All language subtitles for Our.Planet.2019.S01E01.720p.WEB.x264-STRiFE

Just 50 years ago,

we finally ventured to the moon.

For the very first time,
we look back at our own planet.

Since then, the human population
has more than doubled.

This series will celebrate
the natural wonders that remain,

and reveal what we must preserve

to ensure people and nature thrive.

When human beings
built their first settlements

some 10,000 years ago,

the world around them,

on the land and in the sea,

was full of life.

For generations, this stable Eden
nurtured our growing civilizations.

But now, in the space
of just one human lifetime,

all that has changed.

In the last 50 years,

wildlife populations have, on average,
declined by 60 percent.

For the first time in human history,

the stability of nature
can no longer be taken for granted.

But the natural world is resilient.

Great riches still remain.

And with our help, the planet can recover.

Never has it been more important
to understand how the natural world works,

and how to help it.

Wildlife still flourishes
in astonishing numbers

in a few precious places.

Along the Peruvian coast of South America,

seabirds congregate
in colonies millions strong.

They come here to breed.

Every morning,
the birds leave their colonies

to fish in one of the richest seas
on Earth.

It is an astonishing daily migration

of five million birds.

The huge flocks of cormorants and boobies
are all seeking one thing:

anchovies.

The boobies carpet-bomb the shoals.

More and more birds
join the feeding frenzy.

All in this immense assembly are here

because a powerful oceanic current,
the Humboldt,

sweeps up from the Antarctic,

bringing with it rich nutrients
from the ocean's depths.

90 percent of the life in the oceans

is found in the shallow seas
close to the coast.

Away from the land,

the seas, for the most part,
are a blue desert.

But even these distant waters
may be enriched

by a most unexpected connection
to the land.

Some deserts,

often hundreds of kilometers
from the ocean,

provide the raw materials for life.

Every year, winds sweep up
two billion tons of dust into the sky.

At least a quarter of it
eventually falls on the sea,

providing nutrients
needed by the microscopic organisms

that are the foundations of ocean life.

Dolphins explore the vast, open ocean

in search of the riches
that distant deserts may have nourished.

A shoal of mackerel
has discovered a swarm of krill...

the small crustaceans

that feed on the ocean's
floating microscopic plants.

But the mackerel themselves
are food for the dolphins.

They drive the mackerel
towards the surface,

and into the range of birds.

Shearwaters.

The wings that normally propel the birds
through the air

now drive them six meters down
through the water.

Whilst the birds
pick off the top of the shoal...

the dolphins attack the underside.

After 20 minutes of feasting,

the predators
from both the sea and the air

have had their fill.

The stability of life on our planet

relies on such connections
between different habitats.

Water evaporating
from the surface of the sea

condenses to form great clouds.

And these eventually
release the fresh water as rain.

But these life-giving rains
are not evenly spread over the land.

This vast salt pan in Africa

is all that remains of an ancient lake.

It's totally waterless and oven-hot.

Few places on the land
are more hostile to life.

A few tracks cross it, made by animals
searching unsuccessfully for water.

But very occasionally,
this whole landscape is transformed.

A huge deluge drenches the salt pan.

Triggered by some unknown signal,

flocks of lesser flamingos
arrive from thousands of kilometers away.

The algae that the flamingos feed on

have lain dormant as spores in the dust.

But most importantly,

the birds are here to breed.

Perfect conditions might occur
only once in a decade.

The birds nest on an island
far from the shore.

They build mounds of mud
that raise up their eggs

and so keep them just marginally cooler
than they would be at ground level.

The water surrounding the island
is so salty

that predators do not venture into it.

So the nests are safe.

Thirty days later,
thousands of chicks start to hatch.

But there is no shelter
from the scorching sun.

The water that once surrounded
their island, protecting them,

has now dried up altogether.

The last to hatch
step out into a desperately harsh world.

Somehow or other, the growing chicks
must find fresh water to drink.

They cannot yet fly, so they must walk,
guided by some of the adults.

They may have to trek for 50 kilometers.

Some... cannot keep up.

The salt has solidified around their legs.

