1 00:00:01,100 --> 00:00:06,633 ♪♪ 2 00:00:06,666 --> 00:00:12,400 ♪♪ 3 00:00:12,433 --> 00:00:16,000 -Orcas. 4 00:00:16,033 --> 00:00:19,633 {\an1}They live together in close-knit families. 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:27,066 {\an1}Some pods stay in the same area for generations, 6 00:00:27,100 --> 00:00:30,666 {\an1}like this one off the northwest coast of America. 7 00:00:30,700 --> 00:00:36,666 ♪♪ 8 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:41,266 In 2018, they hit the headlines. 9 00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:44,366 {\an8}-A mother orca whose calf died after birth 10 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,733 {\an7}is still carrying her baby 17 days later. 11 00:00:48,766 --> 00:00:54,700 {\an7}Watching this mother orca express a very human emotion, 12 00:00:54,733 --> 00:00:56,900 {\an7}this outpouring of grief... 13 00:00:56,933 --> 00:00:59,633 {\an7}some are calling it a "tour of grief." 14 00:00:59,666 --> 00:01:02,066 {\an8}Researchers say that they're now concerned 15 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:03,900 {\an7}for the mother's health. 16 00:01:06,233 --> 00:01:10,366 {\an1}-She's not the only mother in difficulty. 17 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:15,000 70% of females are miscarrying their babies. 18 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,800 {\an1}The future of the whole community is under threat. 19 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,766 {\an1}The race is on to save them. 20 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,166 -Yeah, there's... Oh, he's right there. 21 00:01:32,833 --> 00:01:35,566 -These orcas are the most studied population 22 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:37,866 on the planet. 23 00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:40,800 {\an1}And researchers now realize their future depends 24 00:01:40,833 --> 00:01:43,800 {\an1}on a completely different environment. 25 00:01:43,833 --> 00:01:51,833 ♪♪ 26 00:01:52,433 --> 00:01:54,400 -If humans get our acts together 27 00:01:54,433 --> 00:01:58,566 {\an1}and start thinking about the whole ecosystem, 28 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:00,433 we're going to be recovering the whales, 29 00:02:00,466 --> 00:02:03,533 {\an1}and ultimately, we're going to be saving ourselves. 30 00:02:05,766 --> 00:02:10,233 {\an1}-Across the world, people are studying ecosystems 31 00:02:10,266 --> 00:02:13,933 {\an1}and looking for connections, 32 00:02:13,966 --> 00:02:17,300 {\an1}giving us a deeper understanding of nature. 33 00:02:17,333 --> 00:02:22,633 ♪♪ 34 00:02:22,666 --> 00:02:26,400 {\an1}We're at a turning point in history 35 00:02:26,433 --> 00:02:29,000 {\an1}and moving in a new direction. 36 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,466 {\an1}How we live with nature now 37 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,100 {\an1}will determine our future. 38 00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:44,500 {\an1}A new age is upon us... 39 00:02:44,533 --> 00:02:48,100 {\an7}the age of nature. 40 00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:02,966 {\an8}♪♪ 41 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,766 {\an7}-Strait Watch, Strait Watch. 42 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,100 {\an7}-Strait Watch, go ahead. 43 00:03:08,133 --> 00:03:09,966 {\an7}-Hi, I just wanted to let you know 44 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:11,566 {\an7}we're coming on scene here 45 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,733 {\an7}and we're just gonna do some distant fluke follows. 46 00:03:18,933 --> 00:03:21,033 {\an7}-For 15 years, Dr. Deborah Giles 47 00:03:21,066 --> 00:03:24,700 {\an8}has been studying this community of orcas. 48 00:03:24,733 --> 00:03:27,233 {\an7}-Gosh, the southern resident killer whale population 49 00:03:27,266 --> 00:03:28,900 {\an1}is critically endangered. 50 00:03:28,933 --> 00:03:34,233 {\an1}We only have 73 individuals at this point. 51 00:03:34,266 --> 00:03:39,166 {\an1}-Records show this is the lowest they've been for 40 years. 52 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,366 -I've dedicated my professional life 53 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:43,833 {\an1}to trying to study them 54 00:03:43,866 --> 00:03:46,900 {\an1}to try and help answer questions 55 00:03:46,933 --> 00:03:50,766 {\an1}that will lead to, hopefully, their recovery. 56 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:56,333 {\an1}-Giles works with an unusual research assistant... 57 00:03:56,366 --> 00:03:58,066 {\an1}-Let's get her out. 58 00:03:58,100 --> 00:04:00,266 Okay, baby. [ Dog barks ] 59 00:04:00,300 --> 00:04:02,966 {\an1}-...Eba the orca dog. 60 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,400 {\an1}-Good girl! Let's get it! 61 00:04:10,166 --> 00:04:11,733 {\an1}[ Dog whimpers, barks ] 62 00:04:11,766 --> 00:04:14,200 -Eba, it's okay. 63 00:04:14,233 --> 00:04:17,166 {\an1}-She plays a vital role, 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,766 {\an1}sniffing out orca feces. 65 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,566 -Oh, my goodness. Are you gonna get a poop? 66 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,266 [ Barking ] Are you gonna do it? 67 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:28,233 {\an1}Good girl! Let's get it. 68 00:04:28,266 --> 00:04:30,000 - This is it. - Yeah. 69 00:04:30,033 --> 00:04:33,366 -This is it. 70 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,366 {\an1}She took me to it! 71 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,166 {\an1}Good job, good job. 72 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:38,466 Good job. 73 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:44,000 Nice! - Did you get that one? 74 00:04:44,033 --> 00:04:47,066 {\an1}-This is like gold. It really is like gold. 75 00:04:47,100 --> 00:04:52,800 {\an1}We can learn so much about this population of animals. 76 00:04:52,833 --> 00:04:55,966 {\an1}-The fecal samples reveal something surprising. 77 00:04:59,866 --> 00:05:03,133 {\an1}These orcas are feeding almost exclusively 78 00:05:03,166 --> 00:05:06,733 {\an1}on one species of fish... 79 00:05:06,766 --> 00:05:08,766 Chinook salmon. 80 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:14,466 {\an1}-The sad thing is that through the millennia, 81 00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:17,466 {\an1}700,000 or more years, 82 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:22,200 {\an1}Chinook salmon was humongous and abundant, and it was plenty 83 00:05:22,233 --> 00:05:26,100 {\an1}to keep a large population of killer whales thriving. 84 00:05:26,133 --> 00:05:28,400 {\an1}But within 150 years, 85 00:05:28,433 --> 00:05:32,200 {\an1}we have completely decimated 86 00:05:32,233 --> 00:05:35,100 almost all wild Chinook salmon runs 87 00:05:35,133 --> 00:05:37,533 that these whales would have relied on. 88 00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:43,500 -The whales are severely malnourished. 89 00:05:46,733 --> 00:05:50,200 {\an1}The samples of their feces can help explain why. 90 00:05:54,333 --> 00:05:56,266 {\an1}-The thing that samples like this can tell us 91 00:05:56,300 --> 00:05:58,766 {\an1}is what actually... What is this? 92 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:00,633 {\an1}What was this meal? 93 00:06:00,666 --> 00:06:02,433 {\an1}So, was it salmon? 94 00:06:02,466 --> 00:06:05,433 If it was salmon, what species of salmon? 95 00:06:05,466 --> 00:06:08,366 {\an1}And also, in some cases, 96 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:13,066 {\an1}if it's not too degraded, what river it came from. 97 00:06:13,100 --> 00:06:14,466 {\an1}And not only what river, 98 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:17,033 {\an1}but even what tributary it came from. 99 00:06:17,066 --> 00:06:18,933 {\an1}It's like a gold mine. 100 00:06:21,366 --> 00:06:25,533 {\an7}-Chinook salmon spend most of their lives at sea, 101 00:06:25,566 --> 00:06:28,933 {\an7}but return to the rivers of their birth to spawn. 