Original subtitles

(water flowing)

Water, is the key to life.

In some special places it's gathered,

cleaned, and stored.

Providing a haven for plants and animals.

Everything from killer dragonflies,

to carnivorous foliage.

From water loving cats, to secretive predatory birds.

It can be a nursery, a migration stopover,

a ladder, and a home.

This is wetland.

Reed bed, a dense almost impenetrable jungle of giant stems.

A predator slinks along the edge.

Cautiously, it's going in.

(bright upbeat music)

Cats and water, not two things we'd usually put together.

This is no ordinary cat.

Commonly called the jungle cat.

This feline's perhaps better known by its other names,

reed or swamp cat.

Stalking the wetlands of the Middle East and Southern Asia,

the tabby cat sized predator

finds plenty of prey tucked away in the reeds.

(quail wings flapping)

But quails are wary.

(bright upbeat music)

(leaves rustling)

Swamp cats usually live alone,

but this one's still teaching her daughter the ropes.

She's seven months old, and soon to be independent.

(water splashing gently)

The youngster still has a playful streak.

The turtle, or toy box on legs can't be ignored.

(water splashing)

Most cats don't like getting their feet wet,

but she has no hesitation following it into the water.

(water splashing gently)

Swamp cats are good swimmers, but not that good.

A curious young eyes are already focused on a new target.

The probing whiskers of a catfish.

(water splashing gently)

Thankfully mum's nearby to lend muscle to the task.

A big catch to land,

but it will keep the pair well fed for a while.

Soon, the young female will leave her mother,

and carve out a territory of her own

on the vast reed bed covered wetlands of Caucasia.

(soft upbeat music)

Those swamp cats are not considered endangered.

They are in sharp decline here,

and in many other parts of their range.

Because wetland, is being developed and polluted by humans.

(soft upbeat music)

It's thought that 40% of all species in the world

are dependent on wetlands, including people.

Clearly very special places.

Wetlands are defined as areas with waterlogged soil

wet enough to be populated by aquatic plants.

They are often places low in oxygen,

where little decomposition can take place.

They don't sound too inviting.

Mosquito laden, muddy swamps,

but they have some magical properties.

Wetlands only cover 3% of the earth's surface,

but they store twice as much carbon,

as all the world's forests combined.

Plant matter doesn't rot,

it sinks and gradually accumulates.

Over thousands of years, it lays down deep layers of peat.

The unique micro-organisms,

known as Pyrrophyta on that feed on the plant matter,

also filter the water.

(birds chirping)

They can remove 60% of metals and the harmful phosphorus

dissolved in the water.

(birds chirping)

The clear, clean water,

make them ideal places for sensitive amphibians to breed.

Even worthy of cold feet.

European morph frogs emerge from their winter sleep

just as ice unlocks the wetlands.

(frogs croaking)

One of the qualities of peat bogs and reed beds,

is that they can soak up the meltwater like a sponge.

Preventing more widespread flooding.

The water will gradually seep out over the year.

Keeping moisture levels just right for the frog family.

(frogs croaking)

When frogs are in the mood, it's nothing short of an orgy.

(frogs croaking)

The males use throat pouches to advertise their intent.

In theory, it helps the females choose their mates.

Though in reality, it doesn't look like

they have much choice.

(frogs croaking)

The males grab onto pretty much anything that moves.

(bright upbeat music)

Sometimes even the wrong species.

They have a special thumb for the job,

which is a rough surface for better grip.

And they cling on for dear life.

In a position known as amplexus.

Trying to make sure they're in the right place

at the right time to fertilize eggs,

as the female chooses to release them.

(bright upbeat music)

With more males than females,

romantic interludes look more like rugby scrums.

(frogs croaking)

Amphibians, unlike reptiles and birds

still need to lay their eggs in water.

They don't have shells,

just a sticky shield of jelly to hold them in place.

They will only survive to hatching

if the wetlands supports them.

But while some communities

are benefiting from the water directly,

others arrive to cash in on them.

(frogs croaking)

The mating frogs caught up in their fornication,

are a buffet to herons, egrets and storks.

