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The

They are hunting for one of the most
endangered animals on the planet,

a black rhino, an animal
poached for its horn.

But they aren't going to harm
her. Dume Svein and his team

are on a rescue mission.
I don't think I will ever stop

fighting for rhino, it's
just not possible. They're

setting up a new breeding
colony in a safe haven.

This female is going to
be at the very centre of it.

She weighs over a tonne and
there's only one way to get her out.

When I watch it fly
off, it's very emotional.

It's a beautiful feeling.

She is sedated and safe.
And in less than half an hour,

she'll be back on the ground
and starting a new life in a

project that could save her entire species,
thanks to Dume and his remarkable team.

We started making the very
first Planet Earth series just

over 20 years ago. Since then,
our camera teams have filmed

all over the world and visited some
of its wildest and most remote corners.

But the truth is that most of
the animals we filmed over

these last two decades are
now rarer than they were. And the

places where they live are in
greater danger of destruction.

But I've seen another change
in those years, a hopeful

change. A new generation of
remarkable people are stepping

up to save wildlife. They're
overcoming huge obstacles,

travelling to dangerous places
and sometimes even risking

their lives. To me, they are
true heroes. This is the story

of some of them.

Hidden in the heart of the Andes is
the Centro Hambatu Research Centre.

It's protecting members of
what is, perhaps surprisingly,

the most endangered
group of animals in the world.

Folks. These individuals are the
very last of their particular species.

They're brought here not
only for protection, but, more

importantly, to increase their
numbers. And the person to

find them, Jaime Culebras. I
was seven the first time that

I saw a frog and it just changed
my life. And ever since his

childhood, he's been exploring
the remotest places and

searching for the rarest
frogs. This is a leaf frog.

It's just amazing. It's impossible to not
fall in love with an animal like this, no?

But there is one frog
here that is very special.

His name? Sad Santiago. This
is Sad Santiago. And he's sad

because he's alone. He's
one of the last members of his

species and he needs a female.
Known as the Morona Santiago

Harlequin Frog, he may be
the rarest frog in the world.

While the other frogs here
are doing their best to increase

their populations, Santiago
has sat alone for four long

years. Maybe it's not the
most beautiful frog, but he

deserves love. Santiago has
now grown old. And if Jaime

can't find a female for him soon, the
whole species could become extinct.

The last place where one
of these frogs was seen was

high up on a mountain in
the cloud forest of Ecuador.

There's only one way to get there.

Joining him is fellow
frog hunter Darwin and

Jaime's partner and
frog scientist Francesca.

This is one of the wettest
places on earth and right now

it's actually the wet season,
the rainy season, so it rains

even more. Soaking wet and
teeming with bugs, it's a perfect

place for frogs. Most frogs
come out of hiding at night.

This place is extremely
wonderful, but you

have to be careful
where you put your hands.

Being with him is unusual,
it's not your regular relationship.

Oh, he's obsessed, he's really
obsessed. Streams like this

should be full of frogs of
many different species, but they

search all night and find nothing.

It's a silent forest, it's sad.

The sound of frogs is slowly
disappearing from our world.

The only place many frog species
can now be found is in a museum.

A key reason is the spread
of a fungus called chytrid that

can grow on the moist skins
of frogs, eventually killing

them. 90 species are thought
to have become extinct as

a consequence, and almost
600 more are now critically

endangered.

Before chytrid, I'm pretty sure
that you could walk through

the stream and see everywhere
many, many, many frogs on the

rocks calling.

I wish I had been born
before the frog disease.

Night after night, they search the stream.

At last, there is a discovery.
The sound is a... And I

don't know exactly where,
but it's there more or less.

We have it. A glass frog.
A really beautiful glass frog.

Glass frogs are becoming
increasingly rare, and one day they

too could disappear. But it's
not what they're looking for.

The fact is that countless
species go extinct unnoticed.

All Jaime can do is to continue
his search for a mate for Santiago.

But it is there.

That I found a female.