102 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:35,466 {\an7}Rivers like this one... The Elwha in Washington state. 103 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:43,500 ♪♪ 104 00:06:44,166 --> 00:06:49,433 {\an1}It flows through the old-growthforest of Olympic National Park. 105 00:06:49,466 --> 00:06:55,166 {\an1}♪♪ 106 00:06:55,200 --> 00:07:00,933 ♪♪ 107 00:07:00,966 --> 00:07:05,800 {\an1}These streams and tributariesalways provided a safe sanctuary 108 00:07:05,833 --> 00:07:08,233 {\an1}for the Chinook salmon to breed. 109 00:07:10,933 --> 00:07:14,900 {\an1}But 100 years ago, everything changed. 110 00:07:17,966 --> 00:07:22,266 {\an1}Two hydroelectric dams were installed on the Elwha River 111 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:24,700 {\an1}to power industrial growth. 112 00:07:28,433 --> 00:07:32,433 {\an1}Migrating salmon now faced an impassable barrier. 113 00:07:34,766 --> 00:07:37,300 {\an1}Unable to get further up the river, 114 00:07:37,333 --> 00:07:39,766 {\an1}the survival and reproduction of the salmon 115 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,000 {\an1}was severely compromised. 116 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:48,000 {\an1}Robert Elofson is from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, 117 00:07:48,033 --> 00:07:51,000 {\an1}who have lived here for generations. 118 00:07:51,033 --> 00:07:53,833 {\an1}-I worked in the Park Service 40 years ago, 119 00:07:53,866 --> 00:07:56,633 and when you were above the dams, 120 00:07:56,666 --> 00:07:58,333 {\an1}you never saw any salmon. 121 00:07:58,366 --> 00:08:02,233 {\an1}I would sit there and think what a beautiful river it is, 122 00:08:02,266 --> 00:08:07,333 {\an1}and except there's no salmon in it. 123 00:08:07,366 --> 00:08:12,266 {\an1}-It wasn't always like this. 124 00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:15,233 {\an1}-Before the dams were built, there are stories 125 00:08:15,266 --> 00:08:18,033 {\an1}about enough... there being enough salmon in the river 126 00:08:18,066 --> 00:08:19,866 {\an1}that you could walk across their backs, 127 00:08:19,900 --> 00:08:22,900 {\an1}they were so thick. 128 00:08:22,933 --> 00:08:26,700 -The size of them was also remarkable. 129 00:08:26,733 --> 00:08:31,266 {\an1}A fish could weigh up to 100 pounds. 130 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:36,333 ♪♪ 131 00:08:36,366 --> 00:08:38,300 {\an1}The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe 132 00:08:38,333 --> 00:08:41,433 {\an1}had relied on salmon for centuries, 133 00:08:41,466 --> 00:08:44,066 {\an1}so they campaigned to get them back. 134 00:08:46,066 --> 00:08:49,900 {\an1}-The fight to get the dams removed took about 35 years. 135 00:08:49,933 --> 00:08:52,300 {\an1}It began in the 1980s. 136 00:08:52,333 --> 00:08:54,700 That's when the environmental groups 137 00:08:54,733 --> 00:08:56,300 {\an1}and the tribe started work 138 00:08:56,333 --> 00:08:59,333 {\an1}for a phase-out removal and acquisition of the dams. 139 00:09:01,566 --> 00:09:04,366 {\an1}-It was time for the dams to go. 140 00:09:05,633 --> 00:09:09,833 [ Explosion ] 141 00:09:09,866 --> 00:09:17,533 ♪♪ 142 00:09:17,566 --> 00:09:22,166 {\an1}In 2014, the river was free again. 143 00:09:26,266 --> 00:09:30,433 {\an1}But no one knew if and when the wild fish would return. 144 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,766 {\an1}-I love being out here with these fish. 145 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,266 -John McMillan is a fish scientist 146 00:09:44,300 --> 00:09:47,066 {\an1}studying the recovery of the river. 147 00:09:47,100 --> 00:09:49,633 {\an1}-The past 10 years working on the Elwha, 148 00:09:49,666 --> 00:09:51,100 {\an1}I'd say, have been probably 149 00:09:51,133 --> 00:09:52,900 the most special in my whole life. 150 00:09:52,933 --> 00:09:56,733 {\an1}I think when I add it up, I've snorkeled about 1,800 miles, 151 00:09:56,766 --> 00:09:59,566 {\an1}so a lot of time in the water. 152 00:10:06,133 --> 00:10:09,900 {\an1}And now that we've opened up over 70 miles of new habitat, 153 00:10:09,933 --> 00:10:13,533 {\an1}we're starting to see the Chinook salmon really take off. 154 00:10:17,566 --> 00:10:20,566 {\an1}I believe that my counts of juvenile Chinook salmon 155 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,000 {\an1}have tripled from what they were three years ago. 156 00:10:28,266 --> 00:10:30,833 {\an1}-John has now recorded a spawning run 157 00:10:30,866 --> 00:10:33,166 {\an1}of nearly 8,000 fish 158 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:37,166 {\an1}and seen them in headwaters 60 miles upstream. 159 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,600 {\an1}-Wow, there are a lot of fish in there, 160 00:10:46,633 --> 00:10:48,766 both juveniles and adult Chinook. 161 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,433 {\an1}And so far, it's looking like it's gonna be an awesome year, 162 00:10:51,466 --> 00:10:54,166 {\an1}so I'm excited about that. 163 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,900 ♪♪ 164 00:10:58,933 --> 00:11:02,366 {\an1}-This rise in salmon numbers has a far-reaching impact 165 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,066 {\an1}on the whole forest. 166 00:11:06,100 --> 00:11:09,433 {\an1}The salmon bring vital marine-derived nutrients 167 00:11:09,466 --> 00:11:11,033 upriver... 168 00:11:11,066 --> 00:11:16,566 ♪♪ 169 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:21,000 {\an1}...providing a wealth of food for others living here. 170 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,500 {\an1}And their decomposing bodies put vital nitrogen 171 00:11:27,533 --> 00:11:29,833 {\an1}and phosphorus into the soil, 172 00:11:29,866 --> 00:11:35,066 {\an1}enabling the trees to grow three times faster than without them. 173 00:11:38,566 --> 00:11:41,366 {\an1}-Large-bodied, abundant fish provide nutrients 174 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,466 {\an1}and food sources literally for the whole ecosystem... 175 00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:47,200 {\an1}everything from animals that are here in freshwater, 176 00:11:47,233 --> 00:11:51,700 {\an1}from the insects to the birds, 177 00:11:51,733 --> 00:11:55,333 {\an1}to the orcas and seals that live out there in the ocean. 178 00:11:55,366 --> 00:11:58,400 {\an1}These salmon are literally a keystone species 179 00:11:58,433 --> 00:12:02,600 {\an1}that connects the marine world to the freshwater world. 180 00:12:02,633 --> 00:12:10,633 ♪♪ 181 00:12:11,766 --> 00:12:15,500 {\an1}-The governor of the state of Washington, Jay Inslee, 182 00:12:15,533 --> 00:12:19,133 {\an1}has environmental issues high on his agenda. 183 00:12:21,100 --> 00:12:24,666 {\an1}-Well, the Elwha Dam project, when it first came up 184 00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:26,466 as an idea, it's like many ideas... 185 00:12:26,500 --> 00:12:29,466 {\an1}it was revolutionary. 186 00:12:29,500 --> 00:12:33,300 {\an1}It has been such a thrill to see Mother Nature recovering 187 00:12:33,333 --> 00:12:36,133 {\an1}now that they've been removed. 188 00:12:36,166 --> 00:12:40,400 {\an1}I can't think of a more inspirational place or story 189 00:12:40,433 --> 00:12:44,400 {\an1}than to see Mother Nature coming back like a freight train. 190 00:12:44,433 --> 00:12:48,733 ♪♪ 191 00:12:48,766 --> 00:12:52,666 {\an1}-Things are improving, but we don't yet know 192 00:12:52,700 --> 00:12:55,300 if it's enough to help the orcas. 193 00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:01,833 {\an1}-Orcas are in a very fragile position right now, 194 00:13:01,866 --> 00:13:05,600 {\an1}but we're not done yet, and it's like many things... 