(water splashing)

(frogs croaking)

The even enticer shy bitten from the reeds.

(frogs croaking)

(bright upbeat music)

In old English, this was known as a Marsh Tiger.

A well camouflaged ambush predator.

(frogs croaking)

In spring, the mass mating provides

bountiful nutrients for the birds

who will soon be breeding themselves.

Not all wetlands are open water, or reed beds.

Woodland can shelter pools.

Permanent areas with poor drainage and standing water,

tucked into the trees

they provide cover for secretive breeders.

Including a pair of Eurasian cranes.

(birds chirping)

Their nest, nearly a meter across

is piled high enough to keep it dry,

but close enough to the water, for it to offer protection.

A moat that can help keep foxes,

and other potential thieves at bay.

(crane trumpeting)

(birds chirping)

These elegant giants of the bird world,

pair for life and take family planning very seriously.

They'll only have one or two chicks,

and will care for them around the clock for months,

until they are ready to fend for themselves.

Ready for their wetland nursery.

The chicks can swim soon after hatching,

but they're dependent on their parents for everything else.

They will learn by following their parents' every move.

In their wet woodland home,

spring is only just unfurling its beauty.

But not all wetlands share the temperate seasonal changes.

The vast Amazon River basin covers one third

of the entire continent, of South America.

It's a giant drainage feeding rivers and fueling rainforest.

(thunder)

With mountain runoff and endless tropical rainfall,

it's a wet place.

And at its heart, the world's biggest tropical wetland.

The Pantanal both national park,

and world heritage site covers an area,

the size of Washington State.

It boasts the highest concentration of wildlife

anywhere on earth.

The rainy season tops up the Pantanal.

But during the dry season, the water levels recede.

The shrinking pools attract vast numbers of birds

to pick off stranded fish.

Caiman, usually considered antisocial,

gather and work together,

to scare their pray into each other's jaws.

(bright upbeat music)

10 million caiman, are supported by the Pantanal.

(birds squawking)

Predators abound across the region.

None more powerful, or spectacular than the jaguar.

(water splashing)

Another cat that welcomes the chance to get its feet wet.

Jaguars are powerful swimmers, hunting fish, turtles,

and even caiman in the water.

Today, is after another Pantanal specialty, capybara.

Looking like supersized hamsters,

these are the biggest rodents on earth.

And one of the jaguars favorite prey animals.

Capybaras are built like furry hippos.

Their eyes, nostrils, and ears are high on their head

so that they can submerge their bodies,

but still keep an eye on what's going on around them.

They'll eat plants in the water,

and come a shore to browse.

Giving the Jaguar a chance to strike.

(water splashing)

(birds chirping)

There's another famous rodent that's adapted for swimming.

It doesn't just live in wetlands, it makes them.

Meet the industrious beaver.

(bright upbeat music)

There are two clans of beavers.

The North American, and these, the Eurasian,

which once lived at the most of Europe and Asia,

but we're heavily hunted for their thick,

water resistant fur.

Weighing as much as a Labrador,

they're pretty junky rodents.

(bright upbeat music)

(branches falling)

(birds chirping)

Beavers are known as ecosystem engineers,

because by damming watercourses,

they flood areas, creating new wetlands.

They manage these so called beaver ponds,

building up, and taking down dam.

And digging canals to keep the water levels just right.

By making the perfect homes for themselves,

they reduce the amount of water flowing off a landscape,

lessening the downstream risk of flooding.

And then help retain water,

so places don't fall dry in summer.

(bright upbeat music)

As well as their dams,

and other water controlling structures,

the beavers also build a lodge

in the heart of their wetland.

The lodge is their home and nursery to their young.

Unlike other rodents,

beavers a monogamous, pairing up for the long haul,

and living with their kids

sometimes from several generations.

(beavers grumbling)

The lodge has different rooms.

Beaver doors are under water, to keep unwanted visitors out.

So there's a wet room, to dry off after swimming in,

and a dry room for sleeping, and looking after young.

They store food inside and during winter,

can hide there to avoid bad weather.

But in summer, the family take trips out to feed.

