All language subtitles for BBC.Our.Changing.Planet.Series.2.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org

Four billion years in the making.

An astonishing planet.

Home to over eight million different
types of plant and animal.

And us.

Eight billion humans.

When it comes to looking
after our home,

it would be fair to say
that we dropped the ball.

But that's not the end of the story.

Around the world, ingenious
communities, scientists and experts

are working to protect
the natural world,

and fix what is broken.

Hang on, hold the phone!
It might sound bonkers, OK?

Is he making this up?!

Oh, man!
So good to see you, brother!

These people are surprising...

They are inventive...

We're using that biology
of the elephants

to come up with new solutions.

And above all, they are determined.

We have crocodiles, in baskets,
on mopeds, travelling in convoy.

Didn't ever think I would say that!

There just seems to be life
everywhere.

We'll be exploring
extraordinary places,

rich in nature.

Hot work!

Six pivotal locations...

I didn't for a second
think this was going to work!

Six teams of heroic humans...

These are the kind of wounds
that, in a human being,

it would kill you.

We'll be following
their inspiring stories.

Brilliant animal, great location,
fantastic scientists.

Together we hope
to better understand

the future of our changing planet.

I've returned to the beautiful
Laamu Atoll in the Maldives.

This chain of more
than a thousand gem-like islands -

many rising no more
than a metre above the sea -

is encircled by gigantic
rings of protective coral.

A living shield from storm erosion
and rising sea levels.

Last year I saw for myself
how a thriving coral reef

can have a huge role to play
in our broader ocean health.

But as sea temperatures rise,

experts are predicting that coral
could cease to be reproductive.

That would mean that, eventually,

coral reefs
would disappear altogether.

This would be catastrophic.

Around the world a billion people
depend on reefs in some way

for their livelihoods.

But scientists have made
an extraordinary new discovery...

..that will bolster
the life of baby coral.

ECHOING RUMBLES AND POPS

Most coral animals release
billions of eggs and sperm

on one night of the year.

This sexual soup results
in millions of tiny coral larvae

drifting in the sea.

They have no brain
and no central nervous system,

and yet something triggers them
to drop down to the bottom...

..cling to a rock,
and begin to grow.

Bioacoustics expert
Professor Steve Simpson,

along with a pioneering team
at Bristol University,

think they know what it is.

They're listening to reefs
and piecing together

the secret world
of underwater animal chatter.

This is a real protype, I was up
late last night building this.

These are some wooden poles
from the building site nearby.

What this is, effectively,
is a human listening device

with our ears now spread
a metre and a half apart...

And what we've got here
are four hydrophones.

So that will mean we can start
to listen to the reef

in surround sound,
spreading our sensory system out

over a much larger area.

I love a Heath Robinson bit of kit

that looks like
it was knocked up overnight!

Which is exactly what it was!
Which is exactly what this is, yeah!

Jess Hodge, a marine ecologist

researching coral restoration at
Laamu, guides us to a prime spot.

As we drag Steve's giant ears
through the reef,

we're able to listen live to what
Steve calls the "ocean's orchestra".

RESONANT BURBLING AND CLICKING

Those noises are the fish, the
shrimp, the lobster, communicating.

Something we would never
normally be able to hear.

I didn't think for a second
this was going to work!

That is the first time I've ever
heard a reef like that.

That is amazing.

It's the first time anyone's ever
heard a reef like that, that's why!

Steve, it's quite familiar to us
to dive on a coral reef

and appreciate the colours
and how it appears.

It's quite different to be
thinking about how it sounds.

As we explore coral reefs,
we tend to look around -

we see bright, colourful fish,
we see the colourful corals.

We don't really hear very much -
our ears don't function underwater

particularly well.

But with recording equipment
we realise that the soundscape

is absolutely full of life,
full of information.

And that's information that all
the animals living on the reef use

to make decisions,
to be able to understand

the larger biodiversity of the
habitat that they're living in.

Steve now has evidence that those
eerie clicks and whistles

could also be used to communicate
specifically with baby coral.

And this could be a game-changer.

This discovery came
not from the wild reef,

but from a state-of-the-art
laboratory 5,000 miles away,

in England.

Deep in the bowels
of Bristol University

is a Nasa-grade facility designed
for testing rocket parts.

But now Steve's team are using it
to study baby coral.

This is precision
baby-sitting like I've never seen.

Josh Pysanczyn is a coral researcher
working with Steve.

He's devised an experiment
that reveals for the first time

that the tiny hairs - or cilia -
on the body of larval coral

vibrate in response to different
frequencies of sound.

It's a discovery
that could be harnessed to help

the world's reefs recover.

Josh releases 50 free-swimming
baby corals into a tank.

Smaller than a pin head, but really
starting to explore the tank.

At first, the larvae randomly
bob about with no sense of purpose

or direction.

But obviously, it's complete
silence in there. Yeah. All right?

Steve has recorded a party playlist
of sounds from a healthy coral reef.

FIZZLES AND CLICKS

When the recording
is played into the tank,

the once aimless corals
start actively swimming,

spiralling downwards,
looking for a place to set up home.

Look at that! I mean, that one's
falling out of space!

It looks like a meteorite,
doesn't it?

Making a beeline for the bottom!

Something in that coral reef
playlist triggered the coral larvae

to begin searching for a place
to settle. But what was it?

This is the first time we've ever
known what a coral can hear.

It is, isn't it? Yeah.

They isolate the individual
sounds of the reef to work out

which one excited the coral
and got its cilia waving about.

And they discover something
that could shape the future

of global reef restoration.

It's the fish.

Right?

So the coral is potentially
hearing...

Do you hear that? Du-du-du-du!

Yeah. It's potentially hearing
just the fish out of the whole

soundscape of the reef.
The coral is listening for the fish.

Wow. Hear that?
ECHOING POPS

It's just the fish, isn't it? Yeah.

POPPING AND CLICKING CONTINUES

Pwhhhh!

Not only is this mind-blowing
for Steve and Josh -

it's big news for me, too.

Hang on. Hold the phone!

You're talking about teeny tiny
floating larvae hearing a reef?

Absolutely.
So these fuzzy tennis balls

the size of a pin head,
covered in hairs,

are moving around in the water.

And those hairs are being moved
by the sound.

And so as the hairs get moved,
it gives the coral a way

of detecting its soundscape
and selecting based on

what it's picking up in those hairs,
exactly which type of habitat

it wants to settle onto.

It might sound completely
bonkers, OK?

Is he making this up?!

The lab work showed Steve
that corals move not towards

a noisy reef, but towards
specific fish on that reef.

The fish - not the waves,
or the lobsters or the shrimp -

are the trigger for coral
to come in, sink to the bottom,

and set up home.

Now, he wants to know
which fish on these reefs

can help guide baby corals
in from the deep.

When we listen to the reef,
we can start to actually

tick off different species,
use it like a register.

What we're going to try
and do today is two things.

The first is to go and deploy
these little self-contained

recording systems, OK?

So they're programmed today
just to be recording constantly.

We'll put those down on the reef
and we can leave those.

They'll just be clocking
the local soundscape.

But what we don't often know
is which species are making

which sounds, so we're going to do
a bit of an experiment

where we set four of these
Hydramoths in a square

about two metres apart,
and then put a 360-degree camera

in the middle of it.

And when we hear a sound,
we can then turn our screen

to look at which species
was making that sound.

Many of the reefs around Laamu
have not recovered

from the last severe warm water
spike seven years ago,

but Jess has found us
one that's buzzing.

Steve only developed this setup
a few weeks ago,

so we're all excited to see
how it works in the field.

If we can match faces to voices,

we can ultimately work out
which species of fish the coral

listens to, and use those voice
recordings to the reef's advantage.

With all our equipment installed,
we have no choice but to wait

as the reef whispers and whirs
and sings into our recorders.

Covering a third of California

are 33 million acres
of spectacular forests.

Vast, beautiful, wildernesses.

But now they're under threat
more than ever before.

It's now mid-October 2022,

and a year ago when we were
filming about 250 miles north

of here, the Windy Fire of 2021
was ripping its way

through this very spot
in the Sequoia National Forest.

The fire was part of the
second-worst fire season

that California
has ever experienced,

and it burned for over two months,

and obliterated
almost 100,000 acres -

including some of the largest
and oldest trees on Earth.

California's iconic giant sequoias.

They've evolved to withstand fire,

relying on its heat
to germinate their seeds,

but even they can no longer cope.

This is - or was -
Pack Saddle Giant,

the 38th largest
giant sequoia in the world.

It could have been
as old as 3,000 years,

but it was completely
destroyed by the Windy Fire

and there's no way it can
recover from a burn like that.

Fuelled by a 20-year drought,
over-managed waterways,

global warming, and over
a century of fire suppression,

the intense infernos of recent
years are responsible

for 20% of the world's
giant sequoias going up in smoke.

The state government has spent
billions of dollars

fighting wildfires.

But I'm here to find out how
these out-of-control blazes

might be prevented
in the first place.

Bordering
the Sequoia National Forest

is the Tule River Tribe Reservation.

