All language subtitles for Wonders of the Monsoon 5of5 People of the Monsoon

The monsoon.

THUNDERCLAP

The greatest weather system
on Earth.

The giver of life...

..and the destroyer.

Shaping magical lands

from the Himalayas

to Australia.

Its impact felt by giants,

the exquisite

and the bizarre,

where spectacular nature

meets the planet's most
vibrant cultures.

It all happens in one of the most
crowded parts of the planet.

This is the story of people
and nature

living side by side.

A story of the struggles they face

and of powerful beliefs

which link the ancient
to the present day.

THUNDERCLAPS

A Hindu temple, Mangalore,
southern India.

It's the height of the monsoon,

and today is Nag Panchami -

the day Hindus worship snakes.

Venomous snakes.

During the Indian monsoon,

rains flush them into
the paths of people.

Until recently, live cobras
were widely worshipped in temples.

It's just one example of the close
and complex relationship

between nature

and the people of the monsoon.

Our story traces back
to when humans first spread

across the lands of the monsoon.

The Philippine island of Palawan,
near Borneo.

Here lives a community
whose lives and beliefs

are an insight into how people
have lived with nature

for thousands of years.

Rolito and his sister Maria.

FLUTTER OF INSECTS' WINGS

To them, the natural world
is full of spirits,

and nature provides
almost everything they need.

Monsoon storms are approaching

and Tata is getting prepared.

To him, even the clouds have spirits

and they can be vengeful.

THUNDERCLAPS

He must keep his family
safe from harm.

ROLLING THUNDER

Their wooden shack isn't designed
to survive the malevolent storms.

For the months of the monsoon,

they will live
as their ancestors did -

as hunter-gatherers in a cave,

relying on what the forest provides.

PELTING RAIN, ROLLING THUNDER

BIRDSONG

When hunting,
Tata wears a loincloth,

as clothes get wet and rub

and can snare on thorns.

Joined by his father-in-law
and brother,

they use rattan vine
to make a hunting weapon.

The rattan has hooked spines
that pierce flesh

and are hard to dislodge.

The Palawan hunters
believe their very survival

is in the hands of the spirits
all around them -

in the rocks,

the water,

the trees.

The spirits are their guardians,

but can also inflict great hardship.

If the hunt is to be successful,

they need the spirits' blessing.

First, they must flush out
their prey...

Bats.

As they try to escape,

Tata is waiting.

BATS SCREECH

Bat kebab.

Together with a few tubers,

it's a nourishing meal
for the whole family.

FAMILY CHATS TOGETHER

And there's nothing
like a family meal

for elders to hand down
their wisdom.

Worship of natural spirits
is considered to be

the world's oldest
belief system.

Perhaps this is how everyone
once lived

across the lands of the monsoon.

But around 10,000 years ago,
everything changed.

People discovered a new way to
survive the extremes of the monsoon,

all thanks
to a wild marshland grass...

Rice.

The perfect monsoon crop.

It's planted at the time
of the flood.

The grains can then be stored
and eaten throughout the dry season.

Agriculture spread rapidly
from southern China,

across the whole region.

On its riches were built
the region's first towns and cities.

But this progress came at a cost.

For the first time, wildlife was
expelled from the land...

..profoundly changing
the relationship

between humans and nature.

In northeast India, the monsoon
rains have been and gone.

ELEPHANTS RUMBLING

These elephants are hungry -

each needs over 100 kilos of food
a day.

Asian elephants
are forest creatures,

but the best food now lies
beyond the forest's edge.

The crop must be guarded
right through the night.

But the fields are extensive

and the elephants could be anywhere.

THROATY RUMBLING

DEEP RUMBLE

A group of farmers
on an all-night vigil.

SLOW, DEEP RUMBLING

ELEPHANTS RUMBLE

MEN SHOUT

SHOUTING ESCALATES

MEN SHOUT ALL REPEATEDLY

MEN BEAT ON METAL

The elephants have seen it
all before.