195 00:13:05,633 --> 00:13:07,833 {\an1}we just need to go faster. 196 00:13:09,700 --> 00:13:14,200 {\an1}-Governor Inslee has issued an executive order 197 00:13:14,233 --> 00:13:17,733 putting together a committee of scientists 198 00:13:17,766 --> 00:13:20,300 {\an1}and dedicating a budget of $1 billion 199 00:13:20,333 --> 00:13:24,300 to try and save this endangered population. 200 00:13:24,333 --> 00:13:30,800 ♪♪ 201 00:13:30,833 --> 00:13:37,300 ♪♪ 202 00:13:37,333 --> 00:13:40,000 {\an1}-You only get one shot to prevent extinction, 203 00:13:40,033 --> 00:13:41,800 {\an1}and so we got to make sure 204 00:13:41,833 --> 00:13:44,400 we go faster than we are even today. 205 00:13:44,433 --> 00:13:52,433 ♪♪ 206 00:13:53,066 --> 00:13:56,800 {\an1}-Understanding how ecosystems are connected 207 00:13:56,833 --> 00:13:59,733 is a big part of restoring nature. 208 00:13:59,766 --> 00:14:04,800 ♪♪ 209 00:14:04,833 --> 00:14:07,400 {\an1}Life is a complex web 210 00:14:07,433 --> 00:14:10,200 {\an1}where every creature has its place. 211 00:14:10,233 --> 00:14:14,933 ♪♪ 212 00:14:14,966 --> 00:14:19,333 As we learn more about what that is, 213 00:14:19,366 --> 00:14:22,333 {\an1}we're in a better position to look after them. 214 00:14:22,366 --> 00:14:30,366 ♪♪ 215 00:14:30,833 --> 00:14:34,400 {\an1}Professor Fu Xinhua has dedicated his career 216 00:14:34,433 --> 00:14:37,433 to studying an endangered insect. 217 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,600 {\an1}He's created a l in theHuazhong Agricultural University 218 00:14:44,633 --> 00:14:47,266 {\an1}to breed them safely. 219 00:14:47,300 --> 00:14:52,100 {\an1}-We have about 0.3 million larvae in this lab. 220 00:14:53,433 --> 00:14:55,400 {\an7}-He's the only scientist in China 221 00:14:55,433 --> 00:14:59,033 {\an7}breeding these tiny creatures. 222 00:14:59,066 --> 00:15:03,700 {\an1}-It took us about six years to set up this breeding lab. 223 00:15:03,733 --> 00:15:06,533 {\an1}I'm quite proud of my work. 224 00:15:09,533 --> 00:15:13,333 {\an1}-These insects were once found all across rural China. 225 00:15:15,766 --> 00:15:19,500 {\an1}Today, they are incredibly rare. 226 00:15:19,533 --> 00:15:22,733 {\an1}But Professor Fu knows where to find them. 227 00:15:30,666 --> 00:15:33,633 {\an1}-Now we have to wait for the dark. 228 00:15:33,666 --> 00:15:40,233 ♪♪ 229 00:15:40,266 --> 00:15:46,800 ♪♪ 230 00:15:46,833 --> 00:15:48,800 -Fireflies. 231 00:15:48,833 --> 00:15:55,666 ♪♪ 232 00:15:55,700 --> 00:16:02,633 ♪♪ 233 00:16:02,666 --> 00:16:06,233 {\an1}When courting, they produce a spectacle of light. 234 00:16:06,266 --> 00:16:14,266 ♪♪ 235 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:20,366 {\an1}-In 2005, I went to Sichuan to find fireflies 236 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:24,766 {\an1}and I found a plum with many fireflies, 237 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:29,766 {\an1}like stars falling in the trees. 238 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,766 {\an1}I felt very excited 239 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,733 {\an1}because I had never seen such beautiful things. 240 00:16:36,766 --> 00:16:44,766 ♪♪ 241 00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:49,733 One year later, when I went back, 242 00:16:49,766 --> 00:16:53,200 {\an1}the tree was still there, but the firefly were gone. 243 00:16:53,233 --> 00:16:56,800 {\an1}I felt very disappointed and sad. 244 00:16:56,833 --> 00:16:59,000 {\an1}That moment made me realize 245 00:16:59,033 --> 00:17:03,300 {\an1}that I should do some works to save firefly. 246 00:17:05,233 --> 00:17:08,966 {\an1}-Because of rural development and increased pollution, 247 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,566 {\an1}fireflies are in decline all across China. 248 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,600 {\an1}[ Insects buzzing, footsteps crunching ] 249 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,000 -I realized something had to be done. 250 00:17:23,033 --> 00:17:26,400 {\an1}It was a race against time. 251 00:17:26,433 --> 00:17:28,800 I collected eight of the fireflies 252 00:17:28,833 --> 00:17:32,133 {\an1}and took them back to my lab to breed them. 253 00:17:32,166 --> 00:17:37,866 ♪♪ 254 00:17:37,900 --> 00:17:43,533 ♪♪ 255 00:17:43,566 --> 00:17:48,033 {\an1}-Professor Fu needed a safeplace to release the new larvae. 256 00:17:50,666 --> 00:17:52,600 {\an1}He chose an agricultural area 257 00:17:52,633 --> 00:17:55,300 around a village in Hubei province. 258 00:17:59,666 --> 00:18:03,700 {\an1}But first, he needed to win over the villagers. 259 00:18:03,733 --> 00:18:07,333 ♪♪ 260 00:18:10,500 --> 00:18:14,066 {\an1}-When I first spoke to farmers, 261 00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:18,833 {\an1}they thought firefly were pests and they didn't like them. 262 00:18:18,866 --> 00:18:23,133 {\an1}I needed to get the local people on my side. 263 00:18:23,166 --> 00:18:26,400 {\an1}-Xu Tanghui is the head of the village. 264 00:18:26,433 --> 00:18:29,400 {\an7}[ Speaking Chinese ] 265 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:43,966 {\an1}-Professor Fu explained that the opposite was true. 266 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,833 {\an1}They are a natural pest control for the farmers 267 00:18:47,866 --> 00:18:51,066 {\an1}because they eat slugs and snails. 268 00:18:54,366 --> 00:18:58,333 {\an1}Fireflies are an important part of the ecosystem. 269 00:19:00,233 --> 00:19:03,833 But their larvaecan only survive in clean water. 270 00:19:05,766 --> 00:19:08,266 {\an1}For the reintroduction to be successful, 271 00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:11,233 {\an1}the farming community had to lend a hand. 272 00:19:16,300 --> 00:19:18,700 {\an7}[ Speaking Chinese ] 273 00:19:33,633 --> 00:19:40,400 ♪♪ 274 00:19:40,433 --> 00:19:44,233 {\an1}Insects are essential for a healthy ecosystem. 275 00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:49,866 {\an1}Some are pollinators. 276 00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:51,866 {\an1}Others, predators. 277 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:57,266 ♪♪ 278 00:19:57,300 --> 00:20:00,066 And they're food for other animals. 279 00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:05,466 ♪♪ 280 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:08,300 {\an1}Now nature is recovering. 281 00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:11,133 {\an1}The farmers are also doing well. 282 00:20:13,366 --> 00:20:17,500 {\an1}They're selling their rice as organic firefly rice, 283 00:20:17,533 --> 00:20:20,533 {\an1}which fetches a higher price at the market. 284 00:20:22,133 --> 00:20:24,600 {\an7}[ Speaking Chinese ] 285 00:20:41,833 --> 00:20:45,333 ♪♪ 286 00:20:45,366 --> 00:20:49,800 What Professor Fuhas achieved here is remarkable. 287 00:20:49,833 --> 00:20:52,233 But it's only the first step. 288 00:20:54,666 --> 00:20:58,466 -So far, we have created an area 289 00:20:58,500 --> 00:21:02,200 {\an1}22 square kilometers in size. 290 00:21:05,100 --> 00:21:10,466 {\an1}It's a place where man and nature live again in peace. 291 00:21:12,966 --> 00:21:14,766 {\an1}-He now has plans to roll out 292 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,666 similar projects across the country. 293 00:21:18,700 --> 00:21:21,466 {\an1}-Because fireflies are very important to nature, 294 00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:26,866 {\an1}I hope many people see fireflies sparkling all around China. 295 00:21:26,900 --> 00:21:31,866 ♪♪ 296 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:33,866 {\an1}-It takes a lot of time and effort 297 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:37,833 {\an1}to reintroduce wildlife. 298 00:21:37,866 --> 00:21:41,033 {\an1}But it's essential for our planet. 