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Florida...

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..famed for its beaches...

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..blue water...

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and year-round sun.

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But away from the crowds...

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..Florida hides a wild side.

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Home to some iconic residents...

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..every year, they face the full
forces of nature.

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And now, the pressure is building.

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A rising human population and a cast
of animal invaders

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are threatening the natural order.

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While some are fighting hard to save
it...

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the native wildlife is finding
surprising ways to adapt.

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But can this corner of paradise
continue

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to weather the growing storm?

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Florida lies to the southeast
of mainland America.

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It's almost in the tropics.

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Which means it's affected by both
subtropical and tropical climates.

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So, while there's plenty
of sunshine...

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..torrential rains pour down
in the humid summer months...

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..hurricanes rage across the land.

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It's a dynamic mix
that for millennia

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has supported a huge variety
of wildlife...

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..and shaped unique habitats...

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..from pine forests in the north...

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..to the famous wetlands
of the Everglades in the south.

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And at its tip, the coral reefs
of the Florida Keys.

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And now, all life here
is looking to the future.

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It's early April.

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The height of the dry season
in the longleaf pine forests.

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These native trees once covered
most of the state.

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But after years of logging,

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just a fraction are left
in the Apalachicola region

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of Florida's panhandle.

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On the forest floor,

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one of its most unassuming residents
is out looking for food.

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A gopher tortoise.

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Habitat like this is his paradise.

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The open savannah beneath the trees
makes it easy

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to move around and feed.

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He takes his time

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to pick through his favourite herbs
and succulent grasses.

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But at this time of year,
the wire grass is tinderbox dry.

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And the weather can change
in an instant.

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THUNDER RUMBLES AND CLAPS

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Florida is the lightning capital
of the United States.

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Over a million bolts strike
each year.

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And just one can ignite
the parched landscape.

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But this isn't the disaster
that it looks.

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This forest needs fire to survive.

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The trees can take the heat

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as the flames clear the forest floor
of unwanted scrub.

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This allows new longleaf pine
to germinate

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and grow without competition.

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Everything living here has to find
a way to cope with the inferno.

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Including the gopher tortoise.

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He uses his shovel-like feet to dig
burrows.

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These are a refuge from the flames.

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And it's not just the tortoise
that relies on them.

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Over 300 species use these tunnels

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to shelter from fire, hurricanes,

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and all the extremes Florida's
climate can throw at them.

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That's why the gopher tortoise is
one of the most important animals

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that lives in these forests.

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But a landscape that needs fire
creates major conflict

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in a state with a growing human
presence.

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Almost 900 people move here
every day,

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adding to a population
of 20 million.

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To protect homes, lightning-strike
fires must be put out immediately.

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We can't have fires just moseying
around the landscape.

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There is people that would be
in harm's way.

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Their houses and people's
livelihoods would be affected.

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To keep longleaf forests alive,

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here, burns are man-made

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and carefully controlled by
organisations

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like The Nature Conservancy.

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Fire needs to be addressed really
anywhere through prescribed fire.

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We have to manage this fire,
we have to keep it safe.

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However, we do our best

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to mimic what Mother Nature
would have done

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with naturally-ignited fires.

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The idea of fire is an ecological
disturbance,

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but that really puts a negative spin
on it.

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This chaotic, seemingly destructive
force

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is Mother Nature's
great rejuvenator.

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By replicating nature,
Floridians are leading the way

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in fire management
across the United States.

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They've reduced the risk
of wildfires and restored thousands

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of acres of longleaf pine.

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A unique habitat that more
than 900 species call home.

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One of these is the endangered
red-cockaded woodpecker.

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It nests almost exclusively
in longleaf pine.

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And where the trees vanish,
so do they.

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Thanks to fire restoration,

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they're now making a comeback.

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The mighty Apalachicola River
runs through the heart

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of this longleaf stronghold.

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It's one of 20 major rivers
in the state.

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They create the enchanting swamps
and wetlands Florida is famous for.

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Trillions of litres of rain
fall each year.

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And even in the dry season,

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few rivers ever run completely dry.

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They're home to some of Florida's
most iconic animals.

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And, as you travel south,
these become ever more present.

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This is Silver River
in Central Florida.

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One of the largest freshwater
springs in the United States.

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90 million litres of water forced up
out of the ground every hour.

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Enriched with minerals
from the Earth,

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the spring water is crystal clear.

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It's a balmy 22 degrees Celsius
all year round...

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..which attracts one of the state's
most magical animals.

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A Florida manatee.