And besides,
they haven't finished their dinner.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS LOUDLY

This night alone,
the herd could devour enough rice

to feed over 1,000 people.

So the villagers can't afford
to stand by

and just watch their livelihood
being destroyed.

But these are unpredictable beasts.

Every year across India,

elephants kill up to 400 people

in conflicts like this.

MEN SHOUT AND BEAT METAL

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

ELEPHANT RUMBLES LOUDLY

WILD SHOUTING

SHOUTS AND BANGING CONTINUE

The same scene will play out
every night,

until the harvest is in.

It's a battle as old
as agriculture itself.

You might think that,
with the rise of agriculture,

respect for nature
would have been lost entirely.

But it didn't quite turn out
that way.

Along with rice and civilisation
came something new -

organised religion.

By the River Tak in Thailand,

Kewalin her friends

are preparing for
an annual Buddhist festival -

Loi Krathong.

But they are making offerings
to a goddess of nature -

the goddess of the river.

Their prayers are to give thanks

for all that the monsoon waters
have provided.

In the northern city of Chiang Mai,

the festival is celebrated with tens
of thousands of sky lanterns.

Loi Krathong has its origins
in the Hindu Festival of Lights.

Hinduism and Buddhism -

two religions that flourished
in the monsoon lands.

Both with great reverence for water

and, indeed, for all of nature.

And in some places,

religion would have
a profound effect

on the conflict between people
and wildlife.

The Thar desert of Rajasthan
in northwest India

is a tough place to survive.

It is only made habitable
by a brief monsoon season.

Now, with the rains long gone,

heat and drought are intensifying.

A small group of Indian gazelles -

chinkara.

They can stay alive without water
for up to three weeks -

they get by on the sap
inside the plants they browse.

Over 68 million people
also live in Rajasthan.

Food is scarce
and the water sources are shrinking.

But even a chinkara has to drink
eventually.

Stealing is a dangerous act.

Luckily for this gazelle,

she lives among the Bishnoi people.

Bishnoi is a religion
founded around 300 years ago.

To Bishnoi followers,
all living things are sacred.

They willingly share their water

and their harvest with wildlife.

Here, where the monsoon climate
is harshest,

compassion and generosity to all
living things is most pronounced.

Bishnoi texts forbid the harming
of any living thing.

Only fallen branches
may be used for firewood,

for even the trees are sacred.

The strength of Bishnoi devotion
is revealed by an event

that occurred a long time ago,
in this very grove.

Sukramji understands the importance

of this defining moment
in Bishnoi history,

when their extraordinary devotion
to nature

was put to the ultimate test.

HE SPEAKS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE

When news of the slaughter
reached the ruler of Jodhpur,

he felt ashamed.

So he decreed that all trees
growing on Bishnoi land

be protected.

A law which stands to this day.

And so,
Bishnoi land remains bountiful,

supporting more humans and animals

than any other desert region
in the world.

But Bishnoi is a religion

still centred in the Thar desert
of northwest India.

THUNDERCLAPS
So what about the rest
of the country?

The dominant religion in India
has long been Hinduism.

And Hinduism has had a profound
effect on the relationship

between people and nature,

right across the country.

Sometimes in nature,
the smallest of creatures

have the biggest stories to tell.

In southern India, the monsoon rains
have brought relief

and streams are flowing again.

On the rocks in the middle,

you can find tiny frogs -

no bigger than a paper clip.

HIGH-PITCHED CROAKS

His calls have to compete
with the noise of the stream...

..so to claim a rock as his own,

he uses semaphore.

He's a foot-flagging frog.

It's a signal to rivals
to keep away.

But what's so extraordinary

is that while this little frog
may never see a human,

it almost certainly owes
its survival

to their religious beliefs.

And this is how.

It's Nag Panchami,

the holy day when Hindus
worship snakes.