(water splashing)

They can eat pretty much any plant material,

and can even digest cellulose.

And so munch on tree trunks if they get desperate.

But their favorite food is the fresh leaves,

and bark of young trees.

To get to the green,

they use their endlessly growing, self-sharpening

chisel-shaped teeth to fill the saplings.

By coppicing the beavers,

keep a fresh supply of new shoots.

In doing so, they massively increase

the plant diversity of the region.

And the beaver ponds create habitat for other animals.

Everything from dragonflies to bats,

they're especially beneficial to fish,

including commercially valuable species like salmon,

trout, and the Scar.

(water bubbling)

(mumbles)

Amphibians also benefit.

(frogs croaking)

Nestled in the pondweed,

the frog eggs are ready to hatch.

(soft upbeat music)

The tiny tadpoles wriggle free off their jelly bubbles.

And from the word go, they're ravenous.

When they emerge, they resemble their fish ancestors,

with external gills.

They wriggle their way to food, plants at first.

But developing their jaws

to munch on bountiful invertebrates

that frequent the wetland.

In just a matter of weeks,

the tadpoles go through an extraordinary metamorphosis.

Growing lungs, losing their external gills,

growing legs, and absorbing their own tails.

And as they start venturing from the water,

they'll abandon any desires for a vegetarian diet,

hunting bugs instead.

(bright upbeat music)

The abundant insect community in beaver ponds

supports many birds.

The pickings are so rich, that the penduline tit,

has moved in, and is building its complicated nest

suspended over the water.

(birds chirping)

The name penduline, means hanging.

And this is why.

The delicate masterpiece is hand-woven

from plant seeds, animal hair, and spider silk.

Soft, stretchy, and yet strong.

The bird sculptures were once collected,

and used as slippers for babies.

(birds chirping)

The tits build them with the entrance pointing down

to keep their eggs and chicks,

out of the reach of climbing predators like snakes.

(birds chirping)

Weaver birds do the same above one of Africa's

most dramatic wetlands.

The Congo, has some of the biggest wetlands in the world,

and the biggest bodies of fresh water in Africa.

Nation sized systems of lakes,

canals at the marshes, support a rich community of animals

perfectly shaped by, and for, life in the wetland.

Pink stilts, help yellow-billed storks

to wade through the shallows.

Lechwe have long splayed hooves

to dash over water logged terrain.

The reed beds are surrounded by water,

keeping them out of reach of predators

like jackals and Wildcats.

A great starting point, the safety raising young.

Weaver birds are so light,

that they can build a condo and raise a family

on the giant grass like stems.

The master craftsman, and it's usually is the men

gather and intertwine blades of grass.

It only takes one strand tied tightly,

to lay the foundations from which

the architectural wonder can hang.

They have an entrance through the basement,

making it as inaccessible to child snatchers as possible.

But sooner or later, chicks need to leave home.

Some stumble out the door prematurely

before they're ready to fly.

Nothing goes unnoticed.

Another wetland specialist,

one of the most bizarre and mysterious birds.

One with a killer beak.

With its clog-shaped face,

it's easy to see how the shoebill got its name.

Its feet have a similar span to human hands.

Spreading its seven kilo weight over the swampy vegetation.

It can eat just about anything, even young crocodiles,

but has a favorite food lurking in the reeds.

Lungfish look like creatures leftover

from a long forgotten chapter of the earth's history.

They evoke a period in time

when fish were first coming ashore,

and beginning to breathe air.

But although lung fish had been around

for over 250 million years,

their breathing habits have more to do with adaptation

to changing water levels.

Their gills have atrophied, and are not much use,

but they have some of the most

primitive air breathing lungs.

Their needs to gulp at the surface,

puts them in the line of fire.

(birds chirping)

When the shoebill strikes,

it drops all of its weight onto its target,

and skewers it with the cruel hook of its powerful beak.

(soft splash)

60% of strikes are successful.

(water splashing)

Shoebills, build large nests on the reeds

where they are safe from disturbance and they are not alone.

The world over, millions of birds do the same.

Using islands in a sea of wetland to protect their young.