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They spend most of their lives
around the coast.

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But can't survive in water
below 20 degrees Celsius.

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So, in winter, they head inland

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to Florida's springs.

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Here, they graze for up to eight
hours a day,

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feasting on freshwater grasses.

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They were critically endangered,

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partly because routes to warm waters
like these were blocked

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by increasing development.

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But in 2016,

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thanks to efforts across the state,

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their numbers exceeded the 8,000
mark.

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And are becoming a common sight once
again.

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But this winter refuge doesn't just
attract manatees.

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Residents and migratory birds
come here to rear their young.

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And as April unfolds, the river
banks become a nursery ground.

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Parents must be on their guard.

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As danger is never far away.

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This moorhen has seven young chicks.

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And they're all eager to explore.

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But they don't realise the peril
they're in.

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CHICK WHIMPERS

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These baby alligators are last
year's hatchlings.

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And, at eight months old,

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they're already expert ambush
predators.

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While animals here are finding
their feet,

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elsewhere, others closer to the
tropics are turning to courtship.

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To the far south lies the state's
most iconic landscape...

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..the Everglades.

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A 2 million-acre wetland
on Florida's southern tip.

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This is the largest subtropical
wilderness in the United States.

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It can hold an estimated 4 trillion
litres of water.

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And it's brimming with life.

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Including one of the most endangered
mammals in the USA...

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..the Florida panther.

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Hundreds of marshland species

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live here all year round...

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..alongside the greatest

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congregation of alligators
in the state...

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..while thousands of visiting birds
nest in the tree tops

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during winter and spring.

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It's called a wetland.

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But, in fact, this is a giant
slow-moving sheet of water.

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Earning it the name
the "river of grass".

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In late spring, water levels
are at their lowest

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and there's a strange sound
in the air.

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LOUD GROWLING

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ALLIGATOR GROWLS

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Male alligators are bellowing.

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To find each other in this vast
expanse of water...

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they vibrate their larynx to let out
deep growls.

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GROWLING INTENSIFIES

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Low frequency sounds,

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inaudible to human hearing,

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make the water dance.

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GROWLING ECHOES

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It tells other alligators
how big and strong they are...

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..and can be heard over a mile away.

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The sound wards off competitors...

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..and, hopefully, attracts a mate.

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Females can be quick to respond...

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..but they're not always quick
to pick a partner.

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They lead males on a merry dance,

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before finally deciding
he is the one.

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The wooing can last for days...

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..with couples mating
multiple times...

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..before going their separate ways.

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The males might partner again.

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But females now turn their attention
to building a nest.

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In just a month's time,
it needs to be ready for their eggs.

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Alligators are so successful
in Florida,

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they're found almost everywhere
there's water.

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But it wasn't always this way.

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Reviled...
GUNSHOT

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..and misunderstood.

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By the 1960s, they'd been hunted
to near extinction.

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Realising they could lose their most
iconic native animal,

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state wildlife agencies took action.

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Hunting was banned,

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and re-education programmes
established.

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Floridians brought alligators back
from the brink.

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An epic wildlife success story.

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But now, they're under serious
threat again.

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In the last century,

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65% of this wetland has been
drained for human use.

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And more than 8 million people rely
on the Everglades

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for their drinking water.

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But the latest problem
for indigenous wildlife

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is non-native residents moving in.

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Florida's climate means exotic
animals thrive here.

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Green iguanas.

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Lionfish.

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Cane toads.

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There are now more than 500
non-native species

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plaguing the state.

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And with the Everglades bordered by
Miami,

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a city of almost half a million
people...

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..this is a hotspot for unwanted
exotic pets.

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Perhaps the most destructive...

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..is the Burmese python.

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Originally from the jungles
and marshes of Southeast Asia...

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..the Everglades is now estimated
to be home to a staggering 100,000

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of these invasive reptiles.

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They're one of the largest snakes
in the world.

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And they'll eat almost anything...

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..including alligators.

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With few natural predators,

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these invaders are an almost
unstoppable force.

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But people are fighting back.

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Burmese pythons came here
in the '70s from the pet trade,

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and they can get to be
18-20 feet long.

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People didn't know
what to do with them,

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so they came out here
and let them go.

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Once established, the pythons
rapidly started breeding.

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They've been eating their way
through Everglades National Park.

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Literally 98% of the mammals
have been eaten

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by these Burmese pythons.

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They're eating deer, they're eating
alligators...

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We brought them here,
we need to take them out.

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And that's what I'm here to do.