I know this sounds massively
counterintuitive

in one of the world's
worst hot spots for wildfires,

but I'm joining the Tule River Tribe
who are about to set fire

to that meadow up the track.

Today we're restoring the meadow
and we're restoring the watershed

and the land.

Ron Goode is an elder
from the Tule's sister tribe,

the North Fork Mono.

He's an expert in a traditional fire
practice called cultural burning.

Today's burn aims to clear
the overgrown meadow.

We have to take care
of our back yard.

When we do that, we're doing
our part to take care

of climate change,
but we have to lead by example.

OK, so everybody's getting
organised now.

I'm going to get stuck in
and make myself useful.

Low-level wildfires are a natural
part of many forest ecosystems -

and, perhaps surprisingly,
they are a good thing.

They remove debris
from the forest floor,

establish clearings for new growth,

and help to create
nutrient-rich soil.

But for more than a century,
all fires across California

have been suppressed as part
of a state-wide no-fire policy,

originally introduced to protect
commercial timber.

Hot work! Whoooo!

The result is densely packed,
overgrown forests,

with plenty of fuel just
waiting to go up in flames.

A virtual tinderbox.

What you've been doing,
when do you expect it to work?

What century do you expect
it to work?

Because it hasn't
worked for two centuries,

and I don't see where it's going to
work for the next century.

Indigenous peoples in California
have been mimicking nature,

using fire in a controlled way
to holistically manage their lands

for many thousands of years.

If you use fire in the right way,
it's good for life.

But it's the wildfires that get
away, are uncontrollable,

that's bad fires.
The cultural burning is a good fire

because you're using it in ways
that benefit everybody.

Making use of fire and other
forest-management practices

such as thinning,
reduces the fuel load

and restores the health
of the landscape.

The Tule River Tribe hope
this will better protect

their reservation
from today's megafires.

Talk me through the big fires
of the last couple of years

and how they affected
your reservation.

Say last year, the lightning
strike on the Windy Fire,

it started on the reservation,
it was small.

It moved off the reservation,
it come back in.

On all the big fires,
a lot of them gain speed

when they get off the reservation
because you go off the reservation

and they're not allowed to do
any of the work that we do.

But change is on the horizon.

This age-old indigenous practice -

which uses good fire to prevent bad
fire - is finally being recognised.

The state government
has pledged to undertake

nearly half a million acres
of controlled burning a year

across California's forests.

What's more,
for the first time in history,

the Tule River Tribe
are working directly

with the National Forest Service
to incorporate traditional knowledge

into forest management, and this
could build even greater resilience.

It still feels really weird to
be setting fire to this place,

knowing how bad the wildfires
have been in this area,

but this is going to help
restore this meadow.

Fire resistance, fire resilience,
crucially, will also be improved.

But with wildfires here predicted
by some experts to triple

by the end of the century,
cultural and controlled burning

will not be enough.

I want to know if there are other
nature-based solutions

that can help prevent California
from the devastating blazes.

While we wait for our recorders
to eavesdrop on the reef,

I'm finding out about another
Maldivian resident.

Turtles.

What a treat!

Oh, so many turtles!

So far, hawksbills.
They're really characteristic,

they've got a parrot-like beak,
a kind of overbite

from the upper jaw,
and then the back of the shell

has this almost saw-tooth
look about it.

You can see them instantly.

Sea Turtles patrolled the oceans
while dinosaurs roamed the Earth,

more than 200 million years ago.

They've evolved a close
relationship with coral.

Hawksbill turtles
are like sea sheep,

spending their days
grazing and defecating.

They eat a variety of plants
and sponges.

The turtles obviously need the food,
but it works both ways.

Without the turtles, the plants
quickly get out of control,

smothering the coral and killing it.

Their future is totally tangled up
with the health of these reefs.

Protect the coral,
and you protect the turtles.

With the coral situation
here on a knife edge,

the Maldives cannot afford
to lose its turtles.

Hawksbill turtles like these
are critically endangered,

but a team of researchers
are working to monitor and protect

these coral gardeners.

And they're doing it without
darting or tagging -

just waiting and watching.

You're basically
a paparazzi for turtles.

That is exactly it!
We are going into the water

and getting photo ID shots of the
face of sea turtles in the water.

And then we're uploading the photos
onto our laptop

to see which individual it is -

whether it's one that we've seen
before, or whether it's a new one.

We're going to find out which
turtles are on gardening duty

in this reef today.

Camera was upside down!

You didn't see that, did you?!

Julian has built a comprehensive
database of 750 turtles,

which will alert him
to any significant changes

in the population.

OK, Sarah, have you got any sense
of who any of our heroes might be?

Well, there's a turtle called Daisy
who's very commonly seen

in the site you just went to.

So, I'm just going to type her name
down on the database.

And, yep, that is Daisy.

What is it you're looking for in
these photos for identification?

We're just looking
for the distinctive patterns

on the turtles' faces.

Every turtle has a different
pattern, kind of like a fingerprint.

This reef and its attendant
turtles are living proof

that coral can recover unaided

after extreme sea temperature
events.

But as these events become more
severe and more frequent,

there will be no recovery time
between the blows.

This is likely to be the case
for 99% of the world's reefs.

Coral is going to need life support.

We've had our artificial eyes
and ears spying on the reef

for a couple of days.

In fact, the clownfish seem
very at home in the camera tripod.

So, this is totally new to science.

It's been really exciting starting
to unpack these recordings.

Do we have any moments
where you can link up the sound

with something we can see?

So this is the really
exciting thing.

This is a really new direction
that we can go in,

where we can put the recorders
down next to the camera. Yeah.

To try and get a good example,
of that...

WHIRRING AND CLICKING

So I'm calling it the laugh,
high, low, low...

"Whurrpp, burrp, burrrp, burrrp.
Whurrpp, burrp, burrrp, burrrp."

OK? So then if I go into the video,
this is that moment.

OK? So if we watch the video,
we're looking for a fish arriving

and producing the sound,
and it's this guy here...

Whoa! So, the Regal Angelfish...
An Angelfish? ..swims in.

And so I've gone through the video
to find other times

that the Regal Angelfish
is in the frame. Yep.

And sure enough, we hear that

"whurrpp, burrp, burrrp, burrrp,
whurrpp, burrp, burrrp, burrrp".

So it's a really nice
way of actually being able

to put some characters into the
soundscape for the first time.

That's extraordinary!

It's like you recorded
a bird song for the first time

in the 21st century.

We are a long way behind underwater,
but it means we can listen

with our eyes open.
It's so exciting.

This feels pretty special to me.

These are fish I don't think
a human has ever heard before.

Species that have never been
recorded.

So this really is a pioneering
adventure into the soundscapes

of coral reefs.

These new discoveries
have huge ramifications

for the coral-restoration work
beginning here.

Steve plans to play
these recordings,

taken from healthy reefs,
back out into the ocean

using loudspeakers, essentially
tricking millions of baby coral

into setting up home
on dead and degraded reefs,

jump-starting them back to life.

You're talking about playing the
sounds of a perfect, pristine reef

as a kind of calling card?

Absolutely.

As a "come hither"
to floating coral larvae.

That's the plan.

And over probably
two or three generations,

two or three seasons,

you start to then make that coral
reef its own loudspeaker again.

Because, ultimately, we can call
the punters to the nightclub,

but I think here we've got
the chance to actually rebuild

the nightclub.

What if some cheap underwater
speakers pumping out

the Greatest Fish Playlist on repeat
could give coral a future?

Visibly thriving reefs rising
from the dead in three years.

What we've found out so far
has completely blown my mind.

I, as a naturalist, am obsessed
with things like frog calls

and bird songs, and all of a sudden,

this whole new era
of natural history

is opened up to me, a whole field
of study I didn't even think of.

And the possibility that there
is the power to use sound

to rejuvenate these reefs,
kind of feels like science fiction.

But right here,
it could become a reality.

I've come to the very remote
north-eastern coast of Greenland.

The nearest settlement is more
than 200 miles away.

There's no Wi-Fi,
there's no phone signal,

the average temperature
is minus nine.

And there's the very real chance
that I could bump into a polar bear.

Climate scientists journey here
to put their fingers

firmly on the pulse
of our changing planet.

I can't think of a better place
to be to pick up

from last year's experience.

In 2021, I witnessed just how fast
the world's ice is slipping away

from us as our planet warms.

This year, I'm back on an Arctic
expedition to understand

another pressure on life here.

Extreme weather events
are threatening this ecosystem,

and one of the most ancient
creatures on the planet.

So I'm meeting a scientist
who's been studying them

for over 20 years, and is
developing ingenious solutions

to monitor them
in this inhospitable landscape.

I've just arrived
at the world-famous

Zackenberg Research Station

to meet Niels Martin Schmidt.
And here he is.

I recognise your photo!
Niels, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.
And who have we got here?

This is the musk ox team.

Well, we're in search of musk ox.
Have we come to the right place?

You have definitely
come to the right place.

This is the high Arctic.
This is where you find musk ox.

And since there's only
one large herbivore,

they play the key role up here.

It's thought there are
up to 12,500 musk oxen

here in northeast Greenland.