299 00:21:41,066 --> 00:21:43,833 {\an1}And it's happening all over the world. 300 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:53,866 ♪♪ 301 00:21:53,900 --> 00:21:56,066 {\an1}We're putting endangered animals back 302 00:21:56,100 --> 00:21:58,866 {\an1}into their natural habitats. 303 00:21:58,900 --> 00:22:04,933 ♪♪ 304 00:22:04,966 --> 00:22:10,933 ♪♪ 305 00:22:10,966 --> 00:22:13,366 {\an1}It can be very successful... 306 00:22:15,466 --> 00:22:18,466 {\an1}...but sometimes controversial. 307 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,000 Wolves. 308 00:22:24,966 --> 00:22:26,633 We've had an uneasy relationship 309 00:22:26,666 --> 00:22:29,866 {\an1}with these predators for a long time. 310 00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:32,866 [ Cattle mooing ] 311 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:40,900 ♪♪ 312 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,966 Dean Petersen is a fourth-generation rancher 313 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,666 in Montana. 314 00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:54,900 {\an1}-I woke up one morning to two wolves chasing 315 00:22:54,933 --> 00:22:56,700 15 to 20 cows, 316 00:22:56,733 --> 00:22:58,933 {\an1}just out from my house. 317 00:23:01,566 --> 00:23:04,133 {\an1}So I went to the other room, got a gun, walked out, 318 00:23:04,166 --> 00:23:06,766 {\an1}leaned over my yard fence, and shot one. 319 00:23:11,266 --> 00:23:14,433 {\an1}-Dean and his son Malcolm run 800 cattle 320 00:23:14,466 --> 00:23:18,300 {\an1}over 6,000 acres of pasture 321 00:23:18,333 --> 00:23:21,700 {\an1}bordering wolf territory. 322 00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:24,033 {\an1}-Last winter, on the upper end of the valley here, 323 00:23:24,066 --> 00:23:27,933 {\an1}there was one pack of six to eight wolves 324 00:23:27,966 --> 00:23:30,466 {\an1}and they were harassing a rancher's cattle 325 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:32,900 {\an1}right by his house, that he was feeding. 326 00:23:32,933 --> 00:23:36,300 {\an1}And I don't remember how many confirmed kills there was, 327 00:23:36,333 --> 00:23:42,500 {\an1}but the rancher claims 14 to 18 cows dead. 328 00:23:42,533 --> 00:23:45,133 {\an1}-It's always been tough. 329 00:23:45,166 --> 00:23:47,633 {\an1}At the turn of the 19th century, 330 00:23:47,666 --> 00:23:51,666 {\an1}wolves were persecuted here to the brink of extinction. 331 00:23:54,566 --> 00:23:57,466 {\an1}-I've never hated them, but I've always admitted 332 00:23:57,500 --> 00:24:02,366 {\an1}they're hard to ranch around or live around 333 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,300 {\an1}'cause they cost you moneyand they cost you time and work. 334 00:24:06,333 --> 00:24:09,100 {\an1}It is a part of living in this valley 335 00:24:09,133 --> 00:24:12,400 or living in an unpopulated area. 336 00:24:12,433 --> 00:24:16,466 {\an1}That's where you're gonna have wolves. 337 00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:18,866 {\an1}There is a mindset that people hate wolves, 338 00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:21,333 and I... 339 00:24:21,366 --> 00:24:23,333 I don't know why. They're just another one 340 00:24:23,366 --> 00:24:28,133 of the creatures that are here on the Earth, 341 00:24:28,166 --> 00:24:29,733 and they're part of the ecosystem, 342 00:24:29,766 --> 00:24:33,500 {\an1}just like I'm part of theecosystem at this point in time. 343 00:24:33,533 --> 00:24:38,133 {\an1}And I can accept them. 344 00:24:38,166 --> 00:24:41,133 {\an1}But I'm gonna get... 345 00:24:41,166 --> 00:24:44,500 {\an1}I'm gonna be part of the rules that control them, too. 346 00:24:44,533 --> 00:24:49,966 ♪♪ 347 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,066 -Dean only faces these issues today 348 00:24:53,100 --> 00:24:55,600 {\an1}because of a pioneering restoration project 349 00:24:55,633 --> 00:24:58,166 {\an1}which began 25 years ago 350 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:02,166 in nearby Yellowstone National Park. 351 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:10,200 ♪♪ 352 00:25:11,266 --> 00:25:19,266 ♪♪ 353 00:25:20,300 --> 00:25:24,833 {\an1}Doug Smith was a key part of the project from the beginning. 354 00:25:24,866 --> 00:25:27,833 {\an1}-Well, this is one of the most beautiful areas in Yellowstone. 355 00:25:27,866 --> 00:25:29,233 {\an1}I've been here 25 years 356 00:25:29,266 --> 00:25:33,400 {\an1}and I've always loved this little spot. 357 00:25:33,433 --> 00:25:38,266 {\an1}We've got bison all through the valley, we've got elk, 358 00:25:38,300 --> 00:25:42,000 {\an1}we've got deer, we've got grizzly bears, black bears. 359 00:25:45,166 --> 00:25:49,366 {\an1}I mean, this is as good as it gets for America. 360 00:25:51,466 --> 00:25:54,200 {\an1}I've been interested in wolves since I was a small boy, 361 00:25:54,233 --> 00:25:58,000 {\an1}so I started working with wolves at 18 years of age. 362 00:25:58,033 --> 00:26:02,300 {\an1}So this is my 40th year studying wolves. 363 00:26:02,333 --> 00:26:04,500 {\an1}-After a long campaign, 364 00:26:04,533 --> 00:26:07,033 {\an1}the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone 365 00:26:07,066 --> 00:26:09,533 {\an1}was a special moment for Doug. 366 00:26:09,566 --> 00:26:11,733 -Here they come. 367 00:26:11,766 --> 00:26:13,533 {\an1}Yeah, this is history here. 368 00:26:13,566 --> 00:26:17,366 January 1995. 369 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,133 Big day. 370 00:26:20,166 --> 00:26:23,333 {\an1}-The park was chosen as a suitable location 371 00:26:23,366 --> 00:26:27,933 {\an1}because of its size and the large amount of prey. 372 00:26:27,966 --> 00:26:31,433 {\an1}-So we went to Canada, where there were a lot of wolves 373 00:26:31,466 --> 00:26:33,300 {\an1}and we caught wolves there. 374 00:26:33,333 --> 00:26:36,266 {\an1}We brought them down here to Yellowstone. 375 00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:41,666 ♪♪ 376 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:45,766 {\an1}So, bringing in 41 wolves like we did 377 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:47,833 {\an1}was enough to jump-start it. 378 00:26:47,866 --> 00:26:50,666 {\an1}Now we're a self-sustaining population. 379 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,566 -Today, there are about 500 wolves 380 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,666 across the Greater Yellowstone area. 381 00:27:04,766 --> 00:27:08,833 And they're having a huge impact on the landscape. 382 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:15,700 {\an1}-We're pretty close. It should be along this trail. 383 00:27:15,733 --> 00:27:18,733 {\an1}So, we're looking for any sign of disturbance, 384 00:27:18,766 --> 00:27:22,333 {\an7}maybe some hide and different bones that are left over 385 00:27:22,366 --> 00:27:25,900 {\an7}after wolves or bears have been at a carcass site. 386 00:27:25,933 --> 00:27:28,000 [ Flies buzzing ] 387 00:27:28,033 --> 00:27:29,800 {\an1}-Jack Rabe is a scientist 388 00:27:29,833 --> 00:27:34,066 {\an1}studying the effect wolves have on other animals. 389 00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:38,500 {\an1}-So, here we have the lower jaw from a yearling bison. 390 00:27:38,533 --> 00:27:41,966 {\an1}One huge thing that comes from wolves making kills 391 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,200 {\an1}is it feeds a whole ecosystem. 392 00:27:44,233 --> 00:27:47,000 {\an1}So, a lot of times these carcasses bring in 393 00:27:47,033 --> 00:27:49,166 {\an1}different scavengers like ravens, 394 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,000 {\an1}eagles, coyotes, fox, bears. 395 00:27:53,233 --> 00:27:55,000 [ Bear growls ] 396 00:27:55,033 --> 00:27:56,633 {\an1}[ Wolf whimpering ] 397 00:27:58,033 --> 00:28:00,166 -The wolves here are actually helping 398 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,700 {\an1}other predator populations to increase. 