(soft upbeat music)

Whether it's a raft propped on lily pads,

or the home of white-winged tern needs,

or huge piles of sticks,

raising spoonbill chicks off boggy ground.

(soft upbeat music)

Like many wading birds, they seek safety in numbers,

nesting in large colonies.

Less social purple herons stay nearby,

and egrets cash in.

(jackals howling)

Foxes, jackals, and other predators

will patrol around the edges of the wetland.

But most of the nests are beyond their reach.

(birds squawking)

The most threatening predators to reach the wetland,

are the ones that fly there.

(marsh harrier screaming)

Marsh harriers, also conceal their precious nests

in the reeds.

To feed their chicks,

they hunt the other birds, sharing their neighborhood.

Most birds of prey lay a couple of eggs,

but it's rare for them all to survive.

Usually the biggest will claim all of the food,

and gradually cause the starvation of its siblings.

But here, food is so plentiful that all three,

despite the squabbling of being well fed and growing fast.

The myriad of species dependent on wetland

is massively diverse.

Insects do especially well.

(birds chirping)

Damsel and dragonflies spend a year or more as larvae,

living underwater, hunting tadpoles,

and other small aquatic creatures.

But in spring, they molt into their adult forms.

In both stages of life, they're predators.

Tiny tigers of the wetland,

catching other insects on the wing.

By feasting on mosquitoes,

everyone benefits from these dramatic creatures.

They reduce pests,

but they have one other important task to accomplish

during their short adult lives, to breed.

They dance to attract a mate.

(birds chirping)

(soft upbeat music)

The male holds the back of the female's head,

and they tour the wetland interlinked,

depositing eggs in safe spots, under leaves.

Insects attract a vast array of predators.

Some of which take surprising forms.

Drosera, a killer plant, commonly known as sundew.

The savage scrub has rounded leaves

that produce alluring drops of dew

that are irresistible to insects.

But the gifts are of course bait in a deadly trap.

They're sticky, globules of glue.

Once the plant senses a victim, it coils its leaves.

The plants secretes digestive enzymes,

glands on the surface of the leaf absorb the oozing remains.

The ability to feed itself means

that the sundews can live around acidic boggy pools

where there's not enough nutrients in the soil

for most plants.

Most wetlands are full of riches,

even attracting visitors from distant lands.

The ospreys of Europe, the summer guest.

(osprey squealing)

(soft upbeat music)

They're flown in from Africa,

knowing the wetlands of Europe,

will provide well for their young.

(osprey squealing)

The pair mates for life,

and keeps coming back to the same site,

adding each year to the nest,

which now towers more than a meter tall.

When sitting on eggs, and raising young,

the male does all the hunting,

bringing fish back to mum, who serves it to the family.

(osprey squealing)

But now that the chicks are close to fledging,

both parents work tirelessly.

Fortunately they're expert fishermen.

(water splashing)

Despite the fish eaters,

wetlands are a paradise for fish.

Perch move through the open water colon,

staying ever alert for the shark like silhouette

from the reeds of stalking pike.

The weeds shelter other hunters.

(birds chirping)

Turtles will eat just about anything they can grab.

Most of what they need can be found in the water itself.

Apart from a good place to lay their eggs.

They're hard-shelled eggs

need to be laid above the water line.

But if the site's well chosen,

the eggs get just the right amount of heat,

and moisture until they hatch.

The young, dig their way out and hurry to the pool.

(soft upbeat music)

(birds chirping)

There are plenty of dangers waiting for them.

Grass snakes, are as at home in the water,

as they are on land.

But some of the young turtles will dodge predators.

But once they're full grown,

they'll have little to worry about.

(birds chirping)

The grass snakes are happier hunting frogs,

and other amphibians.

In northern habitat like this,

reptiles will need to hibernate,

to escape the coming winter.

But for now, they bask on exposed logs,

and banks to enjoy summer sun.

(birds chirping)

(soft upbeat music)

With their chicks fledged,

and ready to make lives of their own,

the ospreys prepare to depart.

Heading south to spend winter in the warmer

wetlands of North Africa.

