's diving. 704 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:36,000 Okay, well, we're trying! 705 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,200 [BUCHANAN] Humpbacks can dive for up to 45 minutes, 706 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,520 so it looks like we've lost our chance of a sample 707 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:42,920 from this particular whale. 708 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:51,440 [KERR] I think we'll go look for another animal. 709 00:47:56,400 --> 00:48:01,000 [MAN] Uh, whale's up, three o'clock, 710 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:02,760 straight ahead of you, Iain, go straight ahead. 711 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:06,680 I, I don't see 712 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:09,040 it yet. There, just dead ahead, that whale's up. 713 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:12,120 [BUCHANAN] From the air we can see it's not just one whale, 714 00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:15,400 but a mother and calf. 715 00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:18,200 Wow! 716 00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:19,600 Look at that! 717 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:26,600 It's coming up. 718 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:27,320 Come on, up you come. 719 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:28,520 Here she comes. 720 00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:29,240 Coming up. 721 00:48:29,240 --> 00:48:31,480 Here she comes. 722 00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:33,040 [KERR] Uh, I think that's it there, yeah, I've got it. Alright, I've got it. 723 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:38,120 [MAN] Okay. 724 00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:39,320 It's a good height. 725 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:42,200 Yeah, good, it's coming up. Yep, got it! 726 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:43,280 [BUCHANAN] Got it. 727 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:44,480 [MAN] Well done! 728 00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:55,280 Look at that. 729 00:48:55,280 --> 00:48:58,360 Is that all whale snot? [KERR] This is it, mate, that's a sample, look at all this. [BUCHANAN] That's brilliant. 730 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:02,000 [KERR] Isn't that amazing?We worked for that one. 731 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,440 [BUCHANAN] Yeah, yeah, definitely. [KERR] That was a good one. So now one petri dish can go for like DNA, one can go 732 00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:07,880 and all from the same animal. 733 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,080 Let's go out and get another one, 734 00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:11,280 let's do it again. 735 00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:12,320 She's right here! 736 00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:13,480 Alright, they really are. 737 00:49:18,680 --> 00:49:23,480 [BUCHANAN] This innovative aerial technology 738 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:25,560 could provide new evidence of how offshore development 739 00:49:25,560 --> 00:49:27,840 is affecting these humpbacks. 740 00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:46,240 Humanity needs healthy oceans to survive. 741 00:49:46,240 --> 00:49:49,040 And this species could be one of the pieces in the jigsaw puzzle 742 00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:52,920 that lets us know how our oceans are doing. 743 00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:57,360 Inspiring. 744 00:49:57,360 --> 00:49:58,440 Yeah, well, right back at you. 745 00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:09,160 On this journey, I've seen how people are moving 746 00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:12,040 into and putting a stamp on Equatorial Africa 747 00:50:12,040 --> 00:50:15,440 like never before. 748 00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:19,200 As the population continues to grow, 749 00:50:19,200 --> 00:50:20,040 development will exert yet more pressure on the natural world. 750 00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:26,720 But with the dedication of some true pioneers, 751 00:50:26,720 --> 00:50:30,200 the view from above has become a vital tool 752 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:32,840 to help manage conflict and improve the prospects 753 00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:35,520 for man and nature. 754 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:41,240 On this fast-developing continent 755 00:50:41,240 --> 00:50:42,920 the solutions have to be in finding that balance 756 00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:45,000 between human need and conservation. 757 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:53,560 Here on the equator for people, 758 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:55,800 for wildlife, the future is entwined. 759 00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:02,880 [โ™ชโ™ชโ™ช] 57974

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