399 00:28:03,733 --> 00:28:06,100 {\an1}[ Pups squeaking ] 400 00:28:06,133 --> 00:28:07,900 {\an1}Because of the way they hunt, 401 00:28:07,933 --> 00:28:13,300 {\an1}wolves can even benefit their prey, like elk and bison. 402 00:28:16,366 --> 00:28:19,266 {\an1}-Wolves, they're what we call coursing predators. 403 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:22,466 {\an1}Once they send the prey running, it's gonna be much easier 404 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:24,666 {\an1}for them to target, you know, a weaker individual 405 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:27,300 {\an1}that's gonna be also an easier target for them to hunt. 406 00:28:27,333 --> 00:28:30,233 {\an1}So we've seen overall healthier populations 407 00:28:30,266 --> 00:28:32,300 {\an1}within elk and bison. 408 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:38,666 {\an1}-And wolves do something even more important. 409 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:41,133 -We call this "landscape of fear," 410 00:28:41,166 --> 00:28:44,600 {\an1}where it changes the behaviorof elk or the behavior of bison. 411 00:28:44,633 --> 00:28:46,200 {\an1}They have to be more vigilant. 412 00:28:46,233 --> 00:28:48,500 {\an1}They have to be on the lookout for different predators, 413 00:28:48,533 --> 00:28:50,109 {\an1}which means, you know, they can't sit down 414 00:28:50,133 --> 00:28:51,833 {\an1}in the valleys and graze 415 00:28:51,866 --> 00:28:56,833 {\an1}and, you know, not have to worry about wolves on the landscape. 416 00:28:56,866 --> 00:29:01,433 {\an1}-Elk, deer, and bison no longer stay in the open, 417 00:29:01,466 --> 00:29:04,033 so the areas they once overgrazed 418 00:29:04,066 --> 00:29:06,933 {\an1}are able to recover. 419 00:29:06,966 --> 00:29:10,900 {\an1}The return of the wolves is transforming the landscape. 420 00:29:10,933 --> 00:29:18,133 ♪♪ 421 00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:22,133 {\an1}-And now we see a great abundance of willow and aspen 422 00:29:22,166 --> 00:29:23,966 {\an1}in many different places. 423 00:29:25,900 --> 00:29:29,466 {\an1}And there was a signal of songbirds coming back, as well. 424 00:29:29,500 --> 00:29:31,100 {\an1}It's filled with birds, 425 00:29:31,133 --> 00:29:34,700 {\an1}and that's not what it was like 25 years ago. 426 00:29:34,733 --> 00:29:41,566 ♪♪ 427 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:48,366 ♪♪ 428 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:50,166 {\an1}And so I think back to the moment 429 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:53,566 {\an1}of letting those wolves go a lot. 430 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,800 {\an1}Here I am in younger days, better shape. 431 00:29:56,833 --> 00:29:58,866 {\an1}Could carry a wolf. 432 00:29:58,900 --> 00:30:00,500 That was fun. 433 00:30:02,333 --> 00:30:04,966 This was one of the most famous photos. 434 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,733 {\an1}It really captures the essence of a wolf. 435 00:30:07,766 --> 00:30:11,500 {\an7}This is the beginning of the Yellowstone story. 436 00:30:11,533 --> 00:30:14,500 {\an7}The wolf's looking out into Yellowstone. 437 00:30:14,533 --> 00:30:16,900 We don't know how it's gonna turn out. 438 00:30:16,933 --> 00:30:21,366 Is it gonna work? Is it gonna be successful? 439 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:23,366 {\an1}Certainly, Yellowstone's a better place now 440 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,633 with wolves back. The ecosystem's more whole. 441 00:30:27,666 --> 00:30:30,466 {\an1}Helping to restore a species that we wiped out 442 00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:32,666 feels very good. 443 00:30:32,700 --> 00:30:36,966 {\an1}But looking back on this is a strong sense of satisfaction 444 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,933 {\an1}that you've been part of something bigger than you. 445 00:30:39,966 --> 00:30:45,866 ♪♪ 446 00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:49,333 {\an1}-Wolves are now spreading across America, 447 00:30:49,366 --> 00:30:51,766 {\an1}reclaiming old territory. 448 00:30:54,633 --> 00:30:58,566 {\an1}They've got the space to do so. 449 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,633 {\an8}But in Europe, 450 00:31:00,666 --> 00:31:04,033 {\an7}where wolves are returning of their own accord, 451 00:31:04,066 --> 00:31:06,300 {\an7}the space is limited. 452 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,333 {\an1}They've recently arrived in the Netherlands, 453 00:31:12,366 --> 00:31:15,133 {\an1}home to 17 million people. 454 00:31:15,166 --> 00:31:22,000 ♪♪ 455 00:31:22,033 --> 00:31:23,600 {\an1}Much of the land is taken up 456 00:31:23,633 --> 00:31:26,666 {\an1}by intensive agriculture and industry... 457 00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:32,466 ♪♪ 458 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,066 {\an1}...leaving little room for wildlife. 459 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:39,966 ♪♪ 460 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:41,566 Despite this, 461 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,766 {\an1}the first few wolves are beginning to return. 462 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:51,033 ♪♪ 463 00:31:51,066 --> 00:31:53,233 {\an1}[ Sheep bleating ] 464 00:31:53,266 --> 00:31:57,366 {\an1}-[ Whistles ] Come-bye! Come-bye! 465 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:59,633 {\an1}-Daphne van Zomeren looks after her sheep 466 00:31:59,666 --> 00:32:01,966 {\an1}not far from Amsterdam, 467 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,700 where one of them has been sighted. 468 00:32:04,733 --> 00:32:06,700 [ Whistles ] 469 00:32:06,733 --> 00:32:08,400 {\an1}-I think it's very special 470 00:32:08,433 --> 00:32:10,600 {\an1}that the wolf is back in the Netherlands. 471 00:32:10,633 --> 00:32:13,566 {\an1}I'm really not afraid of the wolf. 472 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:16,800 {\an1}I think he's more afraid of us. 473 00:32:20,733 --> 00:32:23,133 {\an1}[ Sheep bleating ] 474 00:32:24,566 --> 00:32:27,800 I can't imagine that he would come here 475 00:32:27,833 --> 00:32:33,233 {\an1}and catch one of my sheep when I'm with them. 476 00:32:33,266 --> 00:32:35,233 {\an1}-And when she's not with them, 477 00:32:35,266 --> 00:32:38,933 {\an1}Daphne secures the flock behind an electric fence. 478 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,300 {\an1}There's only one wolf here at the moment, 479 00:32:45,333 --> 00:32:47,833 {\an1}but she's not taking any risks. 480 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,400 {\an1}-It's very important that all the shepherds 481 00:32:53,433 --> 00:32:54,900 {\an1}protect their sheep. 482 00:32:54,933 --> 00:32:57,766 {\an1}Then the wolf won't kill them. 483 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,833 {\an1}And then there is a more positive feeling about wolf. 484 00:33:01,866 --> 00:33:08,033 ♪♪ 485 00:33:08,066 --> 00:33:10,266 {\an1}-Ecologist Hugh Jansman is out looking 486 00:33:10,300 --> 00:33:14,166 {\an1}for signs of wolf activity. 487 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,100 -Since 2015, 488 00:33:16,133 --> 00:33:20,266 {\an1}we see more and more frequently wolves settling here. 489 00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:23,100 {\an1}But the idea that this system is now being influenced 490 00:33:23,133 --> 00:33:25,366 {\an1}by such a top predator, 491 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:31,600 {\an1}well, it definitely adds to the excitement, I'd say. 492 00:33:31,633 --> 00:33:34,000 {\an1}-By analyzing wolf scats, 493 00:33:34,033 --> 00:33:37,066 {\an1}Hugh can learn a lot about their behavior. 