Relics of the Ice Age,
they're finely tuned to life here,

shaping the landscape
for thousands of years.

There's a general perception that,
as things warm up,

animals which have adapted
to cold climates will simply move

northwards until there's no more
northwards left, one presumes.

But of course, if they vacate
an ecosystem, it will change.

We have realised over the years
they are really

an integrated part
of this ecosystem.

They graze in these more productive
areas and then they go and rest

and defecate on the more drier spots

and they transport
all these nutrients uphill.

And then all this grazing
and the trampling they do

when they forage also changes
the composition

of the plant communities.

And ultimately, they end up dying
and that's also a resource,

at least for the Arctic fox that
rely on dead musk oxen in winter.

Niels and his team
have excluded musk oxen

from some small test sites.

These areas,
devoid of this key species,

resulted in dramatic changes
to the vegetation.

So you'll have a completely
different ecosystem

if you take away the musk oxen.

The results have shown that
in the sites without musk oxen,

the vegetation is far less
effective at absorbing carbon

from the atmosphere.

Carbon capture is very much
influenced by animal grazing.

So every time an animal walks into
an area and starts to graze,

the plant will respond by regrowing.

So that will increase the uptake
of carbon into the system.

These interactions
made by the musk oxen,

they are part of the entire
climate feedback system.

So, it's not just climate
impacting the musk oxen -

their presence feeds back
to the climate system, too.

Niels is trying to understand
how musk oxen will respond

to a rapidly shifting climate.

And it's not steady warming
that worries him most.

He thinks an increase in extreme
weather will eventually

push them to the brink.

But the Arctic is vast,
difficult to access,

and for three months of the year,
Zackenberg is in darkness.

Niels hopes high-tech collars
and clever gadgets

will offer a solution to gain
insight into how musk oxen survive

in the depths of winter,
when he can't be here.

Tomorrow, the adventure begins.

I'm going to like it here, I think.

It's my type of place.
Spick and span, neat, orderly.

I'm going to be here for nearly
a week with no phone signal,

no news, nothing.

I might stay here forever!

Maybe I could just -
I don't know - tend to the oxen.

TEAM CALL OUT INSTRUCTIONS

Ooh! Perfect! That is good.

The scientists have done their
necessary preparation and rehearsal,

so we've got to the stage now

whereby we need to spot
the musk oxen.

But the musk oxen's range is vast,
covering an area

of around 2,000 square miles
across this hostile landscape.

Today, we're in luck.

10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
17 in that group.

The team spread out like a pack
of wolves, surrounding the group,

and driving them to higher ground.

OK, I see you, thank you.

Currently we are trying
to move the herd,

to make them stay put
so we can have the vet approach.

But they're not behaving right now.

It's a process that requires
guile and patience.

The musk oxen have formed
a defensive group.

All I can see is a series of heads
and horns facing outwards.

This group has no calves.

Most of the females
would be suitable here.

So, if they've got no calf,

that means that they are likely
to give birth next year? Yes, yes.

The calves are born
between April and May.

I would expect that they're
actually pregnant now. Yes.

Which would be great for your study.
Yeah.

Niels' research focuses
on females and their babies,

because understanding
the next generation is vital

in protecting the future
of this population.

OK. I think we should start
to move a bit closer.

Now they are moving.
I think they are stopping.

Wait a minute.

Nothing prepares the team
for the highs and lows

of chasing musk oxen
across the tundra!

Our first attempt to encircle
the musk oxen and move them

to somewhere where they would be
calm enough to remain

so that we could dart one or more
of them has unfortunately failed.

They fled over to the other
side of the hill.

It's strenuous work,
walking over 12 miles a day,

laden with kit,
but the scientists push on.

During this expedition, Niels
is hoping to deploy 21 collars.

But in three weeks' time,
this place closes down

for the Arctic winter -
no-one gets in, no-one gets out.

There they are!

Our mission is to get them
onto that steep hill there.

Musk oxen like to run uphill.

When they're on the top,
they stand still and look down.

And then the vet can approach.

Oh, whoa, whoa!
They are up in, like, five seconds.

Just follow along the ridge, guys.

The team work together to keep
the herd on the brow of the hill.

So, if you are in the south
position, move out of the area.

So my role at the moment
is to stand here and be a human,

which is challenging at times
in this temperature!

But ideally the musk oxen
won't come down if they see me

standing here,
and if they show any signs,

I'm going to wave my arms and go,

"Whoa, musk oxen,"
or something like that.

I'm very confident that I'll
be able to stop a musk oxen

in its hooves, no question about it.

The vet must get to within
45 metres to dart.

I am ready to shoot, everybody.

SHOT FIRED

The dart is in the female,

so we're just going to
wait for that to kick in.

The cow is down. Yeah, I have her.
Super. We got her!

Once the animal is anaesthetised,

it's essential that everyone works
as a team as rapidly as possible.

The animal's welfare
is absolutely paramount here.

One, two, three!

She is weighed using
a series of luggage scales.

And let go.

OK, Chris, your numbers?

23.47. 11.5. 11 and 14.

She comes in at a healthy
217kg.

She's measured...

Blood is taken to assess
her overall health

and, crucially, to identify
if she is pregnant.

This is about bigger-picture
ecological changes, isn't it?

Yes.

So they're a perfect
indicator, basically,

for some of the climatic changes
that are taking place here.

What we basically can do
is to understand the full extent

of the role the musk oxen play
in an ecosystem.

And it's not just climate impacting
musk oxen, it's all interlinked.

There are many impressive
things about the musk ox,

I've got to say,
but just look at the fur.

On the outside, you've got these
really long guard hairs,

but if I try and tease it apart
to reveal the underfur here,

the insulating layer,

and there you can just see
that white line, that's the skin.

But look at the depth of that.

No wonder they can survive
up in the Arctic.

Oh, and what about the smell?

Hmmm. It's a bit sheepy, actually.

No, not really.
No, it's unique, but not musky.

Because of this incredible hair,
musk oxen can survive

in temperatures between
+10 and -40 degrees Celsius.

Remarkably, these hairs
can also paint a picture

of what she's eaten for the past
five years,

with each two millimetres
of the strand representing nine days

of her diet.

This research provides clues
about the surrounding environment.

Periods of starvation could indicate
particularly heavy snow events

that prevented her from feeding.

Such a specialist
in such a fantastic, remote,

and beautiful environment.
This is a real privilege.

Limited access to the Arctic
means Niels can't be here

for calving season,

so the vet has inserted
a vaginal implant transmitter.

This vaginal transmitter will
give a signal once she gives birth.

And the idea now is that
it will be egested at the point

of giving birth, and then we'll know
exactly where and when

she's given birth! Exactly.
Great gadget! Very clever.

We're going to reverse
the anaesthetic.

And here she goes. Good girl. Whooo!

I'm really tired.

It's because I've been tramping
across an Arctic tundra all day.

These guys are like, you know,

some sort of Danish
scientific athlete.

They just run up and down
the tundra mountain sides like,

I don't know, chamois,
mountain goat!

But I shouldn't complain -

I've got a strong feeling
tomorrow is going to be even better.

Cultural burning is a powerful
tool for reducing

the impact of wildfires,

but another nature-based solution
can also be found in California.

The beaver.

The Tule River Tribe
have always understood

the benefits of this enigmatic
ecosystem engineer.

And now,
this traditional knowledge

is being complemented
by exciting new science.

I'm meeting ecohydrologist
Dr Emily Fairfax.

So, what I study is how beavers
impact fire-affected landscapes.

And in these kinds of settings,

it's really quite incredible
seeing what they can do.

Oh, wow! Yeah.

This doesn't look like it
belongs here.

It's pretty impressive.

Coming from all of this ash
and all these dead trees.

I can't believe what I'm seeing.

It's a proper little oasis.

Mm-hm. And it is completely
engineered by the beavers here.

The beavers transformed this
into an absolutely thriving wetland.

This is absolutely stunning.
And look! Yeah.

You've got some of their
little chew marks here.

So, during the fire,

are you telling me
this just didn't burn?

No, it didn't burn at all.

So these trees,
they're burnt right up on the edge.

If you were a beaver during this,

you are encircled
with walls of fire.

I thought it was too much for them,
and then the first time

I came up here and I see this,
and I'm like...

I ran down into the pond.

I was like, this is so amazing!
The beavers were safe.

It was just way too wet to burn.

I am almost speechless.

I mean, this is mind-blowing,
it really is.

Almost three hectares in size,

this wetland is maintained
by one family of four beavers.

And it would have taken them
just two years to build.

Emily uses her drone to show me
the complexity of their work.

So, what we have here is this main
primary beaver dam.

But "busy as a beaver"
is a phrase for a real reason -

they keep building. Look at that!

They've dug a ton of canals just
radiating out from their pond.

And I presume that's contributing
to the ground water, as well?

What you can't actually see
is that, beneath all of this,

there's about five times as much
ground water storage -

we're standing on it now.

And any plant that can access
all that water,

that when you have something
like a wildfire come through,

are just too wet to burn.

It's this healthy plant life that
Emily uses to collect her data.