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Paid contractors patrol the levees
around the Everglades day and night.

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All of the pythons create a problem
here.

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Everything from a small python
that comes out 26 inches

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up to anything over ten feet
that's breeding.

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After about 14 feet,
they're monsters.

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You know, they're monster snakes.

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The females can lay over 100 eggs
a year.

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So getting on top of this problem
is a daunting task.

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Stop, stop for a second.

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Grabbing a big constrictor like that
is an experience.

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You definitely have to go in,
grab it with both hands,

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make sure you know what you're
doing.

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You don't want it to wrap around
your neck cos they can kill you.

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You definitely want to have backup.

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SNAKE HISSING

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In the first two years of the
removal programme...

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..25 teams...

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..took out almost 2,000 adult
snakes.

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But there's much more to be done.

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The war that we're fighting is
bigger

253
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,360
than the battle that we're winning.

254
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:43,400
You're not doing your pet a favour
by letting them go

255
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:44,960
out here in the wild.

256
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,800
You think, you know,
"Here - be free, have fun!"

257
00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:49,240
It doesn't work that way.

258
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,960
The introduction of these snakes
has caused unimaginable damage

259
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,120
to Florida's natural ecosystems.

260
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,440
So, the pythons have to be humanely
destroyed.

261
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:09,920
I love these Burmese python,

262
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:11,960
they're really a fascinating
creature.

263
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,000
It's just that they don't belong
here.

264
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,240
We brought them in, we need to take
them out.

265
00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:30,520
Humans have had a big impact
right across the state.

266
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,440
The dry season is peak holiday time.

267
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,600
When the weather is calm...

268
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,560
..tourism brings 100 million people
to Florida's shores each year...

269
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,840
..putting even more pressure
on this fragile land.

270
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,920
But it also accounts for 10%
of the state's economy.

271
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:12,080
And it's natural environments
are very much part of the draw.

272
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,000
One of its biggest attractions lies

273
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,040
at the southernmost tip
of the state.

274
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:28,760
The Florida Keys.

275
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,080
An archipelago of more than 1,700
islands...

276
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,320
..stretching south
toward the tropics.

277
00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:46,400
They're strung together
by bridges...

278
00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:51,640
..and carpeted in mangrove trees.

279
00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:59,520
A tropical paradise -
for marine life...

280
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,080
..and people alike.

281
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,240
Beneath the waves lies
the Florida Reef Tract.

282
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,480
It's the third largest barrier reef
in the world...

283
00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:26,840
..and the only one in North America.

284
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,560
But space here is at a premium.

285
00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:46,560
With rising sea levels...

286
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,600
..and increasingly
powerful storms...

287
00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,160
..life in the Keys is precarious.

288
00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:01,760
And it doesn't take much to tip it
over the edge.

289
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,280
THUNDER RUMBLES

290
00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:20,680
In 2017, Irma, a massive Category 4
hurricane,

291
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,560
swept in from the Atlantic...

292
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,720
..with catastrophic effect.

293
00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,520
It stripped mangrove trees bare...

294
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,440
..and contaminated fresh water
across the lower Keys.

295
00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,560
Six months on, the damage is still
visible.

296
00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:04,200
Residents feared one of the Keys'
most precious species had been lost.

297
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,440
Yet, remarkably, it's holding on.

298
00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:18,560
These are Key deer.

299
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,680
A tiny subspecies
of white-tailed deer

300
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:25,480
found only on these islands.

301
00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,200
At just 70 centimetres tall,

302
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,240
they're a third smaller than their
mainland cousins.

303
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,200
Almost 1,000 of these miniatures
live across a cluster

304
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,240
of islands to the south of the Keys.

305
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,320
They may be small,

306
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:57,560
but these canny little deer
are survivors.

307
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,080
Picking through plastic
and hurricane debris

308
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,520
to make the most of washed-up
seagrass.

309
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,880
They'll even venture into open water

310
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,480
to reach their most important
food...

311
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:24,720
..the mangrove trees.

312
00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,320
But life is still uncertain here.

313
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,240
With their drinking water
full of salt

314
00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,720
and many of their feeding grounds
destroyed.

315
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:52,600
The Key deer are now seeking refuge
in urban areas.

316
00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:01,640
DOG BARKS

317
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:11,560
Unfazed by people...

318
00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:14,960
..they're making themselves at home.

319
00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,120
Some residents provide fresh
drinking water.

320
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,680
But this reliance on humans
is far from ideal.

321
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:50,920
It brings them closer to roads.

