1 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,320 The wildlife of Britain and Ireland 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,680 rivals that of any place I have visited. 3 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:21,200 Powerful predators patrol our coastlines 4 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:22,560 and mountain tops. 5 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:31,400 Intrepid travellers journey for hundreds of miles to visit us, 6 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:36,120 and thousands regularly assemble to create some of the most dramatic 7 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:37,800 of wildlife spectacles. 8 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:44,360 For centuries, these wild spaces have fired our imagination 9 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,320 and established our identity. 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,640 EXCITED CHATTER - It is a kingfisher! - Yes, yes, yes! 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:51,040 - Nature makes you feel calm. 12 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:52,560 - It makes you feel really good. 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,000 - It's very magical. 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:58,480 - What I love most about nature is the interconnectedness of all life. 15 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,880 - For generations, we have celebrated the beauty of the natural world 16 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:05,960 right here at home. 17 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:08,120 - I think it all starts with paying attention. 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:09,640 And, while you're there, 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,240 sometimes the most incredible things will happen. 20 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,960 - And yet, as it gradually disappeared, 21 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:20,400 we barely noticed the change. 22 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:22,840 - I can remember as a little boy, 23 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,200 the biodiversity on farms was just amazing. 24 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,080 The birdlife was out of this world compared to today. 25 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,200 - And now, suddenly, it is nearly gone. 26 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,760 - All I see is houses, buildings, people. 27 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,600 - Today, one quarter of all our species of mammals 28 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,520 are at risk of extinction... 29 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,440 ..as are one third of our birds. 30 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:57,320 In just 20 years, our flying insects have declined by 60%. 31 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,120 We are now one of the most nature-depleted countries 32 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,320 on the planet. 33 00:02:09,640 --> 00:02:15,520 Too often, we have regarded nature as something it's nice to have. 34 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,920 But in fact, it underpins everything that makes our lives possible. 35 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:24,080 In this film, we'll meet inspiring people, 36 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,440 young and old, who are working to restore the natural world. 37 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,560 - There's undoubtedly the feeling that it's either nature, 38 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,600 or it's food production - and never the twain shall meet. 39 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,680 And I think it's the complete opposite of that. 40 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,520 - And we'll discover that we all need to urgently repair 41 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,480 our relationship with the natural world. 42 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,800 - Nature is yours. Nature is everybody's. 43 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:51,840 - We now have a few short years during which we can still make a choice. 44 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,320 - It's now at a point where it's too important to get it wrong. 45 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,520 - Where just enough remains of the natural world for it to recover. 46 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,960 This starts and ends with us. 47 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:25,880 CURLEWS CALL 48 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,760 The haunting call of the curlew. 49 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,680 Though these isles are still home to around a quarter 50 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,200 of the world's curlews, 51 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,000 this once familiar sound is rarely heard today. 52 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,000 Over their long lives, these birds rely on the rich 53 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,120 winter feeding grounds on the coast. 54 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,600 And in spring, curlew fly inland to find the best place 55 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:03,080 to raise their young. 56 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,680 But each year, the land beneath them changes. 57 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,000 It may be green and pleasant seen from the ground, 58 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,400 but taking to the air reveals a different truth. 59 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,240 It is green, but this is not natural. 60 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,440 A curlew looking for a patch of country wild enough to allow it 61 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,760 to make a nest finds mile upon mile of identical fields. 62 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,520 In just a few decades, 63 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,160 our countryside has changed beyond all recognition. 64 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,160 We have sprayed the land with pesticides, 65 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,640 torn down miles of hedgerows, 66 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,680 and destroyed valuable ancient woodlands. 67 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,080 Vast swathes of our countryside that once thrummed with the sounds 68 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,640 of wildlife have now fallen silent. 69 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,920 But against the odds, this curlew finds a spot to make her nest 70 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,280 on a remote upland farm. 71 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:36,040 It's not just the changes in farming practises that affect curlew. 72 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:43,480 An increase in predators and changes in the climate 73 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,080 have also drastically reduced their chances. 74 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,680 Only a quarter of all our curlew chicks survive their first year. 75 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,880 ENGINE APPROACHES 76 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:08,920 CURLEW CALLS 77 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,400 Today, in order to feed the increasing numbers of livestock, 78 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,760 our grasslands are cut many times a year, 79 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,640 making it ever harder for ground-nesting birds like curlew. 80 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:37,560 In her lifetime, the curlew numbers have halved. 81 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:42,520 But there is cause for hope. 82 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,480 Some of our upland farms are trying a different approach. 83 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,960 - In the olden days, if I'd seen a flower in the meadow, 84 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,560 that would've been a bad thing. 85 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,920 I was educated very conventionally, and I worked on a lot of farms 86 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:09,560 through the '90s. 87 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,040 And I was motivated by what all the other farmers around me 88 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,320 were motivated by, and that was about producing 89 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,160 as many lambs as I possibly could. 90 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,240 And the way we farmed was about reducing the number of flowers, 91 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,920 and it was about getting as much grass as we possibly could, 92 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,080 and it was about reseeding land putting fertiliser on and spraying, 93 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:31,560 and all those kind of things. 