494 00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:39,533 {\an1}-This wolf has been eating wild boar. 495 00:33:39,566 --> 00:33:41,333 I can tell from the hair structure. 496 00:33:41,366 --> 00:33:44,133 {\an1}And here you can see a bone fragment. 497 00:33:44,166 --> 00:33:45,733 {\an1}We take a DNA sample. 498 00:33:45,766 --> 00:33:47,800 {\an1}and then we want to know if it is the female, 499 00:33:47,833 --> 00:33:51,166 {\an1}and that gives us information about our territorial status. 500 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:55,833 {\an1}She is probably settling down. So, yeah, very important. 501 00:33:55,866 --> 00:33:59,333 {\an1}-His studies show that, so far, this female wolf 502 00:33:59,366 --> 00:34:02,733 {\an1}is only preying on wild animals. 503 00:34:02,766 --> 00:34:04,700 {\an1}-Now we have wolves already surviving 504 00:34:04,733 --> 00:34:07,200 {\an1}for more than half a year in this country 505 00:34:07,233 --> 00:34:09,833 {\an1}without killing sheep in these areas. 506 00:34:09,866 --> 00:34:13,233 Yeah, good news. Very good for the ecosystem. 507 00:34:16,033 --> 00:34:20,166 {\an1}-Only three wolves have settled in the Netherlands so far. 508 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,233 It's early days in the relationship. 509 00:34:24,266 --> 00:34:27,000 Time will tell if we can coexist, 510 00:34:27,033 --> 00:34:30,500 {\an1}and whether the wolves will benefit this landscape. 511 00:34:32,566 --> 00:34:34,933 {\an1}[ Birds chirping ] 512 00:34:34,966 --> 00:34:40,533 ♪♪ 513 00:34:40,566 --> 00:34:44,466 {\an1}All around the world, we're helping nature to recover. 514 00:34:44,500 --> 00:34:50,766 {\an1}♪♪ 515 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:54,933 {\an1}And the foundations of life are the plants and trees. 516 00:34:54,966 --> 00:35:00,466 ♪♪ 517 00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:04,266 {\an1}Many restoration projects begin with planting, 518 00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:06,933 {\an1}which can kick-start the ecosystem. 519 00:35:09,033 --> 00:35:11,966 {\an1}But it is a complex process, 520 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,433 {\an1}as every place is different, 521 00:35:14,466 --> 00:35:18,700 {\an1}with unique soils and climate. 522 00:35:18,733 --> 00:35:21,300 {\an1}The hardest places to restore 523 00:35:21,333 --> 00:35:25,300 {\an1}are those that have laid bare for hundreds of years. 524 00:35:25,333 --> 00:35:32,633 ♪♪ 525 00:35:32,666 --> 00:35:34,800 {\an1}-Like many people, I grew up in Scotland 526 00:35:34,833 --> 00:35:37,566 {\an1}thinking that these wide-open landscapes, 527 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,600 {\an1}these vast expanses of grass and heather were natural, 528 00:35:41,633 --> 00:35:44,200 that was the way it was always supposed to be. 529 00:35:44,233 --> 00:35:46,700 {\an1}It's only since I've been an adult that I've learned 530 00:35:46,733 --> 00:35:48,766 there's something seriously wrong here. 531 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,100 There's something very fundamental missing 532 00:35:51,133 --> 00:35:54,133 from this view. 533 00:35:54,166 --> 00:35:57,533 {\an1}-Much of Scotland looks like this... 534 00:35:57,566 --> 00:36:01,066 Wild and rugged. 535 00:36:01,100 --> 00:36:04,700 But it's actually a heavily degraded landscape. 536 00:36:07,966 --> 00:36:09,900 {\an1}-This is what we call a peat hag. 537 00:36:09,933 --> 00:36:11,900 {\an1}This is a gaping wound. 538 00:36:11,933 --> 00:36:14,100 {\an1}It's an open sore on the land. 539 00:36:14,133 --> 00:36:16,900 {\an1}And what happens is, you know, the surface vegetation 540 00:36:16,933 --> 00:36:19,533 {\an1}gets broken up and deer trample and so forth, 541 00:36:19,566 --> 00:36:21,533 {\an1}and then erosion takes place, 542 00:36:21,566 --> 00:36:25,633 {\an1}the vegetation gets washed away, and the bare peat gets exposed. 543 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,366 {\an1}This was much more full of life in the past. 544 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:32,433 {\an1}And today, nothing can survive here. 545 00:36:32,466 --> 00:36:35,400 {\an1}And there's leaching of carbon, as well, 546 00:36:35,433 --> 00:36:36,633 {\an1}that's stored in the peat, 547 00:36:36,666 --> 00:36:38,333 {\an1}and there's no vegetation to store it. 548 00:36:38,366 --> 00:36:42,866 {\an1}So it's actually contributing to climate change, as well. 549 00:36:42,900 --> 00:36:46,333 {\an1}-These tree stumps are clues to the past. 550 00:36:48,666 --> 00:36:51,666 {\an1}This was once woodland. 551 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:58,200 {\an1}Today, the hillsides are bare 552 00:36:58,233 --> 00:37:01,866 {\an1}and much of Scotland's native wildlife is missing. 553 00:37:01,900 --> 00:37:07,200 ♪♪ 554 00:37:07,233 --> 00:37:10,233 {\an1}But one species is thriving. 555 00:37:14,166 --> 00:37:16,166 Red deer. 556 00:37:23,066 --> 00:37:24,800 {\an1}Innes MacNeill is head ranger 557 00:37:24,833 --> 00:37:27,400 at the Alladale Wilderness Reserve. 558 00:37:36,566 --> 00:37:39,266 -Well, I guess what people have forgotten 559 00:37:39,300 --> 00:37:42,266 {\an1}that historically red deer were a forest animal. 560 00:37:42,300 --> 00:37:46,000 {\an1}But as you can see, the forest is well and truly gone. 561 00:37:46,033 --> 00:37:49,266 {\an1}So to my mind, deer... 562 00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:50,933 {\an1}deer are the success story. 563 00:37:50,966 --> 00:37:54,633 They've adapted, and they love an open range now. 564 00:37:54,666 --> 00:37:58,633 [ Deer bellowing ] 565 00:37:58,666 --> 00:38:02,300 {\an1}-Thousands of years ago, agricultural development 566 00:38:02,333 --> 00:38:06,500 {\an1}led to the clearing of Scotland's forests. 567 00:38:06,533 --> 00:38:10,533 {\an1}By the 18th century, they were virtually gone. 568 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:15,966 {\an1}-There's not a lot of forest left. 569 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:21,600 {\an1}They say that there's between 2% and 6% of the original forests. 570 00:38:21,633 --> 00:38:23,600 It's not the deer to blame for that. 571 00:38:23,633 --> 00:38:27,400 {\an1}It's man that did that damage. 572 00:38:27,433 --> 00:38:30,466 {\an1}-But today, deer prevent the forest from regenerating 573 00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:34,266 {\an1}because they eat young saplings. 574 00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:37,466 {\an1}And numbers are so high, 575 00:38:37,500 --> 00:38:41,100 {\an1}it's Innes' role to try to keep the population in check. 576 00:38:42,533 --> 00:38:44,773 {\an1}-[ Whispering ] Get down, get down, get down, down, down! 577 00:38:47,566 --> 00:38:50,466 Alright, it's too good a chance. 578 00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:52,100 Can you see them? 579 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,866 Just be careful, careful, careful. 580 00:39:18,333 --> 00:39:19,500 [ Gun cocks ] 581 00:39:19,533 --> 00:39:20,933 [ Gunshot ] 582 00:39:24,666 --> 00:39:26,500 {\an1}-Each year, Innes and his team 583 00:39:26,533 --> 00:39:31,100 {\an1}kill up to 350 deer on this estate. 584 00:39:31,133 --> 00:39:34,966 {\an1}The work is difficult, but necessary. 585 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,766 {\an1}-Some people will probably find it, you know, 586 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,566 {\an1}hard to understand that we do respect the deer 587 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:43,166 {\an1}when we cull so many of them. 588 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:47,833 {\an1}But you've got to switch off to that part. 589 00:39:47,866 --> 00:39:52,033 {\an1}I guess it's worth taking on the role of the predator. 