(birds chirping)

The hot days of late summer,

bring larger visitors to wetland.

A herd of red deer, use the cool water,

to make themselves more comfortable,

while they snack on aquatic plants.

The water might take the edge off the temperature,

but things are still hotting up for the deer.

(deer belling)

Their rout is approaching.

And flooded with hormones,

the stags are looking for rivals to test their strength.

(deer belling)

For every fight won, the stag's rank is improved.

The dominant male stand a much better chance

of winning mates.

(deer belling)

Seasonal change doesn't just influence animal behavior.

It can transform landscapes.

The wetlands by definition,

hold more moisture than the surrounding habitat.

Some still feel the pinch in hot weather.

Water levels can drop dramatically,

condensing fish into tight places.

Easy pickings for fish eaters.

But the fishes' hardship is short lived.

Building clouds have a silver lining.

(rain pouring)

The water is always welcome.

Sometimes too much comes at once.

(water flowing)

As water levels rise, wetlands enjoy temporary extensions.

Meaning animals that want to keep their feet dry

must move to higher ground.

(soft upbeat music)

The seasonal shifts can be even more pronounced in Africa.

When ponds shrink, the lungfish

reveals an extraordinary ability.

(mud splashing)

It can dig its way into soft mud, before it bakes dry.

It appears to be digging itself a grave,

but far from it, it's a hideout.

(soft upbeat music)

It secretes a slimy cocoon to protect its skin,

and then estivates, entering a dormant state,

similar to hibernation.

It can live like this for a year, but rarely has to.

(rain pouring)

Fresh rains will see it tunneling out as though reborn,

heading back to its reedy home.

(soft upbeat music)

Wetlands usually live up to their name.

They hold water all the time.

Though increasingly they struggled to do so,

and all because of us.

(water flowing)

We use, and abuse them.

Wetlands are filled, or drained

to pave the way for development.

(water flowing)

They offer a wealth of resources

that humans have long exploited.

From the harvesting of reeds for thatch,

for the cutting of peat for fuel.

Both practices that have been going on

for thousands of years.

(engine roaring)

To the fish and wildlife,

they have long stopped our larders.

And of course, the water itself is a resource,

pumped out for industrial use.

But all human activities have another impact

altering the blanket of gases in the atmosphere,

so that they blanket the earth holding in heat.

Making temperatures soar.

As a result of climate change,

some wetlands are drying up.

Does it matter?

It should.

By soaking up water like giant sponges,

wetlands help prevent flooding.

By slowly letting the water seep back out,

they reduce the impact of drought on the surrounding areas.

Half of the world's population

depends on food from wetlands.

(engine roaring)

Especially through eating rice, as well as freshwater fish.

Despite their importance, humans have destroyed

a third of the world's wetlands since the 1970s.

They have been drained for housing,

industry and agriculture.

And still 80% of our wastewater,

including that from homes, factories,

and pesticides from farming all go directly into wetlands.

It's shortsighted and wasteful,

especially as 40% of all living things,

including us, depend on wetland.

And that 83% of freshwater species, are already in decline.

(birds squawking)

But there's another far greater reason.

Wetlands may be our biggest allies

in saving planet earth.

(birds squawking)

They only cover 3% of the earth surface,

but they store twice as much carbon,

as all of the world's forests combined.

Their health is even more important

than the rainforest in terms of tackling climate change,

because they take in carbon, from the atmosphere,

and lock it away in peat.

And yet the protection of wetlands

rarely makes the news headline.

Perhaps because at first glance we see muddy,

sticky places fit only for mosquitoes.

But look again.

(soft upbeat music)

They have the greatest diversity of life.

Some of the most spectacular,

and beautiful creatures on the planet.

(soft upbeat music)

And wonderful wetlands

have been shown to be good for our health.

Both because we can exercise in it,

windsurf, walk, run, swim or both.

(children laughing)

But also because wild spaces

have been proven to reduce stress.

Studies have shown that time in a wetland,

can improve your mood.

They can literally put a smile on your face,

and it's easy to see why.

(bright upbeat music)