Multi-spectral drones and satellites
allow her to measure burn severity

by analysing the "greenness" of
landscapes with and without beavers.

So far, her results have shown
that beaver-dammed areas burn

three times less intensely
than when beavers are absent.

Why would beavers work so hard to
build such an extensive complex?

When beavers are in the water,
they're very safe,

they're excellent swimmers,
they hold their breath

for 15 minutes,
no predators can get them there.

But, as soon as they're out on the
land, easy pickings for predators.

Like, that's a big chicken nugget
just walking around the landscape!

And so they want to have more water
area to keep themselves safe.

So how effective, then,
can one beaver family be helping

to mitigate the force of the fires
that are raging through California?

Well, this family at least was able
to protect this entire wetland.

Scale that up,
and instead of patches,

you're looking at huge strings
of fireproof landscape -

that's a firebreak.

Each one of those is like a little
speedbump and so you can start

to fundamentally alter how fire
is moving through the landscape. OK.

But there's a problem.

Beavers were hunted to near
extinction over 100 years ago,

leaving few remaining
wild populations in California.

Today, many people regard them
as pests,

and when their dam building
clashes with human infrastructure,

they are often killed.

If we get things right in
California when it comes to beavers,

what would you like to see happen?

Let's relocate those beavers
and help re-establish them

in some of these watersheds where
they've been gone for so long.

Emily and the Tule River Tribe are
part of a network of organisations

and communities working to bring
beavers back to California.

And last year,
real progress was made.

New legislation was passed,
making it legal to relocate

so-called nuisance beavers
in the coming years.

But I also can't help thinking,

will there come a time
when what beavers do best

simply won't be enough in the face
of our ever-increasing threats?

You know, beavers
are incredibly resilient,

they can keep working and fixing
things for a long time.

But at some point,
they run out of resources, too,

then they can't make these patches.

We have to deal with the root
causes of climate change.

The beavers, they cannot
cut our emissions for us,

they cannot stop the trajectory
of climate change.

That's on us - that's our job.

California has effective
nature-based solutions at its

fingertips that can help build more
resilience in its forests.

The hope now is that further
legislation will lead to

their implementation so that nature
can carry out these vital roles.

As for beavers, the next step is to
work out how to successfully

reintroduce them
into their rightful home.

Further up the coast, in Washington,
biologist Molly Alves is

already making headway
and is preparing to share her work.

Wow, that is a big dam.

That's a big dam.

She's spent the last eight years
working with another

indigenous community -
the Tulalip Tribes.

And so far, over 300 beavers have
been relocated under their watch.

All right, safety is off,
traps are live.

Molly and her team temporarily
house persecuted beavers

waiting to be rehomed.

When a new beaver arrives,

they take the opportunity
to gather vital information.

First, we are going to
take a hair sample

to have a DNA sample
from this beaver.

Very quick pull.

Beautiful.

Next up, an ear tag.

Nice work, Molly. That was so quick.

Finally, we need to identify
if this is a male or female.

And there's only one
way to find out.

Whoa.

So... So, what are you doing now?

Now I am going to access
the cloaca of the beaver.

And cloaca houses
all of the reproductive organs.

It's where
all the excrement comes out.

And with beavers,

they have these castor glands
that we need to express.

Based on the scent, colour,
and viscosity of the castor,

we can tell
if it's a male or female.

If it's more viscous
and smells like motor oil

and is more of a brownish colour,
that's a male.

And if it's more white and milky
and smells like kind of bad cheese,

that's a female.

I'm almost hoping for a male,
I don't know why!

There we have a gland expressed.
Yeah.

You have to tell me what you think.

That's a female.

It sure is!

All right! Right, I'm never going
to forget that moment.

Everything's done.

Now we transfer this adult female
to her temporary home.

Beaver families form
strong social bonds,

so the rest of her family

will be trapped
and brought here to join her.

Meanwhile, an adult male
and his four kits

are ready to be moved
to their new home.

But the mother is missing.

As we were trapping this site,
a wildfire broke out

at the location, so we weren't
able to return to capture her.

You're kidding.

Once the fire subsides, we'll try
to go get the adult female

and reunite her with her family
at the release site.

Yeah? Beautiful! Well done!

Molly has identified
a suitable release site

for this family of five in the Mount
Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

She hopes they'll turn a drying
river into a thriving wetland

and keep wildfires at bay.

We're done. Let's do this.

Yes, honey, I know.

One, two, three.

Dad!

Come on, Dad.
Here we go, here we go.

Out with a splash.

He wants his other babies.

That is the most glorious sight.

How soon before this begins to
transform into proper beaver meadow?

By next summer,
I hope that where we're standing,

we would be swimming in
a cool, deep pool.

There will be bears,
cougars, bobcats,

all kinds of amphibians
and migratory songbirds.

You name it -
they thrive in beaver-ponded areas.

So we are taking our knowledge
and sharing it

so that programmes like this
can benefit other states, as well.

So, the sooner that folks can start
to relinquish a bit of the control

and let the beavers protect us,

the better off we'll be
in the future.

I am now in awe of this gorgeous
little semi-aquatic rodent

who is now exploring his new home.

I have been fascinated by what I've
seen in Washington and California.

The meeting of Indigenous knowledge
and Western science is helping

to build solutions to the wildfire
crisis in a really tangible way.

Recognising the importance of
traditional ecological wisdom

is long overdue,
but it is so crucial

because this profound understanding

of the natural world and how to
harness nature-based solutions

is going to be one of our strongest
allies against climate change.

But, of course, there's
a lot more work to be done,

and that's where
each of us comes in.

We all can help with this -
with everything we do in life,

we can choose to support the planet

and that can lead to
even bigger change.

After a night of snow, I wake up
to a transformed landscape.

But a snow day in an Arctic
research station

doesn't result in snowball fights
and snow angels.

It's a chance to review data
from retrieved collars.

To date, Niels has collared
over 60 musk oxen.

Super-advanced collars
determine their location,

as well as the movement of their
heads and necks in three dimensions.

If you are grazing, your head
will be moving like this

or if you are walking,
it will be more like this.

It's a bit like my fitness device.
It's very much the same.

It knows when I'm walking,
when I'm resting. Yes, exactly.

So we can infer behaviour
based on the data

we can extract from these collars.

So we have seen that during winter,
for instance, they will rest

approximately half the time, whereas
in summer they shift gear and

turn to foraging almost continuously
throughout the light season.

Their data has also revealed that
when not pregnant, musk oxen can

drop their body temperature 0.8
degrees Celsius to conserve energy

and save themselves
about 20 kilos of body weight

over the winter.

They feed over summer
and build up these huge fat depots

and then they live off these
through the winter

and develop the foetus
based on these resources.

But extreme snowfall events
are becoming problematic.

If snow conditions are really bad -
that means a lot of snow -

they can't forage
and refuel over winter

and they have to rely 100%
on these depots

and that means that they will
skip the calf in order to survive.

In years of heavy snow, the musk
oxen run out of fat reserves

and will abort their pregnancies.

It can take a year before they are
strong enough to try breeding again.

If you have to adapt
to such a variability,

that will sort of push
the organism to the limit.

Even in the good snow years,
when 70% of cows give birth,

their babies are born without
their waterproof guard hairs.

Increasingly early and erratic
rainfall can be fatal.

If they suffer a soaking, pneumonia
sets in, and in some years,

all the calves will perish
in the slushy wet spring.

But there's still a missing piece
of the puzzle.

The vaginal implant transmitters
tell Niels exactly

when certain females give birth,
but he still knows very little

about what happens to the calves
after that...

Hi, Niels. Hi, Chris.

..until now.

We have these camera collars -
they have a small camera here.

Oh, wow. That's fantastic. Yes.

So it's the first time
we will use these

and hopefully we will get some
nice footage of the newborn.

These cameras will also shed a light
on a key part of the musk oxen's

life cycle that's never
been observed here,

yet is paramount to the health
of their population -

they will reveal how the mother's
behaviour changes when she has

a calf in tow, and whether that calf
can survive a more volatile climate.

Niels has already noticed a decline
in the musk ox population

by a third in less than ten years.

But with all this new tech
and growing data, there's hope

these majestic mammals will be
better protected in the future.

Finally, the snow subsides.

But with valuable time lost

and the end of the field season
fast approaching,

the team must battle the elements
to get the camera collars deployed.

RADIO: Can you give an update?

It's looking good so far.

Excellent.

Over here we have an audio logger
that will, for the next six weeks,

continuously record every sound in
the neighbourhood of a musk ox.

Cor, it's fantastic.

So, again, this can be used
to validate their behaviours.

So it's an exciting year
with technology.

You've got the audio loggers,
the cameras,

but you're going to have to wait
how long to get the data?

One and a half years.

And then we need to recover
all the collars also. Yeah.

And they can be spread out
in this area.

If you'd have told me that,
when I was 61,

I'd be standing in Arctic Greenland
helping a bunch of brilliant

scientists tag a musk oxen,
I'd have burst.

I mean, this is just phenomenal.
Look at this landscape.

Harsh, hostile,
but extremely beautiful.