In the countryside,

Savita is helping her uncles
make their offering.

Because of this shrine,

the entire woodland is sacred.

The snakes,
and everything within it,

are protected.

In India, foot-flagging frogs mostly
live and breed in sacred groves,

which is why they owe
their continued existence

to Hindu devotion.

Traditionally, every Indian village
had its own sacred grove.

And there's scientific evidence

that this vast network
has been crucial

for protecting much of India's
biodiversity.

So religion seems to have been
central to the relationship

between people and nature
for thousands of years.

But a few hundred years ago,

that relationship was threatened
like never before.

THUNDERCLAPS

European traders were drawn
to the bounty of the monsoon lands,

from India to Australia...

..culminating in the biggest empire
the world has ever seen.

ARCHIVE REPORTAGE: A mighty,
powerful, impressive structure -

such was Victoria's empire.

Millions upon millions,

all together under the flag
upon which "the sun never sets".

The newcomers didn't regard
the wildlife as sacred.

They were more likely to treat it
as vermin.

In just a few decades,

80,000 Indian tigers were killed.

But what the newcomers
were really after

was the land.

Forests were cleared,

the timber harvested
to build ships and railways

and the land planted
with cash crops -

tea and cotton.

Now, for the first time,

the lands of the monsoon were
supplying produce worldwide

on an industrial scale.

Millions of people were sucked into
this massive new enterprise.

It was part of the transition

that led to the world we know today.

Less than 2,000 Indian tigers
now survive in isolated reserves.

And a fraction of India's
native forests remain.

Across the whole monsoon region,

global trade and travel
have transformed the landscape...

..and the relationship
between humans and nature.

Perhaps the changes that have swept
through the region

can be symbolised by the fate
of one animal,

that once ranged
from Burma to Indonesia.

Siamese crocodiles
inspired legends of dragons.

But their habitat was destroyed

and they were hunted
for their hides

to near extinction.

A few survived in captivity.

But these youngsters are special.

They are of wild blood.

Recently,
a new population was discovered,

breeding in a remote forest
in Cambodia.

This conservation team brought some
eggs to the safety of a sanctuary.

In the wild,
few crocs survive to adulthood,

but these are now big enough
to make a go of it.

So they are being returned to
the rivers of their native forest.

They have an arduous journey ahead.

Bikes are the only vehicles capable
of the bone-shaking journey.

Once, this was all
Siamese crocodile habitat -

they lived in rain-fed rivers
and lakes

and migrated out through
flooded forests during the monsoon.

The team that has nurtured
these crocodiles

hope that the species
will once again rule the wetlands.

They are taking the youngsters
into the heart

of the largest remaining forest
in mainland southeast Asia -

the Cardamom Mountains
of southern Cambodia.

Siamese crocodiles survived
in these remote valleys

because the local people
regard them as sacred.

They believe that if one dies,

misfortune will befall the village -

so they will guard
the crocodiles closely.

PRIEST SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

Crocodiles can live
for more than 70 years,

and each year,
a female can lay up to 50 eggs,

so these crocs could found
a new dynasty.

But being sacred
may no longer be enough,

for the needs of crocodiles
don't easily align

with the needs of modern Cambodia.

Cambodians need electricity.

Developments like these
introduce a risk -

they open up access
for illegal logging.

To some, it's the price of progress.

But lose the trees

and the monsoon itself
may take revenge.

REPORTER: Towns and temples
were destroyed by landslides.

Northern India,
during the monsoon of 2013.

Similar scenes have become
increasingly common

across the monsoon region.

REPORTER: Illegal loggers
have scarred the Philippines

in recent years,

their removal of trees
making the soil unstable,

worsening the floods
by adding tonnes of logs and rocks

to the torrent.

Healthy forests bind the soil
together and prevent floods.

They also remove carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.

Based on scientific calculations,
the forests of southeast Asia

provide services
worth over $1 trillion every year.