322
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,720
And, in fact, hurricanes are not
their greatest threat.

323
00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,440
It's collisions with cars.

324
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,400
In late spring,

325
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,680
these deer make the most
of the calm weather,

326
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,280
saving energy for the turbulent
months ahead.

327
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,360
All too soon, things are going
to change.

328
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,280
June marks the arrival of summer.

329
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,880
Trade winds blow in
from the southeast Atlantic.

330
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,560
Bringing a continuous stream
of warm, moist air.

331
00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:05,880
Hurricanes are now possible
at any time.

332
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:14,480
Every day as temperatures rise,
humidity builds and competes

333
00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:17,040
with cooler air high up
in the atmosphere.

334
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,320
And every afternoon, like clockwork,

335
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,760
the clouds dump their contents.

336
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:34,080
The wet season has begun...

337
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,360
..dousing Florida in 60% of its
annual rainfall in just four months.

338
00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,320
The rain restores battered
mangroves...

339
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:08,000
..fire-scarred forests...

340
00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,240
..and fills the Everglades
to their brim.

341
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:25,280
With an average of 1.5 metres
of rainfall each year...

342
00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:29,600
..the Everglades is now the wettest
place in Florida.

343
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:35,240
And, suddenly, there's a lot more
water on the move.

344
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:54,720
But there's a problem.

345
00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,280
Highway 41.

346
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:07,320
Built in the 1920s before people
realised the Everglades

347
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,000
was a moving sheet of water.

348
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,440
This road intersects
the vast wetland east to west.

349
00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,760
And, inadvertently, stops the flow.

350
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,600
In the summer, the north side

351
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:26,840
of the road is far fuller
than the south.

352
00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:32,840
It's thought that disruption
to water levels like this

353
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,240
is responsible
for the disappearance of 90%

354
00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:38,040
of the area's wading birds.

355
00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,720
Now, in an attempt
to restore the balance,

356
00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:48,280
giant pumps shift billions of litres
of water north to south.

357
00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:56,640
And raised bridges allow the water
to flow naturally once more...

358
00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:03,920
..essential to animals like
alligators

359
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:06,240
that call this wilderness home.

360
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:16,600
Tucked away amongst the saw grass,

361
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:20,080
alligator nests have been incubating
eggs for two months now.

362
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,840
They're built around the roots
of small trees,

363
00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,800
which anchor them as water levels
rise.

364
00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:41,400
A female guards each one,

365
00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:44,200
patiently waiting for her young
to emerge.

366
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,920
And by August,
the first babies have hatched.

367
00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,920
At just a week old,
they're perfectly camouflaged.

368
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:14,760
Bright yellow stripes make them
invisible amongst the dried grasses

369
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,640
the nest is built around.

370
00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:25,640
At this age, they spend their days
close together

371
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,280
in groups called pods...

372
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,200
..under the gaze
of their watchful mother.

373
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:42,320
At just 20 centimetres long,
they're defenceless.

374
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,480
An easy meal for a passing bird

375
00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:49,240
or a hungry male alligator.

376
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:00,880
But when darkness falls,

377
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:04,000
these hatchlings show
a different side.

378
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,120
With fewer predators around,

379
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,200
the youngsters take on
a new confidence.

380
00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:23,760
They break away from their pods
and set out alone.

381
00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,240
And while they might look cute,

382
00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:32,680
even at this tender age,

383
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,160
they already have the instinct
to hunt.

384
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,800
Their mother will protect them,
but she won't feed them.

385
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,280
So they have to get the hang
of it first.

386
00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:09,240
At this age, they hunt almost
constantly through the night.

387
00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:23,480
Pouncing on their prey of tiny
insects and fish

388
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,320
with not quite expert precision
just yet.

389
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,280
They'll perfect these skills
over the next year...

390
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:40,200
..until they're big enough
to go it alone.

391
00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:48,560
THUNDER RUMBLES

392
00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,560
As the wet season continues,
winds pick up...

393
00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:01,200
..and more humid weather is blown in
from the Atlantic.

394
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:07,560
Storms are building far out in the
ocean.

395
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:20,000
Still recovering from last season's
onslaught,

396
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,000
residents of the Florida Keys batten
down the hatches.

397
00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:34,160
But powerful storms don't just
impact the land...

398
00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:41,280
..they disrupt life beneath
the waves too.

399
00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:47,560
Florida's barrier reef
is a vital natural defence.

400
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,160
It rises up from the ocean floor

401
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:56,720
and bears the brunt of storm surges
as they roll in...