Ah. Woohoo. Sorry. Oof.
Ah. It's a female. Look, the size

is bigger than the males.
Wow. I feel so happy. The first

female. She could be the
cornerstone of a new breeding

program. Santiago will be
very, very, very, very, very

happy. Because she's really
beautiful. In my hand I have

hope. I have the savior of
these species for breeding

programs and for people
to reproduce it. I don't

know, it's like I just
have hope in my hand.

There are over 7,000 species
of frogs in the world. And you

may well ask, does it really
matter if a few go extinct?

Well, just look at this tiny
species of poison arrow frog.

Scientists discovered a chemical on its
skin 200 times stronger than morphine.

Now they are studying how it works
to create powerful new painkillers.

But the natural world is not
just one vast mention chest.

It's far more than that. It is
our life support system. The

fabric that holds our world
together. Remove a part of it,

a species or a habitat, and
there's no knowing what could

happen.

A prime example is the
forest elephant. They play a

crucial role in maintaining
the rainforests of Africa.

Dispersing seeds and making clearings
that are then used by many other animals.

We filmed these images in 2004
for the first Planet Earth series.

Nine years later, poachers came here
and killed 26 elephants for their ivory.

Including four of the calves.

Since that first series,
the number of forest

elephants across Africa
has dropped by two thirds.

But stopping the slaughter
is a risky business.

Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire,
West Africa. Part of

the global network in
the illegal ivory trade.

A stranger has flown in from
Vietnam. A hub for the import of ivory.

Elephants are my favourite
animal on Earth. Seeing how

they're being killed, that
just really upset me. And I just

want to do something,
anything I can. Her name, Chang

Nguyen. Her speciality,
infiltrating the illegal wildlife

trade by posing as a victim. I
have to change my character a

bit because normally I'm
very chatty and I like to smile, I

like to talk to people. But I have
to be cold and I have to be mean.

When you're going in, you're
dealing with criminals, you're

telling lies, you have to
pretend to be someone else. If by

accident you blow the cover,
it's possible that I'd be killed.

Chang is working with a
network of conservationists

called EECO. Her
contact here is Rens Ilken.

What is particular with this
new trade in West Africa is, as

you can see, a lot of the tusks
are from baby elephants. So

they're really down to the last
elephants. Last week, seven

people were killed. Seven
rangers were killed, so clearly

it's not just about the ivory
trade, but a lot of people,

rangers, that are being
killed as well. It's war. And

they're even going for the baby
elephants. Now Chang is set

her task. So I want you to
meet the godfather of ivory. We

already arrested him four years
ago when he had 400 kgs of

ivory, which he was supplying
to the Vietnamese community

linked to the Vietnamese
mafia. As he has been arrested

before, he might be very
cautious, it might be dangerous.

She prepares her disguise as a
businesswoman, but under her

jacket, hidden recording
equipment. Eagles undercover agents

have been following
the godfather for years.

Now is the moment to catch him.

This is your first meeting.
You're just going to discuss

and get to know each other.
See, they have the products.

Exactly. I'm going in, and I
need to sit facing away from

the door, because I don't want
people to see me with him. We

will be close by, and
nothing will go wrong.

Good luck.

She meets the godfather at a local cafe.

The secret cameras capture
the story. Nice to meet you. I

heard a lot about you. I'm
looking for an opportunity to

start working and doing
business over here. So you need

someone to help you do your
business. So they want to know

exactly what you need
from us. From you? Yes.

I heard that you have
some interesting products

that I want, right? As
what? As elephant ivory.

But the godfather denies
having any ivory for sale. Ivory

elephant, I don't think so,
because here we are only working

wood. So we can get it here, but now,
now, for the time being, it's not possible.

Perhaps there's no ivory.

Or maybe he doesn't trust
Chang. It's a serious setback.

But there are other
traders out there. Perhaps

her presence in
town will draw them in.

Every day that passes,
more elephants are killed.

For Chang, this work is very personal.

When I was 23, I got the phone call. The
doctor told me that I had a bowel cancer.