And all for free.

But the global demand for hardwood
timber just keeps growing.

And the forests of southeast Asia

contain some of the best-quality
timber on Earth.

Teak, ebony and rosewood

are wanted for furniture
and building materials,

from doorframes to plywood.

Wood from these forests
ends up in homes all over the world.

So is this the end
of the special relationship

between nature and the people
of the monsoon?

Here in Deramakot Forest Reserve
in Malaysian Borneo,

all is not as it seems.

Foresters are trialling a technique

called Reduced Impact Logging.

They are very selective -

they don't cut trees
that are too young or old.

And fruiting trees -
valuable for wildlife -

are marked for protection.

They don't flatten the whole forest,

but extract individual logs

so the forest can quickly recover.

Even access trails
will be engulfed by new growth.

Once harvested, each forest sector

will be left alone for 40 years.

Ditches are cut across
the bare trails

to prevent the soils
being washed away

by the monsoon rains.

Deramakot turns a profit,

while also protecting
the forest for the future.

But can wildlife really thrive
alongside the bulldozers?

Scientists are keen to find out.

It's at night that many
forest animals should be active.

A porcupine.

So there is life in these forests.

But what about the top predators?

Cats would be a good sign
of a healthy forest,

because they sit at the top
of the food chain -

if there isn't enough prey for them,

cats won't be here.

Borneo's cats
are notoriously elusive,

but there's no denying the evidence
of a camera trap.

Snapshots reveal a rich population,

and among them, leopard cats,

and even Borneo's largest cat -

the clouded leopard.

In fact,
the scientists recorded all 21

of Borneo's lowland
carnivore species.

So a commercial forest
can also be prime wildlife habitat.

It's all down to HOW it's harvested.

But now, there is a new conflict
in the tropics

that may be a greater challenge
than anything that's gone before.

Where they're still intact,

the forests of tropical southeast
Asia are luxuriant jungles,

among the oldest in the world,

and home to one of our
closest relatives.

A Sumatran orang-utan,
with her two-week-old baby.

It will take up to ten years for her
to teach him all he needs to know

to survive in this jungle.

They will spend their lives
up in the canopy -

their kind has evolved never
to travel on the ground,

for tigers also inhabit
these forests.

But around them,
the forest is being cleared.

BUZZING OF CHAIN SAWS

The land is wanted
for a new monsoon wonder-crop...

Oil palms.

Global demand for vegetable oil

has more than doubled
in the past 20 years.

And oil palms produce at least
five times more oil per hectare

than other major oil crops.

Their oil is so versatile,

it's found in a high proportion
of the products in any supermarket -

everything from biscuits
to washing powder.

It's perhaps the biggest
agricultural revolution since rice,

this time supplying the whole world.

But it's been responsible
for the destruction of rainforests

throughout tropical southeast Asia.

This mother orang-utan
and her five-year-old infant

are living in a remaining fragment
of jungle.

The oil palms that now surround them

have no branches
to support their weight,

so they're stranded, with no means
of reaching fruiting trees

or other orang-utans.

If they stay here,
they will probably die.

So a rescue mission is launched.

The team carry guns
loaded with tranquiliser.

She's been hit.

MEN SHOUT IN OWN LANGUAGE

The drug will take effect
within 10 minutes.

The aim is not to hurt her,

but she's going to fall
from the tree.

Rico is a vet.

He checks the orang-utan
hasn't been injured by the fall.

She's in good health.

While the mother sleeps,

her infant is also darted
and caught.

She may not feel it when she wakes,

but she's a lucky orang-utan.

The plan is to release her
and her infant

in a national park
where they will be safe.

THUNDERCLAPS

It's a long drive
through a landscape

dominated by the palm industry.

But there could just be
a glimmer of hope

for orang-utans and their forests.

Global concern from consumers
has prompted some producers

to commit to sustainable
palm oil production,

planting on land
already claimed for agriculture,

without clearing any more forests.