94 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,720 My name is Neil Heseltine. 95 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,360 I'm a beef and sheep farmer, 96 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,040 and I farm here with my partner, Leigh. 97 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,880 And we also have a daughter, Violet. 98 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,240 - Neil lives and works at Hill Top Farm, in Malham, 99 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,560 on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. 100 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,320 - The Hill Top Farm is where I was born and brought up 101 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:58,680 with my four sisters. 102 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,600 It's where my dad moved to when he was 17, with his parents. 103 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,640 - This is one of our most beloved landscapes. 104 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,840 Shaped by nature and centuries of farming, 105 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:13,840 it epitomises our image of a green and pleasant land. 106 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:17,880 But, despite the view, 107 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,080 the outlook for wildlife here has been bleak. 108 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:28,120 Sheep farming has dominated the Yorkshire Dales for centuries. 109 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,440 Left unchecked, sheep can graze plants down to the ground before 110 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,120 they've even had a chance to establish themselves. 111 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:42,000 At its peak, Hill Top Farm was home to more than 800 sheep - 112 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,200 and nature suffered as a result. 113 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,920 But 15 years ago, a local conservation project 114 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,480 presented Neil with an opportunity which was revolutionary. 115 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,440 - It was that Limestone Country Project that changed our whole 116 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,080 philosophy of how we farmed. 117 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,760 - Neil reduced the flock to just 100, 118 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:12,760 and found some new recruits that transformed his farm - 119 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,840 Belted Galloway cattle. 120 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,800 - When they first came to the farm, they did come with a bit 121 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,760 of a reputation, and I remember the first eight arriving, 122 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,400 and we drove onto this 100-acre field, and the back door 123 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,320 of the trailer went down, and these heifers just shot out of 124 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,800 this trailer, ran across a field, over the horizon. 125 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,520 I just thought, "We'll never see those cattle again." 126 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:41,200 - Neil's sheep had to be kept inside over winter. 127 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,600 But Belted Galloways are a hardy native breed 128 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,640 and are able to live outdoors year round, 129 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,120 drastically reducing his costs. 130 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,920 - What we've realised is just how important they are 131 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:58,440 to everything that we do here. 132 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,040 We try and manage the Belties as naturally as we possibly can. 133 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,520 We treat them in a way where they are just part of the wildlife. 134 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,440 So, there's calves being born out on the hill at the moment, 135 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,160 and there's leverets among them. 136 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:16,120 - And there are other benefits. 137 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,880 Cows are less fussy than sheep. 138 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,280 They pull clumps of grass, 139 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:24,440 disturbing the ground as they do so, 140 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,440 and that allows wild flowers to prosper. 141 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,920 This creates habitat for wildlife 142 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,760 and has been a revelation for the Heseltines. 143 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,120 - It just allowed nature to express itself. 144 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,200 That was either botanically - 145 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:45,000 so we got more species of flowers on the land, 146 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,600 and we also got more birds that were able to use the habitat 147 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,240 that was on the farm. 148 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,600 - By moving the herd around in the summer, 149 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,800 the meadows have a chance to grow tall before Neil 150 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,600 does a single late cut in August. 151 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:08,040 The undisturbed summer months are crucial to the breeding success 152 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:10,560 of endangered ground-nesting birds. 153 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,720 And, much to the family's delight, 154 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,320 the call of the curlew has returned to the farm. 155 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,720 - It's just giving nature that opportunity. 156 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,560 It has to be completely in balance, 157 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:29,880 and that's what we're absolutely after here. 158 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,800 But what we started to realise was that the more we put nature 159 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:37,600 at the forefront of what we did, 160 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,920 we realised that the profitability of the farm improved, as well. 161 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:46,920 - Not only is the farm more profitable, 162 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:48,640 but by working with nature, 163 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,320 it now captures more carbon than it releases. 164 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,600 - And obviously, beef in particular, but red meat in general 165 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,760 gets a bad reputation, in terms of its impact upon the environment. 166 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:05,520 And we just feel that here, 167 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,000 we're bucking that trend a little bit. 168 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,840 We actually think it's a multiple-win situation - 169 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,840 whether that be the business side of it, 170 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,280 whether that be the environment, the climate change, 171 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,360 or even the animals themselves. 172 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,480 - The Heseltines have shown that farming can be profitable 173 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:32,840 while at the same time increasing biodiversity and storing carbon. 174 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,080 But with a population as large as ours, 175 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,760 small farms by themselves can't feed everyone. 176 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:01,880 A third of our agricultural land is used to grow crops. 177 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,960 Here in Suffolk, the Barker family have been working the land 178 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,880 on a vast scale for decades. 179 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,480 - We are a proper, intensive arable farm. 180 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:21,920 - Patrick and his cousin Brian farm 1,300 acres of arable land. 181 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:26,960 - We grow wheat, barley, herbage, rye-grass, spring beans. 