The first thing that popped up
in my mind was, I'm so young,

how can I get cancer? Once
you have cancer, you don't know

how long you're going to
live for. And if I want to do

anything, then I should just
do it now. And that's when I

said, OK, I'm just going to
do undercover, because I don't

know when I'm going to die,
I might as well do something

really meaningful.

Currently, Chang is in remission.

Three days later, there's a breakthrough.

A video sent by a trader.

I can see that this video has
about 14, 15 ivory. They are

big tusks, they are also
small tusks as well. It obviously

comes from baby elephants.
The bait has been given to Chang,

The bait has been taken. Chang
and the Eagle team must act

fast.

She goes to meet the new targets.

First job, gain their trust.

Cheers! Cheers! We have a
hotel room, let us go there. You

know, we need to wait, how
much the items are, and then we

just give the money, he go his
way, I go my way. Eventually,

Chang persuades the traders
to move to a hotel room nearby

to weigh the ivory and
make the transaction.

Close it all, close it all.

Ivory is sold at a kilo.
That is just over 20. 20.2?

A whole elephant family
was killed for this haul.

It's worth over 5,000 pounds.
Here, that is a year's salary.

What the traders don't
realize is that the police

are in the room above,
waiting for a text from Chang.

Let's go.

Who is that? Service? Yes.
Who is that? The reception. Okay.

Do you go open the door? Put it back in.

Police! Move, move, move!

Move, move, move! Wait,
wait, wait! Move! Wait!

Don't know, don't know, don't
know! What's going on? Don't

know! What's going on? For
her own safety, she has to keep

her cover story and behave
as a criminal. It's a dog!

Which means she must also
be arrested. What's going on?

A link in

the global supply chain broken.

Okay.

Chang is whisked away
whilst the traders are taken to

the police station. None the
wiser about her involvement.

Over the next year, Eagle
catch 140 more traffickers

in the fight against
the global wildlife trade.

But for Chang, this is her
last operation. It's why we can

show her face. I have been
doing undercover work and sting

operation for quite a while
and it can be really stressful.

It's not safe for her to stay a
minute longer than necessary.

Chang's final task is to
vanish from Abidjan. Forever.

Across the world, the numbers
of wild animals are falling

alarmingly. In just two decades,
since we started making the

first Planet Earth series, the
abundance of wildlife around

the globe has dropped on
average by over 30%. We are facing

a disaster, a catastrophe.
Scientists say that we're on

the edge of a mass extinction.
It's being caused by human

activity, so humans also
have the power to stop it.

It takes many qualities
to save even one species.

Determination.

Courage.

And passion.

And often, there's another ingredient
that's needed. The ability to think big.

In Vienna, Katharina Huchler
is just starting a new job. The

pay is terrible. The hours
are long. And there are no days

off. She is about to
become a foster mother. Hi.

Hi. Good morning. Hi. And
these are her new babies.

28 of one of the world's
rarest birds. The northern bald

ibis. You really quickly fall
in love with them. They were

hunted to extinction in Europe
over 400 years ago. These

chicks were born in a zoo.
Katharina's task is to teach them

to become wild, free birds.

To do that, she must convince
them that she's their mother.

It's a process called imprinting.
While it's happening, the

chicks must never see or hear
any other human except Helena,

who is an ibis foster mum
for the second time. They must

always wear identical yellow
clothes and repeat the same

noises again and again. We
mimic the sounds the adults make.

It's like...

But I'm not good yet at doing
it. Goodnight, Jane. They're

here when the chicks fall
asleep. Sleep well. And the first

thing they see when they awake.
Good morning, wildies. Let's

have something to eat, shall
we? Yes. They are a bit like

every human baby. They
just need their food bit by bit by

bit all day long. Yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes. Oh, no. We did it

all wrong. It's really like
changing the nappies of babies.

28 mouths to feed and
bottoms to wipe. And all the time

talking to the birds. Come,
come, wildies, come, come.

Feeling really tired. Yeah,
I'd really like to sleep a

little bit more. As the weeks
pass, the bond grows. And

then it is time for the next
stage in becoming wild birds.