So perhaps the people of the monsoon
can find ways

to meet the world's demand
for palm oil and timber

that minimise conflict
with wildlife.

The special relationship

between nature
and the people of the monsoon

lives on.

Thanks to the monsoon's bounty,

a richness of cultures and wildlife
still flourishes here.

There have been huge challenges,

especially in modern times.

But the future of the region,
and all that live here,

no longer depends only
on the humanity and compassion

of local people.

Now, through global trade,
we are all connected

to this wonderful, exotic world,

and have a part to play
in its future.

For producer and cameraman
Jon Clay,

filming an orang-utan rescue

was to be his most challenging
shoot.

He's joining an experienced team

who have rescued more
than 50 of these great apes.

It was a real baptism of fire.

The moment I was there,
they were ready.

They were out there,
catching orang-utan.

This forest will soon be chopped
down to make way for palm oil.

The rescue team need to move
the orang-utan before it's too late.

These guys are amazing.

They are so good at what they do.

Number one priority - the orang-utan.

I'm just there to film what I can.

To get the orang-utan
into a safe position,

they bang the trees.

On the ground,

it's tough for Jon and the crew
to keep up.

And it's fast! The rescue team
are following the orang-utan -

and they're better at it than I was.

And we were trying to follow them.

It takes two hours to get the
orang-utan into a safe position -

ready for the tranquiliser.

TRANQUILISER GUN FIRES

The team get ready to catch.

Suddenly, the orang-utan fell
out of the tree.

At that point, my heart went out
to that orang-utan -

I guess because there is something
about an orang-utan that is so human.

It brought it home to me,

what an important job
the team are doing.

Because if these guys
weren't doing this,

this orang-utan would have
no future.

But the most difficult rescue
the team had ever faced

was still to come.

They receive an urgent call.

We filmed in a scene of devastation.

Just one after another,

trees were coming down
in front of our very eyes.

And then, on the other side,

was all the freshly planted palm oil.

BUZZ OF CHAIN SAWS

A short distance away,
in a tiny patch of remaining forest,

the team find a mother and her baby.

With the chain saws approaching,

time is running out.

WALKIE-TALKIE COMMS

Throwing branches
is a sign that she's scared.

The team need to act fast.

The guys are trying to get
a clear line of sight, to get a shot,

but they are also worried
if it falls...

That's a pretty deep river
right beneath there.

SHOUTS AND HAND-CLAPPING

Vet Rico's loaded the dart
with the smallest adult dose.

This could be his best chance.

It's a hit

Jon tries to keep up.

They must get a net
precisely into position,

before they fall.

Suddenly,

there's an almighty splash,

and commotion.

GUIDE SHOUTS IN OWN LANGUAGE

A guide rushes down the bank
beside me

and splashes into the river.

It's chaos.

SHOUTING

And what had happened

is the dart had not hit
the mother orang-utan -

it had hit the baby.

It was a real medical
emergency situation.

Yeah, I guess it is touch and go.

The guys are doing
everything they can.

I didn't think that orang-utan
was going to live.

I didn't think it had a chance.

And at that point, I really didn't
know if I should keep filming.

Because it felt...

..it was...

It was too tragic.

And yet, amazingly,
they brought it round.

WALKIE-TALKIE COMMS

If the best opportunity
that orang-utan had

was to go through that,

then...something's got to be wrong.

That was the toughest thing
for me to see.

Such a close call.

Erm...

But at the same time,
it really brought it home

just how critical the situation
is for orang-utans.

With her baby out of danger,

the team turned their attention
back to the mother.

They work into the night
to reunite mum and baby.

You know, I was there to film,

but, actually, when it comes to it,

and you meet the guys on the ground

who are dedicating their lives
to saving an animal,

it was inspiring and humbling
to see that.

Good luck.

ANIMAL AND BIRD NOISES