182 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,680 All those crops either go into the food chain or go into industry. 183 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:37,200 - As well as their high-yielding crops, the Barkers have another way 184 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:39,320 by which they measure success on the farm. 185 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:43,360 Biodiversity. 186 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,080 - For us, the natural environment is at the forefront 187 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,680 of everything we think about. 188 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:54,600 Our environmental impact is assessed on every operation we do. 189 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:04,360 Barn owls came back in 2009, and now we have five pairs breeding. 190 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,200 So, this year, they've all successfully raised chicks. 191 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,800 Another healthy barn owl on the farm. 192 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:19,400 In any year, I would expect to record 400 species on this farm, 193 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,320 and that is birds, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, bumblebees, 194 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:26,880 mammals - you name it, we're looking for it and recording it. 195 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,600 And the way all these species fit together, it's all part 196 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,600 of this whole farm ecosystem, 197 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,200 which just makes for a really healthy landscape. 198 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,080 - And that is at the heart of everything the Barkers do 199 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:45,440 at Lodge Farm. 200 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,600 They've nurtured old hedgerows and planted new ones. 201 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:53,680 They've restored ponds... 202 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,880 ..and have planted wild flowers on margins and meadows. 203 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,200 They know that thriving wildlife also helps the farm 204 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,800 with its primary focus - growing healthy crops. 205 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,520 - I believe we can have a farm that is productive, 206 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,800 that grows food or grows crops for industry, and at the same time, 207 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,320 we can have a farm that's full of wildlife. 208 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,920 So, I don't accept anyone saying to me, "It's one or the other." 209 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:22,880 This is about creating a whole balance 210 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,960 where the natural environment and the farming environment 211 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,680 can be in harmony together. 212 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:32,280 - This balance is particularly vital when it comes to 213 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:37,000 the farm's most precious resource - its soil. 214 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,320 Healthy soil supports greater biodiversity. 215 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:45,960 It stores carbon, and it helps to prevent flooding and drought. 216 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,840 But deteriorating soil health is one of the biggest problems 217 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,200 facing farming today. 218 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,720 - The soil is an ecosystem on its own, and if that's working for us, 219 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:57,720 rather than us working against it, 220 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,040 it's going to be better to farm, easier to farm, 221 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,200 we can grow better crops as a result. 222 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,520 - The Barkers have encouraged good soil structure 223 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:08,880 by reducing the amount they plough 224 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,480 and minimising their use of pesticides. 225 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,520 - We've kind of got into a bit of a bad habit as an industry 226 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,880 of using pesticides where we MIGHT need them, 227 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,320 not where we really do need them. 228 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,920 The ladybirds are doing the work for us here. 229 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,400 You know, they are our farm workers. 230 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,600 If we went through here with an insecticide to spray off 231 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,000 these black bean aphids, 232 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,400 we could be taking out all those other insects that we actually need 233 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,000 as part of this farm landscape. 234 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:44,000 - And the ladybirds themselves become food for wildlife on the farm. 235 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,360 - For us, this is a farming system 236 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,040 that's good for our farmland wildlife, 237 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:52,600 good for our bank balance, 238 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,280 it's good for our carbon footprint. 239 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,440 It's good for us as people, because we actually really enjoy 240 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,000 coming to work every day. 241 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,000 - The Barkers are running a profitable business 242 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,600 growing healthy, wholesome food, 243 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:08,440 and showing it's possible to farm intensively 244 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:12,320 whilst also restoring our wild isles. 245 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:17,360 - Absolutely every farm in the country can do some of what we do. 246 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:21,280 It's now at a point where it's too important to get it wrong. 247 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,760 If we do things that are to the detriment 248 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:25,520 of the natural environment, 249 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,840 actually, there'll probably be no coming back for a lot 250 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:29,360 of the species that rely on it. 251 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:32,360 OK, so let's have a look what we've found on our walk around. 252 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,080 - But their work doesn't stop there. 253 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,000 - Does anyone know what noise a green woodpecker makes? 254 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,760 - EXCITED CHATTER 255 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,160 They regularly invite local schoolchildren to the farm 256 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,600 to learn about and enjoy the wildlife. 257 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,160 The Barkers hope that showing the next generation how their food 258 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,240 is grown will strengthen their connection to the natural world. 259 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,160 - I think there's something really important about being able to be 260 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,840 in touch with everything that's going on around you. 261 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,600 If you go into a supermarket, the ease at which you can go and buy 262 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,200 something that was shipped from thousands of miles away kind of 263 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,080 really detaches you from the organic process of growing things 264 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,200 or rearing animals, or kind of appreciating 265 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,200 how the world exists in its natural form, 266 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,520 rather than how we perceive it. 267 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,280 And I think it's nice to be able to go out and be free, 268 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,680 and connect yourself to that kind of fun 269 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:39,760 natural anarchy that exists. 