And these supremely well-adapted
animals are living out here

throughout the course of the year.

But what I like even more

is not that I've got close to an
animal, but I've got close to

an animal which is now telling us
a story about our changing planet.

Because we're all too aware
of the fact that we're in

a deep, deep crisis and we've got
to do something about it,

and we can only do something about
it if we better understand it.

So, for me, today is a double,
double win.

Brilliant animal, great location,
fantastic scientists,

and more knowledge that could
help us all protect our planet.

Next time on Our Changing Planet...

..Gordon Buchanan is in Brazil,

catching up with the team at
the forefront of jaguar science...

Healthy, healthy.

..Ella Al-Shamahi is back in
Cambodia, meeting locals

and scientists saving a living
fossil from the brink of extinction.

And Ade Adepitan returns to Kenya,
where game-changing solutions

are protecting communities from
the effects of the ongoing drought.

Four billion years in the making.

An astonishing planet.

Home to over eight million different
types of plant and animal.

And us...

..eight billion humans!

When it comes to looking after
our home, it would be fair to say...

..that we dropped the ball.

But that's not the end of the story.

Around the world, ingenious
communities, scientists and experts

are working to protect
the natural world

and fix what is broken.

Hang on, hold the phone!
It might sound bonkers, OK...

Is he making this up?!

Oh, man,
so good to see you, brother.

These people are surprising...

..they are inventive...

And we're using that biology
of the elephant to come up
with new solutions.

..and above all, they are
determined.

We have crocodiles in baskets
on mopeds travelling in convoy.

Didn't ever think I would say that.

There just seems to be life
everywhere.

We'll be exploring extraordinary
places, rich in nature.

Hot work.

Ooh!

Six pivotal locations.

I didn't think for a second
this was going to work.

Six teams of heroic humans...

These are the kind of wounds that
in a human being, it would kill you.

We'll be following
their inspiring stories.

Brilliant animal, great location,
fantastic scientists.

Together, we hope
to better understand

the future of our changing planet.

I have returned to the Pantanal,
the biggest wetland on the planet,

and the stronghold
of the Brazilian jaguar.

Home to the world's largest
population of caiman, anaconda,

rare parrots and the largest
rodent on Earth...

..it's a magical ecosystem.

This place seems pristine.

It feels a lot like a paradise.

But there's trouble in paradise.

All of the animals that
live here are under threat.

A vote 500 miles away
is going to decide

if six new hydroelectric dams
can be built,

slowing the Pantanal flood pulse.

I'm here to follow that story

and to update on a project
I reported on last year

that is protecting jaguars by making
them worth more alive than dead.

Bon dia. Hey, hey.
How are you? How are you?

Good to see you. Good to see you,
it's been a long time. I can't
believe it's been a year.

For ten years, biologist Lili Rampin
has been collaring wild jaguars

and habituating them to vehicles.

Last year, I saw for myself
how this ecotourism project

has proved to be a game changer.

Once hunted and killed
by cattle ranchers,

jaguars are now seen as money makers

and their presence on the land
is celebrated.

This amount of money,
it represents more money

than the "damage" that jaguars
cause, you know, on these farms.

If you kill a jaguar,
you are wasting your money.

So they understood, OK,

I can actually make money
with this jaguar being alive.

When this project started, people
grew up here never seeing a jaguar.

Now, Lili can identify 40
individuals on this one ranch.

What would happen
with Brazil's jaguars

if you said, just leave them alone?

Extinction.
Like, immediate extinction.

They will just disappear

because people will kill them
until they're gone.

This year I'm joining Lili
to find out how her team

are protecting the wider population
with scientific techniques

that respond to the rapidly
changing nature of this landscape.

One extremely helpful tool is
collars, radio collars, actually.

During the next two weeks,
we're going to be working,
working, working,

trying to capture the jaguars,
setting some traps

and we study them deep, deep,
deep with great results for science.

Much of what we think
we know about jaguars

is actually based on data
collected from African leopards.

Now scientists have this large,
easy to study population,

we can start to discover
the truth about jaguars

and how best to protect them.

People used to believe that jaguars
don't stay up on the trees.

They think that just
the leopards, their cousins,

are doing this kind of behaviour
for so long.

But they discovered that they
not only like to stay in trees,

but they also mark the trees,
you know, as their territory.

We can only see that and from close

because we are right there
observing them.

Lili has teamed up with specialist
wildlife vet Joares May

to understand a new threat.

We can learn a lot with this.

They're looking for connections
between parasites found in livestock

and diseases in jaguars
that can weaken and even kill them.

Links have been discovered
between falling predator numbers

and increases in diseases
that affect people.

Scientists like Joares
are scrambling

to understand this better.

But to do that, they need samples.

Live ones!

I know that sounds crazy,

but this is the correct way
to send to the lab,

so with the ticks alive.

Then we have more and more
information about what's going on.

And to collect samples,
he needs to first catch a jaguar.

Easier said than done.

Luckily, Joares has a plan...

..with a little help from me.

He's a professional!

May I? Yeah.

Joares plans to set up
humane traps on these roads

to capture the jaguars.

If the jaguar moves around,
nothing here can hurt it.

You can put your left hand. Really?

Yes. Really, really? Yes.
So I'm going to be the guinea pig.

And I'm going to stand on this
and tiny bit of pressure...

Oh, I was expecting it
to be painful.

There you go.

Next we install a sensor
that alerts the team at base camp,

via a radio signal,
when the trap is triggered.

And it just minimises the amount of
time that the jaguar's in the trap.

From years spent studying
jaguar behaviour,

Joares has learnt natural ways
to funnel jaguars towards the trap.

In the dead of night
that would be deafening.

Any prey that is around here
would hear a noise like that,

so the jaguar's going to want
to stick to this surface

that doesn't make any noise -
soft sand.

And it moves along here
and then the next step it takes,

it'll trigger the foot loop.

And then it can contribute
to science.

Because it's so hot in the day,

Joares only activates
the traps after dark.

Now, there is nothing
left to do but wait.

It's about 3:00am
and still no sign of a jaguar.

Yeah, it could be a long night.

One of us checks
the radio every 20 mins.

And then suddenly...

..it's all go.

But things are not
as they should be.

What is it, Lili?

It's a giant anteater.

They're going to remove it
without any drugs.

Giant anteaters are not aggressive,
but they can be dangerous

and this one
is understandably cross.

ANTEATER GROWLS

Stay back.

Joares wants to attempt
release without sedation,

but he must be careful.

You've got to expect
if you put a trap on a trail

there's going to be other creatures
moving around at night-time.

Anteaters can rear up
on to their hind legs

and slash out with
powerful four-inch claws.

These giant insect eaters are fully
capable of fighting off a jaguar,

so the team need to keep their
distance as they race to free it.

Sorry, fella.

Case of mistaken identity.

As it disappears into the night, our
long wait for a jaguar continues.

Hi, can I get a lift?

Thank you, thank you.

It's great to be back in the
hustle and bustle of Cambodia.

This year I'm here
to discover more

about Southeast Asia's
greatest river system

that is being drained not just
of its water, but of its sand.

Hearing that the Mekong River system

could collapse in just
three to five years

and seeing for myself the
devastating impact that could have,

it's truly sobering.

I'm in Phnom Penh
to meet Brian Eyler.

Brian has spent
the last 20 years

researching and engaging with local
communities from China to Vietnam,

to protect Southeast Asia's
longest river - the Mekong.

The river's a mighty system

that provides for tens
of millions of people.

It's probably not something many
of us have given much thought to...

..but after water, sand is the most
exploited resource in the world.

So this is what we're talking about,
sand mining.

This has actually got two pumps.

And actually if you
look around you can see

there's some boats that are
barely above water level

because they're so filled with sand.

Around the world we use 50 billion
tonnes of sand and gravel a year -

enough to build a colossal wall
to encircle the planet.

It's the key ingredient
of cement and concrete,

so all of our cities
and roads are built of it.

All of this sand comes from nature

and nature, as it turns out,
needs it back.

Eight years ago, none of these
tall buildings were here,

and they're all built from sand
taken out of the river.

And they're being built
at a very rapid pace.

We're extracting sand
from the Mekong

seven times faster
than it's replenishing.

So this pace can't keep up.

When a river is robbed of its sand
and sediment, it gets hungry,

and if it doesn't have it,
it's going to look for more

and it gets the extra
new sand from banks.

River banks are collapsing, homes
are falling into the river as well,

so we're paying the price for this.

The impact of sand mining is being
felt hundreds of miles away.

Historically, the flood pulse
of this river sends water

surging into one of the world's
largest freshwater fisheries,

the Tonle Sap lake.

It's capable of providing half a
million tonnes of fresh fish a year.

By taking sand out at the bottom,
the river level drops.

So it's going to take much
more energy and water

to cast that water up
into the Tonle Sap,

which feeds the fishery, which
then feeds the people of Cambodia.

Traditional fishermen,
like Mr Leur who I met last year,

depend on the Tonle Sap floods.

They were having to search
for alternative sources of protein,

like snake, to feed their families.

The Tonle Sap fishery
provides roughly 75%

of all the protein
eaten by Cambodians.