590 00:39:52,066 --> 00:39:55,000 {\an1}We don't have any large apex predators in Scotland, 591 00:39:55,033 --> 00:39:59,700 {\an1}so it's our role to manage the deer population 592 00:39:59,733 --> 00:40:02,900 {\an1}and keep it, you know, in sync with the habitat. 593 00:40:02,933 --> 00:40:10,933 ♪♪ 594 00:40:11,766 --> 00:40:16,033 {\an1}-This action allows forestsa chance to recover naturally... 595 00:40:18,666 --> 00:40:22,433 {\an1}...so that more of Scotland may one day look like this again. 596 00:40:22,466 --> 00:40:27,033 ♪♪ 597 00:40:27,066 --> 00:40:29,633 Glen Affric... 598 00:40:29,666 --> 00:40:32,833 A beautiful land of ancient forest. 599 00:40:32,866 --> 00:40:37,466 ♪♪ 600 00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:39,666 {\an1}-This is what most of Scotland would have looked like, 601 00:40:39,700 --> 00:40:42,633 {\an1}in the Highlands at least, several thousand years ago, 602 00:40:42,666 --> 00:40:46,466 {\an1}and now we've got less than 1% of this old forest left 603 00:40:46,500 --> 00:40:48,066 {\an1}in scattered fragments. 604 00:40:48,100 --> 00:40:50,400 And Glen Affric is one of the best of those. 605 00:40:50,433 --> 00:40:54,833 It's the largest extent of least disturbed forest in the U.K. 606 00:40:54,866 --> 00:40:56,866 {\an1}So it's a very special place. 607 00:40:56,900 --> 00:41:04,900 ♪♪ 608 00:41:06,966 --> 00:41:10,000 {\an1}-Alan knows how important this ancient forest is 609 00:41:10,033 --> 00:41:12,633 {\an1}to Scotland's native wildlife. 610 00:41:15,033 --> 00:41:18,233 He also knows how little there is left. 611 00:41:18,266 --> 00:41:22,833 ♪♪ 612 00:41:22,866 --> 00:41:26,233 {\an1}-And I thought somebody should do something about this. 613 00:41:26,266 --> 00:41:28,433 {\an1}And for some time, I kept getting this feeling, 614 00:41:28,466 --> 00:41:29,833 until eventually it dawned on me, 615 00:41:29,866 --> 00:41:31,633 "Well, maybe the somebody is me. 616 00:41:31,666 --> 00:41:34,066 [ Chuckling ] Maybe I need to do something about this." 617 00:41:36,366 --> 00:41:41,733 {\an1}-In the early '90s, Alan set up a charity and began planting. 618 00:41:41,766 --> 00:41:45,333 {\an1}He installed fences to keep out deer and sheep 619 00:41:45,366 --> 00:41:48,266 {\an1}to safeguard the young saplings. 620 00:41:57,800 --> 00:41:59,600 {\an1}-So, here inside the fence, 621 00:41:59,633 --> 00:42:03,233 {\an1}there's been no grazing for 28 years now. 622 00:42:06,466 --> 00:42:09,633 {\an1}So, this is one of the first Scots pines that I planted here 623 00:42:09,666 --> 00:42:11,933 {\an1}in Glen Affric 28 years ago. 624 00:42:11,966 --> 00:42:14,033 And at the time, this area was a desolate, 625 00:42:14,066 --> 00:42:16,200 open, barren, treeless landscape, 626 00:42:16,233 --> 00:42:19,000 {\an1}just like the peat hag outside here. 627 00:42:19,033 --> 00:42:20,633 And this tree has grown really well. 628 00:42:20,666 --> 00:42:23,166 {\an1}It's now putting on over a foot of growth a year. 629 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:25,066 {\an1}It's really flourishing. 630 00:42:27,333 --> 00:42:29,433 {\an1}-Within Alan's enclosure, 631 00:42:29,466 --> 00:42:32,666 {\an1}the whole ecosystem is regenerating. 632 00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:40,000 {\an1}-This is bog myrtle. It's an aromatic shrub. 633 00:42:40,033 --> 00:42:42,066 {\an1}It's also highly palatable to deer, 634 00:42:42,100 --> 00:42:44,933 {\an1}so we don't find much of it outside the fence. 635 00:42:44,966 --> 00:42:48,466 {\an1}It's important because it has bacteria in its roots 636 00:42:48,500 --> 00:42:50,500 {\an1}that fix nitrogen from the air 637 00:42:50,533 --> 00:42:53,033 and it fertilizes and improves the soil. 638 00:42:53,066 --> 00:42:56,133 {\an1}It dries out the ground and it helps make way 639 00:42:56,166 --> 00:42:58,100 {\an1}for the pioneer trees like the birch 640 00:42:58,133 --> 00:43:00,166 {\an1}and rowans and willows to follow. 641 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,233 {\an1}So this is the process of ecological recovery, 642 00:43:03,266 --> 00:43:05,533 the process of natural succession, 643 00:43:05,566 --> 00:43:07,133 {\an1}which shows that this ecosystem 644 00:43:07,166 --> 00:43:10,600 {\an1}is returning to health and balance again. 645 00:43:10,633 --> 00:43:14,300 {\an1}-Alan himself has planted 50,000 trees. 646 00:43:14,333 --> 00:43:17,900 {\an1}The charity, nearly 2 million. 647 00:43:17,933 --> 00:43:20,866 {\an1}-So it gives me a great sense of hope and positivity 648 00:43:20,900 --> 00:43:22,600 for the future 649 00:43:22,633 --> 00:43:25,000 {\an1}that I'm passing on to future generations 650 00:43:25,033 --> 00:43:29,400 {\an1}a land that is going to be rich and diverse and healthy again. 651 00:43:32,733 --> 00:43:36,400 {\an1}-And Alan's not the only one. 652 00:43:36,433 --> 00:43:38,000 Across Scotland, 653 00:43:38,033 --> 00:43:41,400 {\an1}the rewilding movement is gathering momentum. 654 00:43:44,133 --> 00:43:46,700 {\an1}Beavers are being reintroduced. 655 00:43:50,833 --> 00:43:55,966 {\an1}Pine martens and osprey are naturally returning. 656 00:43:56,000 --> 00:44:01,566 ♪♪ 657 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:07,066 ♪♪ 658 00:44:07,100 --> 00:44:10,900 {\an1}The benefits of these restored forests are clear... 659 00:44:14,233 --> 00:44:16,833 {\an1}...increasing biodiversity... 660 00:44:20,133 --> 00:44:22,600 {\an1}...reducing the impact of floods... 661 00:44:25,300 --> 00:44:30,533 {\an1}...and absorbing carbon. 662 00:44:30,566 --> 00:44:33,233 Healthy forests, rather than degraded land, 663 00:44:33,266 --> 00:44:36,633 cope better with a changing climate. 664 00:44:36,666 --> 00:44:44,033 ♪♪ 665 00:44:44,066 --> 00:44:46,066 {\an1}[ Chainsaw starting ] 666 00:44:49,866 --> 00:44:53,600 {\an1}But the wrong trees in the wrong place 667 00:44:53,633 --> 00:44:55,833 {\an1}can be catastrophic. 668 00:45:05,066 --> 00:45:09,466 ♪♪ 669 00:45:09,500 --> 00:45:12,866 The Western Cape in South Africa 670 00:45:12,900 --> 00:45:17,300 {\an1}is famous for its ancient ecosystem called fynbos. 671 00:45:21,633 --> 00:45:26,200 {\an1}It has over 9,000 plant species, 672 00:45:26,233 --> 00:45:29,933 {\an1}many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. 673 00:45:32,133 --> 00:45:35,933 {\an1}They support a great diversity of wildlife, 674 00:45:35,966 --> 00:45:38,933 from insects 675 00:45:38,966 --> 00:45:42,700 to birds 676 00:45:42,733 --> 00:45:44,700 and mammals. 677 00:45:44,733 --> 00:45:52,733 ♪♪ 678 00:45:53,400 --> 00:46:01,400 ♪♪ 679 00:46:02,066 --> 00:46:06,633 {\an1}The fynbos is critical for the city of Cape Town, 680 00:46:06,666 --> 00:46:10,966 which in 2018 was facing a disaster. 681 00:46:13,966 --> 00:46:16,733 {\an1}After three years of drought, 682 00:46:16,766 --> 00:46:20,833 it was days away from zero water. 683 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,566 -Well, 2018, there was a very real risk 684 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:30,433 {\an1}of the city potentially running out of water. 685 00:46:30,466 --> 00:46:33,033 {\an1}-Councillor Limberg was the official in charge 686 00:46:33,066 --> 00:46:36,100 {\an1}of preparing for this situation. 687 00:46:36,133 --> 00:46:39,633 {\an1}-The city did have to take very tough decisions 688 00:46:39,666 --> 00:46:41,233 during the height of the drought, 689 00:46:41,266 --> 00:46:45,466 {\an1}and this is why we declared a local disaster. 690 00:46:45,500 --> 00:46:47,900 -It didn't matter where you lived... 691 00:46:47,933 --> 00:46:50,966 {\an1}beachside suburbs or townships, 692 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:52,966 {\an1}everyone was affected. 693 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:57,600 {\an1}-There was risk of greaterhealth issues around sanitation, 694 00:46:57,633 --> 00:47:00,933 particularly, and a potential risk 695 00:47:00,966 --> 00:47:04,900 {\an1}of lawlessness and violence. 