402
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:04,560
..absorbing the impact
before it hits land.

403
00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:19,880
Historically, these storms sheared
off pieces of coral,

404
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:23,920
but would re-attach elsewhere,
creating a healthier reef.

405
00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:31,240
But now, the reef doesn't have
enough time

406
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:33,280
to recover between storms.

407
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:41,200
And along with pressures
like pollution, bleaching

408
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,400
and ocean acidification,

409
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:46,480
it's in trouble.

410
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:53,800
So scientists are stepping in.

411
00:42:55,880 --> 00:43:00,120
If Florida lost the Florida Reef
Tract completely,

412
00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:03,040
it's likely that we would see
a place like Florida Keys

413
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:04,720
completely washed away.

414
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:09,440
The Coral Restoration Foundation
is leading the way

415
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:11,240
in saving reefs around the world.

416
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:19,400
The main corals that we'd worked
with are staghorn and elkhorn.

417
00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:23,200
And the reason why we started there
is those are the dominant corals

418
00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:26,280
that were found in Florida.

419
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:30,960
They've actually lost about 97%
of their populations.

420
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:34,480
So we've really focused our efforts
into growing thousands

421
00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:37,480
upon thousands of these corals
in a nursery setting.

422
00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:41,120
They've developed a pioneering
system.

423
00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:47,560
By suspending coral fragments
in the water column,

424
00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:51,280
they give them 360 degrees of food
and sunlight.

425
00:43:54,320 --> 00:44:00,200
This speeds up growth and produces
new coral to restore the reef.

426
00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:05,280
So we'll actually harvest them
when they're ready from the nursery,

427
00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:08,000
and then we'll attach them directly
onto the reef substrate

428
00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,520
in a process that
we call outplanting.

429
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:17,880
Once we have a clean area, or clean
limestone, we then use this two-part

430
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:22,560
marine epoxy, and we attach
that epoxy to the reef

431
00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:26,840
and then we gently press
the coral directly into that epoxy.

432
00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:31,600
The fragments fuse with
the exposed limestone,

433
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:32,960
forming new growth.

434
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:39,640
The team grows a genetically
diverse mix...

435
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:43,120
..in the hope that at least
some will withstand

436
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:45,760
the different pressures
the reef is under.

437
00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:56,920
They've planted more than 70,000
fragments in the past decade.

438
00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:01,680
It's now widely understood that
active intervention is a necessity.

439
00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:05,840
We're past the tipping point
where they could recover naturally.

440
00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:09,280
So, the point of a restoration
programme is to produce

441
00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:13,160
the abundance of corals
and the diversity of corals that

442
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:18,840
these reefs need to be able to keep
up with their changing environments.

443
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:27,560
While people work to restore
these fragile landscapes...

444
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:35,280
..above the waves, the turbulent
weather continues to build.

445
00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:54,560
September and October are when
hurricanes are most likely to hit.

446
00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:02,360
So, before they do, the last of
the springtime visitors must depart.

447
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:13,080
Swallow-tailed kites
have been here since March.

448
00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:21,080
Two-thirds of the North American
population come to Florida

449
00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:22,600
each year to breed.

450
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:31,120
Courting, feeding,

451
00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:35,400
drinking and even bathing
on the wing...

452
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:44,840
..the feet of these extraordinary
birds almost never touch the ground.

453
00:47:04,440 --> 00:47:06,880
They're about to make
the 5,000-mile journey

454
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:09,640
to their winter feeding grounds
in South America.

455
00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:17,000
And thousands of birds
come together to prepare.

456
00:47:21,720 --> 00:47:24,160
As they store up energy
for the flight,

457
00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:27,400
it's vital they aren't disturbed.

458
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:29,680
So they gather in remote roosts...

459
00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:32,080
..far from people.

460
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:41,000
After a morning bath...

461
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,040
..the kites preen their feathers,
to keep them in condition

462
00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:49,120
for the long journey to come.

463
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:09,040
They appear to sense
atmospheric changes

464
00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:11,160
as hurricanes begin to approach.

465
00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:21,240
But far from avoiding
these storms...

466
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:26,440
..researchers suggest the birds
capitalise on their headwinds.

467
00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:31,800
And when the time is right...

468
00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:34,560
..they take flight.

469
00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:02,920
Hundreds, even thousands, soar
above roosts at this time of year.

470
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:15,280
Their journey south can
take up to four months.

471
00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:22,480
And there's time for one last feed.