Its collapse would be devastating
and dangerous.

The impact of that is so real, not
on the medium term and long term,
it's on the here and now.

You're coming across communities who
are facing that on a daily basis.

Yes. The scale that could
play out here is huge.

It's at the country level.
It's at the region level.

If sand mining continues unchecked,
on top of irrigation and damming,

the impact on this system could be
the final straw for the Tonle Sap.

Are there solutions
that will solve this?

There are ways to bring
this breakdown

that's happening here under control.

Researchers from
Newcastle University

have been using scanning technology

to track changes on the riverbed
over time.

These dots are craters?
Correct. Ten years ago.

Here you see these beautiful
sand dunes, you know,

like you would see along the ocean,
except they're under the river,

and now they're gone.

Where towering dunes once stood,
now gigantic craters,

eight metres deep and 70 metres
wide, scar the riverbed.

This is so alarming, that's just
a completely different surface.

But also, this technology allows us

to measure how much sand
is being removed.

So now that we can see it,
it's possible to bring transparency

and accountability and in a way
to make this more sustainable.

So data, which is quite
depressing, you're saying,

could actually be part
of the solution?

But from here, there's progress.

Standing here, the scale of this

just feels completely
and utterly overwhelming.

But at the same time,
you heard what Brian said.

The solutions are all there.
They're there.

And so I'm also leaving this boat
with a sense of surprising hope,

which I think we should
all be clinging to.

Sand is not the only thing missing
from Cambodia's river system.

I will be continuing my adventure
with an action-packed journey

into the jungle to join a team
putting something back.

While the team wait
for a jaguar encounter,

I want to find out about the threats
facing this magnificent animal.

In Brazil, jaguars
across the Pantanal

are recorded as being
vulnerable to extinction.

Now, there's a new proposal

that may cause this entire ecosystem
to vanish.

And the jaguars with it.

And this man, Gustavo Figueiroa,

a biologist and director
of SOS Pantanal,

has been fighting it
every step of the way.

Thank you. Welcome.
Are we good to go? Yes.

Welcome to the most magical place
on Earth. Ah, it's amazing.

There just seems to be
life everywhere -

in the trees, on the banks,
in the water.

It's exactly why they say
Pantanal means life.

There's life everywhere you look.

Pantanal holds the highest
concentration of jaguars,

giant otters and hyacinth macaws
in the world.

It's a wildlife sanctuary here.
That's why it's so important.

This water world is under threat,

because 500 miles away
in Cuiaba city,

politicians are voting
whether or not to allow

a series of six new
hydroelectric dams to be built.

These will crisscross
the Cuiaba River

and block unimaginable quantities of
water from reaching this ecosystem.

They are building and they are
allowing more dams to be built

and this blocks the water flow.

50 years ago, the building of dams

was seen as this
sort of amazing thing

and it brought prosperity,
it brought jobs.

Brazil's population is set to rise
to almost 230 million people,

so they're going to need
a lot more power

and, for many,
hydroelectricity is the answer.

This country has the perfect
geography for it.

Elevation changes, mighty rivers...

..and historically heavy rainfall.

Hydroelectricity can be
considered green

because no fuels are burned
and no direct emissions released.

It already accounts
for two-thirds of Brazil's power,

making them far less reliant
on fossil fuels

than many other countries.

But we are seeing that manipulating
the natural flow of water

can have a different kind
of environmental impact.

To show me how vital water is
in this landscape,

Gustavo takes me to an area
that's dry not because of dams,

but because of reduced rainfall.

As you listen out,
you can't hear any birds,

you can't hear any insects.

And if you compare that down to
where the lakes and the rivers are,

there's life everywhere -
on every leaf,

on every sort of patch of ground,
and in the water as well.

Exactly.

You're pinning all of your
hopes and dreams

on these dams not being approved.

Have you prepared yourself
emotionally and mentally

for the event they may go ahead?

No. Erm... It's not an option
for me to believe that.

It will get drier.

There's going to be less water
entering the system

and less fish reproduction,
less animals feeding on the fish

and less fish being caught by local
fishermen, people who depends on it.

So basically, you're going to see
this multiply all over Pantanal.

So the vote is tomorrow morning?

Tomorrow morning. OK.
Call me as soon as you hear.

Gustavo is passionate in his belief

that campaigning against
dam construction

is essential if we are
to hang on to caiman, otters,

macaws and of course, jaguars.

If the water is lost,
then all of Lili's work,

all the patchwork conservation
projects taking place

across the Pantanal
will mean nothing.

With time running out
and still no jaguars in the trap,

the capture team are tense.

But then Joares, the vet,

sees an opportunity to use a
different technique - free darting.

Just got the call that there is
a jaguar that's been spotted

and we're on our way there.

We've got a bit of an unusual,

but almost perfect scenario
here with this jaguar.

When it's hot,
jaguars like to find shade

and this particular female has
found shade in this culvert pipe.

And it's given Joares
an opportunity

without any branches,
any foliage in front of the jaguar.

He's going to get
a clear shot of her.

The dart's in. Now the team
have less than an hour to work.

Joares crawls into the pipe

to pull out what he hopes
is a sleeping jaguar.

Oh, she's big.

She's huge.

The team snap into action.

Happy, happy?

There's no room for mistakes here.

Once out of the storm drain,

Joares can see that this
is actually a young male.

First on is the radio collar.

In a few days' time,

the team can begin the meticulously
slow habituation process.

Pulse gone down. What did
she just say, two and half?

Two and a half years old. Amazing.

So it's not just about, you know,
fitting the satellite collar,

that's just part of the data
as far as parasite load,

the number of ticks, the weight, the
measurement, the size of its paws.

It's just using these
opportunities to find out

as much as possible
about these animals.

Healthy, healthy.
Very sharp as well.

Blood samples will be examined
in the lab for blood-borne diseases.

He weighs over 110 kilos
and with no handles,

it's hard to get purchase
on such a massive dead weight.

He starts to stir.

The team up the pace, keeping
a watchful eye at all times.

There's some fairly deep wounds
on this jaguar,

so there's been flies
that have been coming

and laying their eggs
in those wounds.

Lili discovers
they're full of maggots.

Bot fly and screwworm are parasites
usually found on cattle and dogs.

But, as the wild shrinks
and the world warms,

there's an increasing
threat of diseases

from domestic animals
spilling over into wild ones.

I'm cleaning the wound.
It's full of maggots.

So I'm cleaning,
first of all to collect samples

and secondly to help him.

These are the kind of wounds that
in a human being, it would kill you.

It would get infected
and you'd die from it.

But jaguars are amazingly resilient

and can cope with these
horrific injuries.

Joares and Lili collect
every blood-sucking tick

and each flesh-eating maggot from
the jaguar so they can be studied.

At least Joares will be happy.

He can add them
to his parasite collection.

OK, step back, people.

He's coming round fast now.

OK, everything was fine.

We could collect all the samples,
we did the measurements,

we set the radio collar
and for now everything is OK.

This jaguar can now tell us
so much about its life -

where it goes, how it lives,
what it needs to survive.

Every single jaguar is valuable,

but what we can learn
from these jaguars

that are now being studied,
that is... That's invaluable.

We draw back,
watching from a distance

as the jaguar sleeps it off
in the evening sun.

All of this work and potential
insight becomes irrelevant

if the Pantanal isn't protected.

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Right, here we go.

The outcome of the vote
is all anyone can think about.

Gustavo. Hello, Gordon.
How you doing?

I'm really fine, because we won it.

We needed 13 votes to put it down
and we had 20.

So it was a huge victory
and I'm very happy

because it's going to be
a mark for our struggle

on the defence of this biome.

We made it. We made it, my friend.
You must be emotionally exhausted.

Yeah.

Emotionally and physically.
I haven't slept well.

I just want to go home now.

Mission accomplished.

Take care. Take care, Gordon.

So this is two years in a row that
I've returned to the Pantanal,

but I think you could return here
every single year of your life

and keep learning about it.

I've seen how imaginative projects

like habituation
and parasite monitoring

are key to saving these jaguars
and their habitat.

But more is needed to conserve
this vast and complex ecosystem.

The Pantanal's long-term future
is in the hands of politicians

and the people that elect them.

One sounds like
they're toiling away.

Ah, man. It's so good
to see you, brother.

Last year, whilst in Kenya,
I met baby elephants

who had been orphaned by
the bleak drought conditions

and rescued in the nick of time
by the Sheldrick Trust.

The terrain is rough,

but it's worth it to be here
for the first meal of the day.

Breakfast with Ade
and the elephant.

I'm trying to have a conversation
whilst I'm being...

Whilst I'm being almost eaten!

Talk to me about the numbers,
Julius.

How do the numbers of elephants
you have here now

compare to when I was here last?

The numbers have risen so fast.

Last time, I think
when you were here

we had something like
18 or 17 elephants.

Now we are talking of about
30 elephants in the nursery.

So it's almost double?
It's almost double.

Who knows, the number
might still be going up.

And there's a curveball.

Elephants and people are now
coming into violent conflict

over shrinking resources.