696 00:47:04,933 --> 00:47:06,700 {\an1}-To conserve water, 697 00:47:06,733 --> 00:47:10,900 {\an1}everyone was restricted to 13 gallons per day. 698 00:47:25,266 --> 00:47:28,433 {\an1}Nontombi Lubisi runs a car washing business 699 00:47:28,466 --> 00:47:30,733 {\an1}in the Khayelitsha Township. 700 00:47:42,533 --> 00:47:47,700 ♪♪ 701 00:47:47,733 --> 00:47:50,166 {\an1}Water restrictions were threatening livelihoods 702 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:56,366 {\an1}in a country where 50% of people live in extreme poverty. 703 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,366 {\an1}It was potentially devastating. 704 00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:07,400 ♪♪ 705 00:48:08,833 --> 00:48:12,433 {\an1}Cape Town gets all its water from the fynbos ecosystem 706 00:48:12,466 --> 00:48:16,066 in the mountains that surround the city. 707 00:48:16,100 --> 00:48:21,833 {\an1}And the fynbos itself can cope with intermittent rainfall 708 00:48:21,866 --> 00:48:28,233 {\an1}because most of its moisture comes from regular coastal fog 709 00:48:28,266 --> 00:48:33,000 {\an1}when cold air from the ocean condenses over the warm land. 710 00:48:35,700 --> 00:48:38,700 {\an1}It's worked like this for millions of years. 711 00:48:42,700 --> 00:48:46,733 {\an1}But in this finely tuned landscape, 712 00:48:46,766 --> 00:48:50,433 {\an1}there are invasive species upsetting the balance. 713 00:48:53,500 --> 00:48:55,666 Alien plants. 714 00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:07,566 {\an1}-Oh, yes, here's a small pine. 715 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:11,266 {\an1}It's always good to get them when they're still this size 716 00:49:11,300 --> 00:49:14,266 because it's easy to hand-pull them. 717 00:49:14,300 --> 00:49:18,633 {\an1}So, slow pull, and out. There it is. 718 00:49:18,666 --> 00:49:21,666 {\an1}It shows quite a big root system already, 719 00:49:21,700 --> 00:49:27,233 {\an1}even though this pine is not even yet a year old. 720 00:49:27,266 --> 00:49:31,133 {\an1}-Louise Stafford, water director at the Nature Conservancy, 721 00:49:31,166 --> 00:49:34,500 is an expert on the ecosystem here. 722 00:49:34,533 --> 00:49:36,933 {\an1}-Most of the invasive species that we find 723 00:49:36,966 --> 00:49:40,233 in the watersheds of the Cape Town region 724 00:49:40,266 --> 00:49:44,600 {\an1}come from Europe and Australia. 725 00:49:44,633 --> 00:49:50,866 {\an1}-The pine tree was introduced 200 years ago for its timber. 726 00:49:50,900 --> 00:49:55,666 {\an1}-In comparison to fynbos, the pine trees are huge trees 727 00:49:55,700 --> 00:49:58,033 {\an1}with deep taproot systems, 728 00:49:58,066 --> 00:50:02,900 {\an1}and they actually use more water than the native species. 729 00:50:02,933 --> 00:50:05,133 {\an1}And if you look at the system in Cape Town, 730 00:50:05,166 --> 00:50:08,500 {\an1}about 70% of the watershed 731 00:50:08,533 --> 00:50:11,233 {\an1}upon which Cape Town depends for its water 732 00:50:11,266 --> 00:50:13,800 {\an1}is invaded by alien plants. 733 00:50:13,833 --> 00:50:21,833 ♪♪ 734 00:50:22,633 --> 00:50:24,433 {\an1}The region is losing 735 00:50:24,466 --> 00:50:28,066 {\an1}55.5 billion liters of water every year 736 00:50:28,100 --> 00:50:31,866 {\an1}as a result of alien plants in the catchments. 737 00:50:31,900 --> 00:50:35,266 {\an1}And it equates to about two months' water supply 738 00:50:35,300 --> 00:50:39,666 just for the city of Cape Town itself. 739 00:50:39,700 --> 00:50:42,666 -The war against these aliens is on. 740 00:50:42,700 --> 00:50:45,100 {\an1}[ Helicopter blades whirring ] 741 00:50:49,366 --> 00:50:50,733 {\an1}A specially trained team 742 00:50:50,766 --> 00:50:54,033 {\an1}is taken to the most inaccessible places. 743 00:51:04,566 --> 00:51:06,133 -Come on, guys. 744 00:51:06,166 --> 00:51:10,100 We're gonna chop down some trees at the bottom there. 745 00:51:16,466 --> 00:51:23,233 {\an1}Cedric November and Po Malawu are part of the team. 746 00:51:23,266 --> 00:51:26,366 {\an1}I'm cutting because this pine tree was drinking 747 00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:31,033 {\an1}200 liters in the day, water. 748 00:51:31,066 --> 00:51:34,800 {\an1}-I would say it's very important because by cutting down this 749 00:51:34,833 --> 00:51:39,300 {\an1}that is taking such much water from our country and our land, 750 00:51:39,333 --> 00:51:42,233 {\an1}it's actually saving lives. 751 00:51:42,266 --> 00:51:48,566 {\an1}-Each pine tree can drink up to 9 gallons of water a day... 752 00:51:48,600 --> 00:51:53,400 {\an1}almost as much as people were allowed during the crisis. 753 00:51:53,433 --> 00:51:57,000 {\an1}[ Chainsaw whirring ] 754 00:51:57,033 --> 00:52:00,266 [ Saw rasping ] 755 00:52:00,300 --> 00:52:03,266 {\an1}It's estimated that these clearing efforts so far 756 00:52:03,300 --> 00:52:07,433 have saved over 6.5 million gallons of water. 757 00:52:07,466 --> 00:52:15,466 ♪♪ 758 00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:23,600 ♪♪ 759 00:52:23,700 --> 00:52:26,266 {\an1}But there's no short-term fix. 760 00:52:26,300 --> 00:52:31,633 {\an1}The invasive seeds can lie dormant for many years. 761 00:52:31,666 --> 00:52:33,433 {\an1}-So it is very labor-intensive, 762 00:52:33,466 --> 00:52:36,900 {\an1}very time-consuming, and a very costly exercise. 763 00:52:36,933 --> 00:52:40,666 {\an1}But if we don't do that, the losses will continue 764 00:52:40,700 --> 00:52:45,633 {\an1}and even increase... somethingthat this region can ill afford. 765 00:52:49,466 --> 00:52:53,866 {\an1}-In 2018, the rains did eventually come, 766 00:52:53,900 --> 00:52:56,700 {\an1}but well below expected levels. 767 00:52:58,433 --> 00:53:01,633 {\an1}It was just enough to avert the crisis... 768 00:53:01,666 --> 00:53:03,266 This time. 769 00:53:05,766 --> 00:53:10,266 {\an7}Cape Town isn't the only city struggling. 770 00:53:10,300 --> 00:53:15,066 {\an7}Many others around the world are under severe water stress. 771 00:53:15,100 --> 00:53:19,833 {\an8}♪♪ 772 00:53:19,866 --> 00:53:23,033 {\an1}Extreme weather like this is becoming more frequent 773 00:53:23,066 --> 00:53:25,533 because of a huge environmental challenge 774 00:53:25,566 --> 00:53:28,300 {\an1}that the whole world now faces. 775 00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:33,100 ♪♪ 776 00:53:33,133 --> 00:53:35,100 Climate change. 777 00:53:35,133 --> 00:53:43,133 ♪♪ 778 00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:47,233 Research shows the healthier the ecosystem, 779 00:53:47,266 --> 00:53:49,300 {\an1}the better it can cope. 780 00:53:49,333 --> 00:53:56,133 ♪♪ 781 00:53:56,166 --> 00:53:59,733 In this new era of understanding, 782 00:53:59,766 --> 00:54:03,633 {\an1}we know that the more of nature we can restore, 783 00:54:03,666 --> 00:54:06,933 {\an1}the brighter the future for our planet. 784 00:54:07,133 --> 00:54:08,973 {\an8}-Next time, on "The Age of Nature: Changing"... 785 00:54:12,866 --> 00:54:17,033 {\an7}We understand our planet better than ever before, 786 00:54:17,066 --> 00:54:19,133 {\an1}but the world is changing fast. 787 00:54:19,166 --> 00:54:20,466 ♪♪ 788 00:54:20,500 --> 00:54:23,933 Can biodiversity help us fight climate change? 789 00:54:23,966 --> 00:54:25,633 {\an1}If we allow it to, 790 00:54:25,666 --> 00:54:29,333 {\an1}nature can do more than we ever imagined. 791 00:54:29,366 --> 00:54:33,366 {\an1}It's time to turn to nature for help. 792 00:54:33,400 --> 00:54:34,720 {\an8}It's time for "The Age of Nature." 793 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:38,200 {\an8}♪♪ 794 00:54:40,200 --> 00:54:43,100 {\an8}-To order "The Age of Nature" on DVD, 795 00:54:43,133 --> 00:54:47,266 {\an7}visit shopPBS or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 796 00:54:47,300 --> 00:54:51,033 {\an7}This program is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 797 00:54:51,066 --> 00:54:58,966 {\an8}♪♪ 798 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:06,500 {\an8}♪♪