270 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,560 - Jutalla is a member of Flock Together - 271 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,640 a bird-watching group for people of colour. 272 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:51,640 - That is a kingfisher! 273 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,400 Yes, yes, yes, yes! - Where? 274 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,880 - Just went underneath where the mistle thrush is. 275 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:57,440 - Let's see if we can see it. 276 00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:59,800 It's right in there, yeah. 277 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:01,680 - My name is Nadeem Perera. 278 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,760 I am an avid bird watcher, I'm a youth football coach, 279 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,720 I'm a wildlife film-maker, 280 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,680 and I'm also co-founder of Flock Together. 281 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,920 I really honestly do believe that if you spend time in nature, 282 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:18,080 the mind is wired to automatically relax. 283 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,360 - Oh, yeah. - Oh, yeah! 284 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,400 - You will be afforded perspective, 285 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,960 and you will then begin to truly appreciate the value 286 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,920 of the natural world. 287 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,200 - Just spotted something over there. 288 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,360 There's something there! 289 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:36,120 - Oh, gosh, yeah. Don't need your binoculars for that, do you? 290 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:37,960 Oh, beautiful. 291 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,520 I didn't know that it had that yellow marking on its, 292 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,760 like, under-beak. 293 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:45,280 - Gorgeous. 294 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,560 - But access to our wild spaces is far from equal. 295 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,520 People of colour are more likely to face prejudice 296 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:56,040 in the countryside. 297 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,680 - I grew up in in Somerset, and... 298 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,440 You can see that I'm a Black woman, and when I was a kid, I was... 299 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:08,760 Going out in nature then always felt a little bit like 300 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,760 people looked at me, like, "What are you doing here? 301 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:13,400 "This space isn't for you." 302 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,000 And I can only speak from my own experience, 303 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,200 but I never want anybody else to feel that way. 304 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:22,560 And so, coming on our walks with Flock Together, 305 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,400 it helps to eliminate some of that barrier, 306 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,960 and it also helps other people who aren't Black or Brown, 307 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:33,720 or Indigenous to get used to seeing that nature is for everybody. 308 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:37,920 - We all come from nature, 309 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,640 and we all ought to make time for it. 310 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,800 Not only is it good for us, it's also good for nature. 311 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,440 Because as we know, nature is fast disappearing, it's under threat in 312 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,400 so many parts of the world, if not all of it, and it needs 313 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,360 all of us on board to protect it. 314 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:54,720 So, everybody needs to chip in and do their bit. 315 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:03,320 - In the last few decades, we have all lost something precious. 316 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,520 Our lives have become disconnected from the rhythms of nature, 317 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,200 the seasons, and the places from which our food comes. 318 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,800 And as island nations where none of us can live 319 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,000 more than 70 miles from the sea, 320 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,760 this is especially true for our connection to the ocean. 321 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:38,280 The shores of Britain and Ireland 322 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,440 are globally important for sea birds. 323 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:49,640 Our waters are home to 65% of the global population 324 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,000 of northern gannets, 325 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,040 and almost all of the world's Manx shearwaters. 326 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,680 Perhaps the most charismatic of our sea birds is the puffin. 327 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,480 Their challenges clearly reflect the problems confronting 328 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,240 many of our other marine species. 329 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:22,840 After months at sea during the winter, 330 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,640 puffins return each spring to mate and raise their young. 331 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:34,720 This female puffin has a secret hidden away below ground. 332 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,720 A puffling, only two weeks old. 333 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,680 She will only raise one chick this year. 334 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:55,000 She and her partner must feed their chick five times a day. 335 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,400 The delicate touching of beaks strengthens the bond between them 336 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:06,960 before she leaves. 337 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,920 She must now make a long journey to the feeding grounds. 338 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,120 Puffins' favourite prey are sandeels... 339 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,760 ..which are packed with rich oils and nutrients. 340 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:33,840 They account for a quarter of all the fish in the North Sea... 341 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,080 ..and form a large proportion of the puffin's diet. 342 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:47,360 But today, sandeels are disappearing at an alarming rate. 343 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:54,880 Warming seas have reduced the availability of the plankton 344 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:56,920 on which the sandeels feed. 345 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:04,240 And fishing on an industrial scale has further reduced the shoals. 346 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,720 Our puffins are now having to fly further and work harder 347 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,360 for every meal. 348 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,240 And the very survival of their chicks is hanging in the balance. 349 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:26,760 It's predicted that our puffin population could have dropped 350 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,480 by as much as 90% in the next 25 years 351 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,320 a loss of over a million birds. 352 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:46,160 Life on the seafloor is not safe either. 353 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:53,680 In places, our seabeds are richer and more diverse than 354 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,040 any habitat on our land. 355 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,440 Some underwater communities are extraordinarily beautiful. 356 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,440 Colonies of brittle stars proliferate. 357 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,920 Beds of maerl, a type of hard, fragile seaweed 358 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,360 that take hundreds of years to form. 359 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,520 They provide a home for scallops. 360 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:33,000 Each of these shellfish has about 200 small eyes. 361 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,800 They live by filtering out plankton from the ocean currents 362 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,480 that swirl around them. 363 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,600 Starfish prey on scallops. 