Physical fights over food
and water between people with guns

and five tonnes of desperation.

I'm joining a community
at the centre of the conflict.

On our journey to the village
of Sagalla,

I learn that you don't
actually need to go far

to meet someone that has experienced
conflict with elephants.

Your cousin was killed
by an elephant? Yeah.

He was killed by an elephant.

He died because of blood,

he was hit be an elephant
and then unfortunately, we lost him.

I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry.

John is a Maasai warrior
from the north of Kenya

and part of our film crew.

So you've always lived with the
animals and never had any problems?

Never had any problem.

But now because of climate change,
because of the drought,

it's forcing you
to go into conflict.

They need to eat, we need to eat,

and now we have to fight
because of that.

That took me by surprise,
hearing John's story,

but I guess I feel
quite naive now...

..because of course climate change

and of course the drought
is going to affect everybody.

You know, this is a country
which really relies on agriculture

and farmland, and climate change
is affecting all of that.

Now, I've come to one
of the villages,

which is right on the edge
of Tsavo National Park.

I mean, this is the front line,

the line between wildlife
and human life.

Jones and his family traditionally
grow what they need to survive.

When I was growing up, it was
very hard to see an elephant.

Yeah. We were scared of elephants
because they were not common.

But nowadays, they always come.

When was the change? When did
they start coming, do you think?

In 2017, that's when we
started having big numbers.

There was a day I counted
200 elephants in one herd.

Coming here? Yeah. Coming here. On
to your land? Yeah, on to my land.

2018...

..400 at a go.

Oh, my... Yeah, so they're
just increasing in number.

With little food and water left
in the neighbouring National Park,

the elephants have been coming
to the village in search of food.

My family depends on what
we are going to harvest.

So this for you, was literally
a life and death situation.

You had to stand your ground
because if you lost all your crops,

then your family
would not have any food?

But, if you attack the elephant
or try to chase the elephant away,

it could potentially kill you?
Exactly.

Someone who is acutely aware
of the need to find ingenious ways

of helping people to coexist
with elephants is Dr Lucy King,

head of the Human Elephant
Coexistence programme

for Save the Elephants.

Every one of these elephants needs

two or three to four hundred
kilos of food

and you look around you,
where are they going to get it from?

And the last serious drought
we had here,

we lost 500 elephants to starvation.

It's not just about the year
of the drought,

it's about the next
two to three years.

And we're not sure whether
the rains are going to come
at the end of the year.

If they don't come, I think we're
going to be in serious trouble.

That's when the rainy season
is supposed to start,

but the predictions are
it's not going to happen.

Just a few days
before I met Dr King,

humanitarian agencies
published an alert warning

that there was a genuine risk
that the 2022 late rainy season

could also fail.

That actually makes me go cold,
because if that's true,

I really don't know
what we're going to do.

We have hundreds and hundreds
of people living next to the park

who we work with, who haven't
got a bean to eat right now,

and they're all planning
on the rains.

So if those rains don't come,
these elephants won't
have anything to eat

and they're going to go
into the farms

and they're going to start to find
food in houses and in schools
and in people's properties,

and we're going to have an
escalation of human-elephant
conflict like we've not seen before.

And that's the moment
which we're all dreading,

is the final break point
where there is no food for anyone.

This is a complex problem
involving both elephants and humans.

The question is,
is there a solution?

I am continuing
my Cambodian adventure

by journeying deep
into the Cardamom rainforest

to meet one of its rarest creatures.

For three decades
the Siamese crocodile,

once a key player
in the Mekong River system,

was believed extinct in the wild.

Then, a miracle population
was discovered,

and great things started happening.

Pablo Sinovas and the team

at the Siamese Crocodile
Conservation Breeding Facility

are about to return ten captive-
reared crocodiles to the wild.

Would you like to see some of the
babies? Yes, definitely. All right.

Bless.

Would you like to...
How is this your job?!

Would you like to hold it? Yes.
Around there.

Hold it so it doesn't snap. OK.
Don't bite me, please. No biting.

I'm basically holding
one of the rarest species on Earth,

and I'm holding, like,
the hope for it, right?

That's absolutely right, yeah.

This species was rediscovered
here in Cambodia

in a remote corner
of the Cardamom mountains.

Actually local people,
the indigenous people of the area

were protecting those populations

because they do consider
these guys to be sacred.

That was their saving grace,

the fact that the indigenous people
actually regarded them as sacred.

That's right.

What caused the decline
of these animals?

The demand for their skins,
for the leather trade,

and as a result they disappeared
from 99% of their former range.

My God. So basically,
these poor creatures

were about to become extinct
because of handbags and belts.

Yeah, basically.

Thankfully, the demand for crocodile
leather has reduced globally,

relieving pressure
on crocodiles in Cambodia.

But Pablo is focused
on just one species - Siamese.

How many crocodiles have you
actually released into the wild?

We've released 140 crocodiles
so far.

And how many are in the wild?

In Cambodia, there's an estimated
300 crocodiles left in the wild.

So you are responsible for half the
crocodiles in the wild in Cambodia.

So every crocodile counts.

The adults are fitted
with a tracking device...

..that will allow the team
to monitor them from space.

These top predators were
almost lost from Cambodia

before scientists
really knew they were here.

We've been given a second chance
to not mess it up.

Oh, my gosh.

The crocodile's mouth is taped
closed to prevent accidents.

Hold its head,
It can be quite strong.

OK. Doing it. Yes. Be careful.
Oh, my God.

I feel like my heart's in my mouth.

The vet drills through a scale
to attach the tracker.

This doesn't hurt the animal.

This is like the equivalent of
putting holes in your ears,
isn't it? Right. Yeah.

Once the trackers
are firmly attached,

the crocodiles are secured
in baskets

that protect them
for the journey ahead.

The animals are wrapped tightly
to prevent them from thrashing

and the baskets soaked in water
to keep them comfortable

until they reach their new home.

This might seem brutal, but I guess
it's a really small price to pay
to get back into the wild.

Yeah, and these are
very tough creatures.

Soon enough, in a few days
this crocodile will be one
of the happiest Siamese crocodiles

in a very pristine environment.

Three adults and seven young
crocodiles are fitted with tags...

..bundled,
and loaded onto the vehicle.

All right.

So it's been a really long day

and it's going to be
a long night, right?

It is. Yeah, it's going to be
eight hours now, driving.

Long night, but it will be worth it.

We travel through the night

to avoid the tropical sunshine
as much as possible.

Where the road ends,
the expedition has to continue...

..on mopeds.

So basically, we have
crocodiles in baskets,

on mopeds, travelling in convoy.

Didn't ever think
I would ever say that.

We are heading deep into the
Cardamom Mountains rainforest.

This time much further
than last year,

and the journey is not
for the faint-hearted.

But the effort is well worth it.

In 2022, Pablo and his team
oversaw the biggest ever release

of Siamese crocodiles
back into the wild.

They successfully released
35 of these precious reptiles,

boosting the Cambodian
population by over 10%.

After 24 hours travel
and a very numb bottom,

we arrive at the protected
release site.

There you go, babe.

Our ten crocodiles are released
into a temporary pen,

where they will acclimatise
to their new environment.

And it's finally time for me
to "acclimatise"

in my hammock for the night.

Once released, these crocodiles
will be protected

by the community that live here.

And, in return, their presence
will hopefully safeguard

the wider ecosystem
and the people that call it home.

Mr Chan is from the indigenous
Chorng community

and has lived in this region
for over 70 years.

He joined the team of wardens here
15 years ago.

How have things changed over
the years with crocodile numbers?

Mr Sam Han, a researcher
for Fauna and Flora,

joined Mr Chan in his
crocodile conservation efforts

and The Cambodian Crocodile
Conservation Project was formed.

The Cardamoms is one of the largest
and oldest tracts of rainforest

in Southeast Asia.

The dense vegetation, however,
makes it almost impossible

to see and monitor wildlife.

But scientists in the UK have
developed an ingenious bit of kit

to get around the problem.

This technology
is absolutely ground-breaking.

Using this water here, which looks
completely clear to the naked eye,

we're going to be able to identify
what species are in this area.

That is very impressive.

Yeah, the animals
that are in the river

will shed cells from their skin,
hairs etc.

We're collecting water samples
and forcing them through filters,

which trap the microscopic animal
flakes ready for lab analysis.

This filter is basically collecting
everything that is in the water,

but what we're interested in
is tiny fragments of DNA,

of genetic material,
that we can then use

to detect the species
that are present in the area.

So this is an incredibly
efficient way of building a picture

of the diversity of species
in a given area.

When we protect the crocodiles,

what we are doing is protecting
the habitat,

and by protecting the habitat,
we are helping ensure

that the entire array of species
living here actually survives.

It's more than just
about the crocodiles.

It is about, you know,

the biodiversity of this entire
ecosystem in the Cardamom mountains.

We see this pattern a lot, right?

Protecting a species protects
the environment around it,
and that it lives in.

And I guess actually
that's what Gordon is seeing

in Brazil with the jaguars -

that by protecting them,
they're protecting the environment.

Exactly. It's the same thing
with Siamese crocodiles.