Most of the chicks,
in spite of everything,

and having walked for days,

eventually reach fresh water.

It is the end of a long journey...

but only the first of the trials
that will be imposed on these flamingos

by the irregularity of the rains.

If rainfall is more predictable
and certain,

then life can flourish more richly,

both in numbers and variety.

The Serengeti plains in East Africa
support over a million wildebeest.

The herds follow the seasonal rains,

grazing on the newly-sprouting grass
that comes in their wake.

Each year, within a three-week period,

the females give birth
to over a quarter of a million calves.

This youngster is just a few days old.

Playing strengthens its legs
for the long journey that lies ahead.

The calf must stay close to its mother.

Without her milk, it would starve.

And the herds are always traveling,

following the rains
as they drift across the plains

in order to find fresh grazing.

Eventually, they reach woodlands.

Hunting dogs.

Wildebeest calves are a favorite prey.

And the dogs are hungry.

The calf must stay with its mother,
protected within the herd.

The dogs have incredible stamina...

but the calf is defended by the herd.

They need the calf on its own.

The mother blocks the dogs,
shielding her calf.

It makes a run for safety.

And it just manages
to get back to the herd.

The future of this whole migration
depends on the regularity of the rains,

but also on the continued existence
of the great open grasslands

across which the herds
make their immense journeys.

In places where rains fall abundantly
throughout the year, forests grow,

and in the warmth of the tropics,

they support
an unparalleled richness of life.

Half of all the species
of land-living animals

live in these stable worlds.

The sheer diversity is breathtaking.

We still have not catalogued

all the species that live
in the tropical forests.

The relationships between them all
are multitudinous and complex.

Plants often depend on animals
to pollinate their flowers.

And these intimate connections

are just as important
as the great global ones.

These are traps.

Flowers shaped like buckets,

produced by an orchid.

Each red bucket is filled
with an oily liquid that drips from above.

Male orchid bees need a rich perfume
with which to impress their females,

and the orchids provide it.

But the bucket is slippery,

and the liquid
into which the bee has fallen is sticky.

The only way to get out

is through a narrow tunnel.

As it emerges, the bee is gripped tight.

And that gives enough time for the plant

to glue pollen sacs on the bee's back.

So the orchid has its pollen
taken to another plant...

and the bee is rewarded with a perfume,

with which, when it recovers its strength,

it can woo a female.

There are no pronounced seasons
in a rainforest.

It produces food in one form or another
the year round.

It's so rich
that the females of some birds

are able to raise their young
entirely by themselves,

and that allows the males to spend
their whole time attracting females...

...as manakins do.

There are over 50 different species,

each with its own
highly elaborate dance routine.

The golden-collared manakin

starts by clearing his dance floor.

A female arrives
and he starts his routine,

rocketing from one perch to another.

She checks out every detail.

Finally, he performs his signature move.

The back-flip...

...with twist.

Perfection.

The red-capped manakin
has a very different act.

It's a kind of slither.

With wing snaps.

But it doesn't seem to be working.

She's seen enough.

The most complex routine
is that developed by the blue manakin.

The lead male
is supported by three junior dancers.

They practice together almost every day.

During rehearsals,

a young male in juvenile plumage
stands in for the female.

The dance
has to be perfectly synchronized.

With the lead male happy...

they're ready to present their dance
to a female.

In a carousel of movements,
each male takes his turn at the front.

The lead male performs the final move.

Have they done enough?

What's her decision?

It's...

a yes!

A great team effort.

Tropical forests cover
only seven percent of the planet's lands.

Away from the tropics,
where the weather is seasonal and cooler,

they're very different.

The greatest of all is the boreal forest

that extends right across North America
and Eurasia.

It cannot grow
during the frigid grip of winter.

The forests are a crucial refuge

for the relatively few species
that are able to survive here.

As winter approaches,

caribou grazing on the open tundra
to the north

head south to the forest
to seek food and shelter.

Out here, temperatures may fall
below minus 40 degrees centigrade.

The forest will give some protection
from the worst of the weather.

But now the caribou
are not traveling alone.

Wolves.

They live in the forest year-round.