364 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,800 But to do so, they have to get inside the shells undetected. 365 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:58,080 Missed it. 366 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,120 Scallops are surprisingly mobile, 367 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:05,000 and they can live up to 20 years. 368 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:09,200 But today, there are threats that they cannot escape. 369 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,400 LOW RUMBLING 370 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:22,960 The scallop dredge. 371 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,000 Rows of heavy metal teeth dragged behind a boat 372 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,480 bulldoze their way across the seabed, 373 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,520 leaving behind them destruction and death. 374 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,840 95% of our scallops are collected in this way. 375 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,440 And for every scallop caught, 376 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:52,560 four other species are killed and collected by the dredge as by-catch. 377 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,720 In the long term, this destructive, indiscriminate harvest 378 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,080 is as damaging to local fishing communities 379 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,240 as it is to the marine life itself. 380 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,760 Yet, there is an alternative. 381 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,760 Scallops can be harvested sustainably and without damaging 382 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,800 the seafloor by divers, who pick them up by hand. 383 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:39,760 Today, around a third of UK fish stocks are overfished. 384 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,480 In places, we're removing life from the ocean faster 385 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,480 than it can replenish itself. 386 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,000 But there is another way. 387 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,520 50 years ago, off the coast of North Devon, 388 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,320 local people got together to create the UK's first 389 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,680 voluntary marine nature reserve. 390 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,920 - The sea changes every hour. 391 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,760 Lundy has its own microclimate. 392 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,120 And quite often, you go there and you can't find the island 393 00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,400 because it's covered in fog. 394 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,720 It's called the Misty Island for good reason. 395 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:19,560 - Lundy Island, in the Bristol Channel, 396 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:21,280 is just three miles long... 397 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,520 ..but the sea around it has the third-largest tidal range 398 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,360 in the world, and warm waters from the Gulf Stream 399 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:33,440 create excellent conditions for marine life. 400 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,000 - I've been visiting Lundy just over 50 years now - 401 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:37,320 as a young child, and then, 402 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,640 eventually when I was working as a fisherman. 403 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,760 I'm Andrew Bengey, I'm the owner of Lundy Diving. 404 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,560 We run dive charter or snorkel charters to the island of Lundy, 405 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:47,800 in the Bristol Channel. 406 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,960 - In 2003, the waters around the east coast of Lundy 407 00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:01,400 were given protection and declared to be Britain's first No Take Zone. 408 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,160 Fishing or collecting sea life of any kind is prohibited. 409 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,840 20 years on, the wildlife here provides Andrew 410 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,400 with a different livelihood. 411 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:24,680 - The things that keeps me going back to Lundy is that you never know 412 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:25,960 what you're going to see. 413 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,200 Dolphins, porpoises, 414 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:31,960 minke whales, pilot whales. 415 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:35,280 We've had tuna recently. 416 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,400 And obviously the wildlife on the island changes continually, 417 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,120 depending on what season it is. 418 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,960 As you get to the island, you get more diverse with the birdlife - 419 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:45,280 you've got puffins there from March through to July, 420 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,760 and then you've got Manx shearwaters coming in to shore, 421 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:49,200 you've got all the cormorants. 422 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,320 So, it always changes all the way through. 423 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,880 - OK? - Yep. - Good, good. 424 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,880 Five, four, three, two... 425 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,400 - Sharing the sea with seals and other wildlife is just amazing. 426 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,040 Everything is on their terms. 427 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,200 When they realise you're not a threat... 428 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,360 ..and you're not nervous, and you're quiet and still, 429 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:38,720 they'll come and play. 430 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:52,200 - Sheltered reefs, when protected from trawling and fishing, 431 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,320 become the home of rare and special species. 432 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,400 - All the divers comment on how abundant and colourful 433 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,960 the underwater sea life is. 434 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,440 And especially that none of it's damaged. 435 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,680 We've got pink sea fans around the island on the protected sites, 436 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,440 you can't put anchors and shots in. 437 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,560 Some of those are over 100 years old, 438 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,840 and they just look amazing because they're not disturbed at all. 439 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,080 - Andrew's son, Ben, is a local fisherman 440 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:39,240 and works alongside scientists to monitor the wildlife 441 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:41,000 in the No Take Zone. 442 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,440 Lobsters are a keystone species... - 102. 443 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,400 - ..playing a vital role in the health of an ecosystem. 444 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:49,960 - Female. 445 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:54,760 - Remarkably, their population has quadrupled in the No Take Zone - 446 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:57,080 and they're growing bigger than ever before. 447 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:07,840 A mature female can produce as many as a million eggs in her lifetime. 448 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:10,920 And once hatched, her larvae will disperse, 449 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:13,160 restocking the surrounding seas. 450 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,240 Ben and the local fishing community have found their lobster catch 451 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:22,640 on the edge of the zone has significantly increased. 452 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:30,760 - You've got to remember that the marine-protected area 453 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,040 was put in originally by a voluntary scheme for all the fishermen 454 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:38,080 to try and help the ecosystem around the island. 