472
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:29,680
Now the birds head straight
to a landscape created by us.

473
00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:36,400
Agricultural pasture is alive
with insects.

474
00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:48,400
And this is where their
forked tail comes in.

475
00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:55,680
Able to rotate almost 90 degrees...

476
00:49:57,920 --> 00:49:59,880
..they use it like a rudder.

477
00:50:24,120 --> 00:50:28,600
They discard the wings and fuel up
on the protein rich-bodies

478
00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:29,600
of their prey.

479
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:58,880
Once they've had their fill,
it's finally time to leave.

480
00:51:11,600 --> 00:51:14,320
Their roosts are left eerily empty.

481
00:51:19,160 --> 00:51:21,640
The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida

482
00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,000
call them the leaders
of the hurricanes.

483
00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:29,240
As they vanish, the storms roll in.

484
00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:41,160
They've been forming thousands of
miles away, far out in the Atlantic.

485
00:51:46,880 --> 00:51:49,640
Summer temperatures have warmed
the ocean's surface.

486
00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:57,760
And as warm air rises from the
water, it lifts moisture with it,

487
00:51:57,760 --> 00:52:00,200
creating giant stacks of cloud.

488
00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:02,320
THUNDER CLAPS

489
00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:12,040
As more air is sucked in below...

490
00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:15,840
..winds begin to spiral inward...

491
00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:19,320
..and a vortex is formed.

492
00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:27,720
The storm gathers pace and power
with every mile.

493
00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:36,240
And when its winds reach 74mph,
it becomes an unstoppable force.

494
00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:55,440
The warmest waters create a path
for these monster storms to follow.

495
00:52:55,440 --> 00:52:57,680
This is Hurricane Alley,

496
00:52:57,680 --> 00:53:01,520
and it brings many of them
barrelling straight into Florida.

497
00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:16,160
This state has experienced
more direct hits by hurricanes

498
00:53:16,160 --> 00:53:18,000
than anywhere else in North America.

499
00:53:20,720 --> 00:53:22,280
And they're getting stronger.

500
00:53:27,560 --> 00:53:32,360
Research suggests human-induced
climate change is the driving force.

501
00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:40,560
Our oceans are the hottest
they've been since records began,

502
00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:45,640
and this energy makes hurricanes
more powerful than ever before.

503
00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:58,480
When Hurricane Michael
struck in 2018,

504
00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:01,040
it was one of the most powerful
storms to ever

505
00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:02,560
make landfall in Florida.

506
00:54:31,080 --> 00:54:33,760
With winds of 155mph...

507
00:54:39,240 --> 00:54:41,280
..it flattened entire towns...

508
00:54:45,360 --> 00:54:47,040
..and ravaged the landscape.

509
00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:05,480
The longleaf pine forests
in Apalachicola...

510
00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:08,880
..were hit by the full force
of the storm.

511
00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:18,840
Yet, remarkably, not only do
these trees cope with fire...

512
00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:23,320
..they can survive hurricanes too.

513
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:34,400
Where non-native species
have snapped and fallen,

514
00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:38,520
the longleaf pine's supple trunks
have bent with the winds.

515
00:55:42,440 --> 00:55:44,680
Young growth has also survived.

516
00:55:55,280 --> 00:55:59,080
And the animals here have
weathered the storm too.

517
00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:06,080
The gopher tortoises' burrows
have once more provided shelter

518
00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:08,360
for hundreds of forest species.

519
00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:20,280
This is where native Florida
comes into its own.

520
00:56:23,320 --> 00:56:25,400
Its plants and animals have evolved

521
00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:28,120
to cope with the harshest
forces of nature.

522
00:56:36,720 --> 00:56:38,560
As the rains recede...

523
00:56:39,840 --> 00:56:41,480
..and hurricanes blow over...

524
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:46,760
..in the face
of the growing pressures...

525
00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:49,680
..life goes on.

526
00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:59,640
Male Key deer battle for the right
to father the next generation.

527
00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:06,720
Alligators prepare to slow down

528
00:57:06,720 --> 00:57:09,440
and disappear
for the cooler months of winter.

529
00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:17,320
And the people of Florida
continue to pioneer new ways

530
00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:20,120
to help this state's
native landscapes...

531
00:57:25,960 --> 00:57:30,560
..putting them in a better place
to cope with an uncertain future.

532
00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:40,040
With their help, for now,

533
00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:42,640
the animals and landscapes
are holding on...

534
00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:49,640
..riding the storm in this
rapidly changing corner of paradise.