And in the winter,
they specialize in hunting caribou.

They must find the freshest tracks.

They move fast by avoiding the deep snow,

sticking to the hard-packed trails
made by the caribou.

This wolf has found fresh scent.

The caribou must be close.

The herd chooses to stop to rest
on a frozen lake.

Out in the open, they will be able to spot
approaching danger.

And sure enough, the wolves catch up.

They start to test the caribou,

probing for any weakness.

Out on the open lake,

the caribou can outrun the wolves...

so the wolves drive them back
into the forest.

Here, in the deep snow,
progress is much harder and slower.

And, hidden by the trees,
the wolves can get closer.

The hunt is on.

The pack must decide
which particular caribou to target

and which trail to take.

As the caribou scatter,

the leading wolf takes a wrong turn.

It's a crucial mistake,
and the wolves abandon the chase.

With the coming of spring,
the caribou will head north once more,

leaving the wolves and the forest behind.

They will travel 600 kilometers,
crossing mountains to reach the tundra,

where the spring grass
will be sprouting again,

and they can give birth.

But these migrations
are a shadow of what they once were.

The herd has lost
nearly 70 percent of its numbers

in the last 20 years.

Their world and all of our planet
is now changing fast.

At the furthest polar extremes

lie the frozen wildernesses
of Antarctica and the Arctic.

Though they may seem remote
to many of us,

the stability of these icy wastes
is crucial to all life on the planet.

But in just 70 years,
things have changed at a frightening pace.

The polar regions are warming faster
than any other part of the planet.

The Arctic in the north is a frozen ocean,

and the sea ice,
on which all life here depends,

is disappearing.

Polar bears

specialize in hunting seals
out on the frozen ocean.

But that world is now, literally,
melting beneath their feet.

The sea ice breaks up every year,

but now this is happening earlier,

and the bears' limited hunting season
is getting shorter.

This is already having a profound impact.

Cubs are growing up underweight,

which reduces their chances of survival.

Within the lifetime of these cubs,

the Arctic in summer
could be largely free of sea ice.

It's not just the sea ice
that is vanishing.

The ice that lies on land
is also changing fast.

This is Greenland,

a vast expanse of ice
one-fifth the size of the United States.

This glacial ice,
together with the sea ice,

protects our planet by reflecting
solar radiation away from the surface

and so preventing the Earth
from overheating.

But the Arctic is warming dramatically.

The leading edge of the Store Glacier
may appear to be motionless,

but glaciers can move
at up to 45 meters a day.

Where this one meets the sea,
it towers 100 meters above the water,

and continues downward
for another 400 meters

beneath the surface.

Over the last 20 years,
Greenland has been losing ice.

And the rate of loss is accelerating.

These massive icefalls
from the top of the glacier

are just the beginnings

of a far greater event.

A stretch of the front face of the glacier
over a kilometer long

is starting to break away.

From 400 meters beneath the surface,

the hidden ice is surging upwards.

The breakaway of an iceberg
the size of a skyscraper

generates a colossal tidal wave.

Within 20 minutes,
75 million tons of ice break free.

Glaciers have always released ice
into the ocean,

but now this is happening
nearly twice as fast

as it did ten years ago.

Around the world, ice is now feeding
vast amounts of fresh water into the sea,

raising sea levels, changing salinity,
and disrupting ocean currents.

Without the Humboldt Current,
the coast of Peru would fall silent.

The seabird spectacle would be no more.

All across our planet,
crucial connections are being disrupted.

The stability that we
and all life relies upon is being lost.

What we do in the next 20 years

will determine the future
for all life on Earth.

The rest of this series will explore
the planet's most important habitats,

and celebrate the life they still support.

We will reveal what must be preserved

if we are to ensure a future
where humans and nature can thrive.

Please visit ourplanet.com to find out
how our planet can thrive again.

♪ I can hear the whole world
Singing together ♪

♪ I can hear the whole world say
"It's now or never" ♪

♪ 'Cause it's not too late
If we change our ways ♪

♪ And connect the dots to our problems ♪

♪ I can hear the whole world say
"We're in this together" ♪

♪ We're in this together ♪