455 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:41,120 The changes that have occurred over time have been really good, 456 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,960 because things have improved, the numbers have gone up. 457 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,040 I feel very hopeful about marine life and marine protection. 458 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,680 - The No Take Zone at Lundy is tiny, 459 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,800 little more than a square mile. 460 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:58,200 And across the whole of the British Isles, 461 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,480 we have only four of them - 462 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,240 less than 1% of our seas. 463 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:05,880 Although there's some protection 464 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,280 in some areas beyond these zones, 465 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,320 unsustainable fishing practises 466 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:12,000 are still allowed 467 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,800 in over 95% of our waters. 468 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,320 We are an island nation. 469 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,120 Our past and future is intimately connected 470 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,000 to the health of the ocean. 471 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:32,600 With meaningful protection, we can replenish our seas, 472 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,320 allowing them to thrive and ensuring that we can rely on them 473 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:38,080 for generations to come. 474 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,920 But protection alone isn't always enough. 475 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,120 We also need to restore at least some of what we have lost. 476 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,520 This is sea grass. 477 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:03,240 It captures carbon up to 35 times more quickly 478 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:04,920 than a tropical rainforest. 479 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:12,160 These underwater meadows are safe havens, 480 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:17,320 providing both shelter and nurseries for a great variety of marine life. 481 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,960 But seagrass meadows are one of the world's most threatened habitats. 482 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,400 In the UK, we've lost more than 90% of them... 483 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:43,680 ..through dredging, pollution, 484 00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:45,120 and development. 485 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,080 Lush beds should surround our isles, 486 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:58,120 but only 32 square miles remain. 487 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:03,840 Here, on the coast of North Wales, 488 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,760 volunteers are trying to put things right. 489 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:13,920 - What we need is lots of seeds, 490 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,440 and so it's really great to get people down. 491 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:22,440 - Project Seagrass is regenerating areas of the damaged seabed... 492 00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:29,640 ..part of an ambitious movement to restore at least 15% 493 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:33,000 of the UK's seagrass by 2030. 494 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:38,000 Teams of snorkelers collect seeds from this surviving meadow 495 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:41,120 to plant in other suitable areas. 496 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:54,480 It's painstaking work. 497 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,360 But in just a few years' time, new, healthy meadows - 498 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,200 and all the benefits they bring - could be thriving once again. 499 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:17,160 On land, woodlands are our most complex and diverse habitat. 500 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:24,520 They provide food, shelter, 501 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:28,280 and a place to breed for thousands of species. 502 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:35,120 And for us, they offer a place where we can reflect 503 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:37,160 and connect with nature. 504 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:46,640 But today, only 13% of the British Isles are covered by woodland - 505 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,920 a fragment of what we once had, 506 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:54,400 and amongst the lowest coverage of any country in the whole of Europe. 507 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,400 Much of that is low quality - 508 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,720 monocultures that offer little sanctuary for wildlife. 509 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,560 In contrast, our ancient woodlands, 510 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,840 which have taken hundreds of years to grow and develop, 511 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,160 are complex and rich communities. 512 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,880 What we need now are visionary, long-term initiatives 513 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,040 to begin to restore some of what we have lost. 514 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:34,160 Scotland. 515 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:36,360 But not as it should be. 516 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:42,160 These barren slopes were once covered by trees. 517 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,880 The Great Caledonian Pine Forest 518 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:50,320 stretched across much of the highlands. 519 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:53,840 Over thousands of years, changes in the climate, 520 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:57,720 logging and grazing by sheep and deer have reduced it 521 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:00,280 to just a few isolated pockets. 522 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,480 Today, just 1% remains. 523 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:18,640 But an ambitious new restoration project aims to change that. 524 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:36,720 High within the Cairngorms National Park, 525 00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:40,200 a team of volunteers are planting young willow trees. 526 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:49,400 They've been specially grown from cuttings collected nearby 527 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,000 to withstand the harsh mountain conditions. 528 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:00,440 They won't all make it, 529 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,000 but thousands are planted and many will endure. 530 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:17,240 Each additional tree helps this remote glen 531 00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:19,440 to regain its ancient splendour. 532 00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:29,000 They are just one small part 533 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,360 of Britain's largest landscape restoration project. 534 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:40,360 The Cairngorms Connect partnership has a 200-year plan to restore 535 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:46,600 habitats across 230 square miles of the Cairngorms National Park. 536 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,720 From pine forests, bogs and peatland, 537 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:55,080 to fast-flowing rivers and subarctic plateaus, 538 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:57,680 it offers us a glimpse of the past 539 00:39:57,680 --> 00:39:59,400 and a hope for the future. 540 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:07,800 And it is home to some of our rarest wildlife. 541 00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:12,640 More than 5,000 species have been recorded here. 542 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:19,920 Land managers are working together across this vast connected area 543 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,680 to provide animal species big and small 544 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:26,680 the chance to thrive in healthy, resilient ecosystems. 