The time has finally
come for the crocodiles

to take their rightful
place in the forest.

This is so cool. The crocs have
been acclimatising for three days,

it's the moment we've all
been waiting for.

It's the moment it was bred for and
my heart is racing right now.

These are literally her very,
very last few seconds

before she is released
into the wild, before she is free.

It's kind of epic, right?

Good luck, guys.

Woo! Amazing! Well done!

Mr Han.

Look at his face. He's just beaming.
Oh, my God.

What is your hope for this crocodile
and all the other crocodiles?

My hope is that she will start
producing lots of eggs

and then that will help
boost the populations.

The ultimate goal would be
to have a population that is
viable in the long term.

We're aiming for 10,000
crocodiles in Cambodia.

It's an ambitious target,
but we are... We are on our way.

She's literally never
been in the wild before.

This is a completely
new environment for her.

It is the first time it's
swimming free in a river.

This is a six-year-old crocodile.
So after six years...

Can you imagine?
..swimming free. Oh!

All the crocodiles are set free.

Recent data suggests that half the
world's GDP is dependent on nature.

If an ecosystem, and ultimately
the planet, is to stand a chance,

then preserving its biodiversity,

and that means every single
bit of it, is vital.

The release of these ancient
creatures into their natural habitat

is helping to do just that.

What an absolute privilege.

In 1999, people thought
that the Siamese crocodile
was effectively extinct

and I just got to help
release one, two, three, ten.

And the truth is, absolutely
none of it would have been possible

without these incredible
scientists

and without this incredible
local community.

The pressure on natural resources

across Southeast Asia
continues to build.

Ecosystems are collapsing

and species teetering
on the brink of extinction.

But it is no longer
happening behind closed doors.

Thanks to communities like this one,
expert scientists,

and emerging technology,
our eyes are open.

The world is watching and we're
starting to see ripples of action

that I hope, over the coming years,
will become a flood of change.

I'm shocked to find out that,
here in Kenya,

such a beautiful country,

the relationship
between people and elephants

is being destroyed by drought.

We're in a really desperate
situation, not just in Tsavo,

but in the rest of Kenya
at the moment.

Lucy tells me how the situation
has reached breaking point.

When I first came here in 2009,
the conflict was there,

but it wasn't catastrophic.

Now, we're just seeing such
an increased level of conflict

that's becoming lethal.

If it's this bad now,

what happens if it doesn't rain for
another year or another ten years?

When you say "lethal"
and "catastrophic",

I mean they're big words,
what do you mean?

Really meaning lethal
for both sides.

It can certainly be lethal
for elephants

because communities can be
throwing stones,

throwing fire, they can shoot them
with bows and arrows.

But of course,
it can really be lethal for people.

One lady who we knew just came
out of her house one morning

and just got picked up by an
elephant and slammed against
the house and her neck was broken.

Oh... Oh, my.
Yeah, so really lethal.

And we've also had elephants
killed in the farms,

and not for tusks, you know,
not for poaching.

That's not the issue.

The issue is people don't want
elephants in their farms.

Traditionally, you had a level
of tolerance in the communities

and certainly a cultural respect
for elephants,

which was very strong in Kenya.

That starts to erode very fast
when kids are killed

or an old lady is, you know,
killed in her house, in her doorway.

For 16 years, Lucy has been studying
and protecting elephants here.

But the focus is changing.

As human-elephant conflict
escalates,

Lucy knows we need to protect
people in order to save elephants.

Food insecurity
is elephant insecurity,

they are absolutely tied together.

Communities and elephants,
they coexist,

and they fall or die together.

How are you? Fine.

Using elephant biology
and behavioural science,

Lucy creates tools for repelling
elephants and reducing conflict.

People need real solutions,
but they also have to be affordable.

So, it's all very well saying,
"Let's put up an electric
fence around every farm."

It's just not practical. It's
not realistic. It's too expensive.

And it'll use up
a lot of energy as well.
And it uses up a lot of energy.

So, I'm much more interested
in holistic approaches
to this challenge.

Lucy made a discovery

that changed her entire approach
to mitigating conflict.

Nature offers solutions.

We found out that elephants
were running away from bees.

They were scared of being stung,

and they wouldn't forage in trees
which had beehives in.

So those trees were being naturally
protected against elephant foraging.

So we took that natural idea and I
turned that into this beehive fence,

which is a practical application -

keeping elephants
out of smallholder farms

using their natural fear of bees.

Lucy helps farmers like Charity
install beehive fences.

They protect her crops and provide
her with honey that she can sell.

How effective is it?

We've studied this for a long time
now in many sites around Africa

and our core study site here,
it's around 80% effective.

And that extra 20%... 80%?

Yeah, I know. 80%. I mean, think...

I mean that's
really, really effective.

As a result,
the fences are very popular.

So far, more than 11,000 hives
have been installed.

But there's now a problem
with this brilliant fix.

If you don't have good
floral diversity,

the bees don't have
anything to feed on

and of course floral diversity
comes with rain.

Oh, yeah. So we're back
to that old challenge again.

So now, so many of our beehives
are empty.

Lucy and the team
at Save the Elephants

have pulled together
every conceivable method

of deterring elephants from raiding
crops without harming them,

and they've created
a practical manual

for communities
struggling with conflict.

We need multiple tools,
multiple solutions,

and often they need to be rotated
throughout the year.

And we call that the tool box.

This "how-to" guide
is currently being distributed

to communities across
Africa and Asia.

The solutions are based in science,
they're affordable,

they're adaptable,
they are nonlethal...

..and, most importantly, they work.

Jones, this is the tool box.

Human-elephant coexistence tool
box.

I thought it was a metal tool
with tools inside!

Ah, no, no, no. So, we have one
that we call the buzz box.

Have you ever seen this one?

No, but I'm ready to learn.

The tool box provides
a wide range of ideas

so that farmers can adapt
as seasons and events change.

One of the tools
is a high-tech version

of Lucy's beehive
fence - fake bees.

So, this is what we call a buzz box.

It has a solar panel on the roof
which charges the whole unit,

and it sits on top of the post

and it has an infra-red signal
that comes out here,

and whatever goes in front of it,
up to about 30 foot,

will trigger sounds
to come out of it.

But the one we're using is bees.

The guide includes plans
for watch towers

that provide early warning systems
for whole communities,

as well as simple, home-made
deterrents based on science.

Elephants have extremely good
hearing, very good smell
and very poor eyesight.

So we're using that biology
of the elephants to come up
with new solutions.

What doesn't
an elephant like to smell?

So, they have about 40,000
muscles in their trunk,

full of incredible sensors.

They're smelling much more
than you and I are.

Some of the things
that they hate smelling

and can actually burn the inside of
their trunk a little bit is chilli.

Jones has started experimenting
with a new deterrent,

called the condom-chilli-bomb.

As the firecracker explodes,
it splits the condom,
and it goes poof,

and you get a shower of chilli
over the elephant. Oh, man.

It doesn't cause any long-term
harm to the elephants,

but it does put them off
approaching Jones' farm.

As well as being inspired
to try new methods,

Jones has recently contributed
to the tool box

with his own non-invasive device

that will be shared with
farmers across Africa and Asia.

LOUD CLANGING

Wow, that's a noisy gun!

We're just having
to think differently

about how are we going to live
with a changing climate.

So, I really believe
in this tool box.

I think it is the solution and
I think it can always be expanded.

It's not finite.

It's a completely evolving,
exciting thing that
everyone can contribute to.

Over the next two years,

the tool box will be in the hands
of thousands of subsistence farmers

and has already reached 167 project
partners across 40 countries.

The hope is that it will
save lives on both sides.

Keen to know if the rains
had arrived,

I caught up with Jones
in November 2022.

They hadn't.

But his relationship
with the elephants

had taken a surprising turn.

80% of the cattle in the village
have already died.

We are trying to save what we can.

We had to look for ways through
which we could get something
to feed the cows.

I discovered that elephants
were uprooting these tubers.

These tubers are called maduye.

They're thirst-quenching
and fibre-rich.

Elephants dig them up
when other food runs out.

Elephants are my neighbours, so
we have to learn from our neighbour.

So, I realised they are
surviving out of this.

I realised I can also save
the few remaining cows

by feeding them with these tubers.

Jones and his family copied
the elephants and began digging.

So, I tried now to go
and feed the cows

and I discovered
that they were eating.

Understanding elephant behaviour
has saved Jones and his cows,

and also helped reduce conflict.

Now, people are learning survival
techniques from their
five-tonne neighbours

that might help sustain them
through the ongoing drought.

It breaks my heart to think just...

..how tough things have been

for the people here
and for the elephants.

But the one thing
that does give me hope

is just the fact
that the farmers now

are finding a way to co-exist
with the elephants.

Astonishing natural solutions
mixed with human ingenuity.

What a combination.

At the end of year two
of this extraordinary project,

it's clear to see that
working with nature

and recognising it
as our strongest ally

is the most powerful way
of safeguarding

the health of our planet.

Over the coming years,

we'll be keeping up with the
determined people we've met

and their inspiring work
across our changing planet.