545 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:35,040 Restoring a landscape of this size is a team effort. 546 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:42,200 Ronan Dugan is part of the team at WildLand Cairngorms, 547 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,400 one of the partners restoring the landscape. 548 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:51,120 - Many people thought it would take 50 or 100 years, but in reality, 549 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,160 you can implement change very quickly here in the Highlands 550 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:58,480 of Scotland by simply reducing the number of deer. 551 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,440 It is quite a drastic measure, 552 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,280 and it's perhaps not the nicest thing to do, 553 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:04,880 but that's the reality. 554 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:06,640 We have no apex predators. 555 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:08,720 The lynx and the wolf have gone. 556 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:12,400 - Deer should exist here, 557 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,320 but in much lower numbers than they do today. 558 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:20,280 With no natural predators, the size of their herds must be controlled 559 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:22,920 by us to give the forest a chance. 560 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:29,720 With fewer deer, seeds lying dormant in the soil 561 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:32,000 take root very quickly, 562 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:34,920 and the forest starts to regenerate naturally. 563 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:43,800 - We've got the oak, the aspen, we've got the pine, 564 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:45,920 we've got the birch, rowan - 565 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:48,400 all of these species are regenerating naturally 566 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,280 and moving further out the hill. 567 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:56,760 - The team here have also planted over five million trees, 568 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:01,240 benefiting the wildlife and the communities downstream. 569 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:06,480 - So, you've got, you know, flooding issues, 570 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:10,760 and as the climate changes, you know, the increase in vegetation 571 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:12,960 and woodland up in the catchment, in this area, 572 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:15,520 that's going to slow down the rate of flow. 573 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,440 Restoring the peatland, that's sequestering carbon. 574 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:21,600 so that's going to help with the climate crisis in the future. 575 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:26,320 So, it's not just benefiting the local people or the local wildlife, 576 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:28,720 it's benefiting the nation. 577 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,400 - Creating a mix of habitats can also help the species most at risk. 578 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:41,280 Hen harriers are now one of our most threatened birds of prey 579 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,080 as a result of illegal persecution. 580 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:52,000 - Hen harriers, they require open grassland and open moorlands 581 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:56,080 so that they can hunt for prey such as field voles and small birds, 582 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:59,040 and they will even take things like lizards, and so on. 583 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:01,360 So they're, yeah, a very, very adaptable species, 584 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,520 but they need those wide-open spaces where they can breed successfully. 585 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:10,640 - The team are now seeing hopeful signs - 586 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:14,120 hen harriers are breeding here once more. 587 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:19,960 But it's not just the charismatic predators they study. 588 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:23,040 They also investigate the other end of the food chain 589 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:27,920 to discover more about how the whole ecosystem functions. 590 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:30,840 And you can't tell whether it's working if you don't know 591 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:32,200 what you've got. 592 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:36,720 - I think it all starts with paying attention. 593 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:40,200 It is really easy to miss the small things. 594 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:43,560 We tend to look at the big, exciting species 595 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,360 when we're out and about. 596 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:50,440 As soon as you start to look in tiny scale of one particular group, 597 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:52,760 all of a sudden, it opens up entire new worlds 598 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:56,200 which otherwise you might never have encountered. 599 00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:02,880 My name's Ellie Dimambro-Denson, 600 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:06,240 and I'm the monitoring officer for Cairngorms Connect. 601 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:16,360 A big part of my job is going out across the Cairngorms Connect area 602 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:21,200 and doing surveys and monitoring to look at all of the different species 603 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:26,520 and interactions, and understanding how they might be responding 604 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:30,520 to the ecological work that's happening within the project. 605 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:38,160 - Ellie surveys wildlife in all weathers to understand better 606 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:42,680 what the smaller species can tell us about the bigger picture. 607 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,120 - There's a sense of magic in opening up the tent, 608 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:59,080 and you never quite know what to anticipate in the morning. 609 00:45:16,240 --> 00:45:18,120 There's a lot of excitement and hope. 610 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:22,360 Oh, there's quite a few. 611 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:27,840 Moths, and invertebrates generally, are really good indicator species 612 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:31,360 for showing the health of the system as a whole. 613 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:35,920 I love the diversity of moths. 614 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:40,680 You get such an array of different species, of different life cycles. 615 00:45:40,680 --> 00:45:45,600 And often moths will have such a specific, intricate life cycle, 616 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:50,320 where they will very much rely on one particular food plant 617 00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:52,320 at a particular time. 618 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:54,120 - The team plant the kind of trees 619 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:56,960 which moths and other insects favour, 620 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:59,280 and so boost the Cairngorms' biodiversity. 621 00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:03,800 - Insects are incredibly diverse, and they're so fundamental 622 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:06,120 to so many of the different systems. 623 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:09,440 They are pollinators, they help to break things down, 624 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:12,240 they're a really important food source to a number 625 00:46:12,240 --> 00:46:16,280 of different species of bats or birds. 626 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:22,360 Without insects, we wouldn't have a lot of the really 627 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,320 fundamental systems that we need to sustain life on Earth. 628 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:28,720 Without nature... 629 00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:32,680 ..we wouldn't be able to survive as a species. 630 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:43,120 - The scale and ambition of this partnership is sorely needed 631 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,160 in our wilder places. 632 00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:48,320 But for most of us who live in urban areas, 633 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:50,120 it might seem rather remote. 634 00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:54,240 To truly save our wild isles, 635 00:46:54,240 --> 00:46:57,920 we also need to bring nature back to where we live... 636 00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:05,520 ..and that is the idea behind this inspiring transformation. 637 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:13,560 - I didn't even know this place was here. 638 00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:15,480 It was almost surreal. 639 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:18,560 So, like, you wouldn't think this place is slap bang 640 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:20,240 in the middle of East London. 641 00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:23,480 It's very magical. 642 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:28,920 - It's a little oasis. 643 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:33,720 - It's like a sort of hidden paradise. 644 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:38,840 - It's very green and it's colourful. 645 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:42,280 And all the birds... 646 00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:46,720 ..just, like, having fun with their friends, just like me. 647 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:52,840 - Cody Dock, in the heart of London's industrial East End, 648 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,280 was once filthy and polluted... 649 00:47:58,280 --> 00:48:02,200 ..but members of the community reclaimed this forgotten corner, 650 00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:07,160 restoring it for the benefit of both wildlife and themselves. 651 00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:13,880 For nearby schools, it's become both a classroom and a sanctuary. 652 00:48:13,880 --> 00:48:18,640 - We've been walking along the riverside, and we've been tallying 653 00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:22,720 how much pollution and waste varies. 654 00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:25,200 - Can anyone tell me what this river's called? 655 00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:29,040 Oh, you put your hand up first, go on. - The Lea? 656 00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:30,640 - The River Lea, awesome! 657 00:48:30,640 --> 00:48:35,120 - Ben and his colleagues have been coordinating efforts here. 658 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:39,280 - A lot of the kids that we get here, you know, they live in 659 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:41,360 really nature-deprived areas, 660 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:45,400 and this space is a link for them to access nature. 661 00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,560 The space itself gives them an opportunity to learn about 662 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:54,240 what they can find in nature and gives them a place to take 663 00:48:54,240 --> 00:48:56,440 a stake in the conservation of nature here. 664 00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:01,680 - So, it's really important that, even in Newham, we're looking at 665 00:49:01,680 --> 00:49:04,880 these insects and we're trying to track how well they're doing, 666 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:06,720 so that we can look after them, yeah? 667 00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:11,280 - It was really nice catching bees, like, cos I never really thought 668 00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:13,680 I could catch bees, cos I always run away from them, 669 00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:15,280 cos that's where I feel normal. 670 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:18,440 - I got a chance to, like, see them and see their beautiful colours. 671 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:20,160 Beautiful - how many legs they have. 672 00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:22,240 Cos I never really knew bees look like that. 673 00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:25,040 - Originally I thought, like, all bees just look the same, 674 00:49:25,040 --> 00:49:27,800 but now I realise that, actually catching them and looking up, 675 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:31,040 how they've got, like, different patterns and so on. 676 00:49:31,040 --> 00:49:33,440 - I used to think that all they done was hurt us. 677 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:35,800 But now I know the meaning of them. 678 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:37,880 They're real things, they're living things. 679 00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:39,800 They're not just insects. 680 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:41,440 They breathe like us. 681 00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:46,360 - Whoa! - Ah! 682 00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:51,040 - 6,000 volunteers have contributed to the work at Cody Dock, 683 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:55,040 and together have recorded over 300 different species. 684 00:49:56,160 --> 00:49:59,040 - As soon as I came here I was like, "Yes, this is the right decision". 685 00:49:59,040 --> 00:50:00,520 You learn so many skills. 686 00:50:00,520 --> 00:50:03,240 There are so many different people that come here to volunteer 687 00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:05,120 from so many different places. 688 00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:08,880 - And valuable information gathered here is fed into 689 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:11,960 national citizen science projects. 690 00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:15,480 - We test the water along the dock to see if there's any problems, 691 00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,520 and we look at the samples of water and determine 692 00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:20,280 what species are living there. 693 00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:23,840 - Once one of the most polluted rivers in the British Isles, 694 00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:26,120 it's now showing signs of recovery. 695 00:50:26,120 --> 00:50:29,040 - We found a couple of different types of fish fly - 696 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:31,720 so flounder, different types of mayfly larvae, 697 00:50:31,720 --> 00:50:33,440 damsel fly, as well. 698 00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:38,760 - Not so long ago, this place had turned away from nature... 699 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:44,160 ..but, with a long-term vision and willing volunteers, 700 00:50:44,160 --> 00:50:48,680 nature has returned even to this most urban of places. 701 00:50:53,440 --> 00:50:56,240 - In the city, sometimes it can feel quite closed off. 702 00:50:56,240 --> 00:51:00,640 So, coming here, like, just being with nature can free up 703 00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:01,800 your mind a little bit. 704 00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:06,760 - Stress can build up so easily on someone, and it really 705 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:08,520 dictates your mental health. 706 00:51:08,520 --> 00:51:12,920 I think you should be able to come to a place like Cody Dock to relax 707 00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:15,240 and sit down, and just breathe. 708 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:25,840 - From the heart of London to the remotest peaks of the Cairngorms, 709 00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:29,960 there are passionate people right across our isles 710 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:33,640 making a better livelihood by working with nature, 711 00:51:33,640 --> 00:51:35,600 rather than against it. 712 00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:43,080 It may be tempting to think of those on the front line as the only ones 713 00:51:43,080 --> 00:51:45,480 who can make a difference. 714 00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:48,960 The truth is, however, that every one of us, 715 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:50,960 no matter where we live, 716 00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:55,760 can and must play a part in restoring nature to our isles. 717 00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:02,520 Never has it been more important to do this, 718 00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:05,800 for ourselves and for our wildlife. 719 00:52:09,720 --> 00:52:11,840 This is our home, 720 00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:14,040 and this is the moment. 721 00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:19,520 We have just enough time and just enough nature left 722 00:52:19,520 --> 00:52:23,280 to save our wild isles for our children 723 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:25,520 and for future generations. 724 00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:37,040 If you'd like to play your part in helping restore nature, 725 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:41,760 just go online and search "Save Our Wild Isles."