They move to a field in the Austrian Alps.

They've now grown their
adult flight feathers. But there's

still chicks on the inside. So
the imprinting must continue.

With this hand gesture we
do, we imitate the bill of an

adult ibis and we combine it
with the greeting sound. So

this is...

All this imprinting is for
a very important reason.

These are migratory birds. In
autumn, they must fly south to

their warm feeding grounds
in Italy. And that is a problem.

They know that they need to
go somewhere, but they don't

know in which direction and
how far. So they need to learn

the route from their parents.
Their human mothers must

show them the way. And
that requires a little ingenuity.

This is where the
imprinting is put to the test.

Will the birds follow
them? Even in a micro light.

Getting too close is dangerous
for both birds and humans.

They're all in front. Oh,
oh, oh, oh. The lines are

in line. Now another
line on the left. All good.

After a wobbly start, at last
they settle in. It's beautiful.

The imprinting has worked.

Our birds did very well today.

But their biggest
challenge is still to come.

The Zillertal Alps.

A great wall of rock and ice.

It's going to be the most
important flight of their young

lives. It will take them to the
very edge of exhaustion. A

lot of young birds die during
their first migration. They

are still so inexperienced.
There's also danger for the

foster mothers and the pilots.
They have to be very careful.

If there is a problem with
the micro lights, there is no

safe place to land.

To gain enough height to
fly over these mountains,

they must find columns
of rising air called thermals.

A skill these birds would normally
learn by following their natural mothers.

It takes expert piloting
to find the thermals.

Once within one, it's
turbulent and unpredictable.

With every turn, the mothers must
make sure all 28 birds are following.

All 28 birds here. All 28 birds here.

At last, they make it
over the highest ridge.

From now on, it should be
easy flying. It's about time.

What we are trying to do apart from saving
the Ivies is trying to give hope to people.

you can bring back one species.
You can also do it with others.

The species once left
for dead, now has a future.

And they head for their safe winter
home in a protected nature reserve.

But as we have seen throughout
this series, many species

are losing the wild habitats
they need to survive.

It's the biggest cause of extinction.

Nowhere is this more apparent
than in the Amazon rainforest.

Our planet Earth crews have filmed
here many times over the last two decades.

And in that time, over 16,000
million trees have been felled.

To safeguard the countless
species that live here, the

forest itself must be protected.
And there's a force rising

up to do just that.

Alessandra Corap is one of
the leaders of the Munduruku.

They have been the guardians of this
part of the Amazon for thousands of years.

I love this forest.

It's the market, it's the
pharmacy, but the forest doesn't

only serve the people of
Munduruku. It serves the planet.

When she was a child,
this part of the Amazon

forest stretched unbroken
for hundreds of miles.

Now it's being carved up for mining, for
timber, but most of all, for agriculture.

This is the front line in the battle for
the Amazon, and it is a deadly one.

In the last decade, more
than 300 people have been

murdered in Brazil,
defending the environment.

When it protects a forest,
our lives are at stake. I could

be killed at any moment.
They tried to kill me twice. They

tried to kill other leaders,
burnt alive, inside the house.

The Munduruku, like many
others, many indigenous groups live

in isolated communities,
vulnerable to attack from miners,

farmers and lockers.

The Amazon's future is
decided 2,000 miles away.

Here, in the parliament of
Brazil, new laws are being

debated to allow the
exploitation of their traditional

tribal land.

But Alessandra has a plan.
To unite with other tribes

and organise a protest so
big that it cannot be ignored.

In Brazil, we have a lot of enemies.

And those who wear palitó,
they are creating war, creating

laws. In the past, it was with
the arrows. We fought for our

territory. Not anymore.

It's a three-day journey
to the capital city.

Trucks rumble to and from the fields.

Land that used to be rainforest. They're
carrying thousands of tons of soya beans.

It's shipped from the heart
of the world to the heart of

the Amazon across the world.
Not to feed humans, but to feed

livestock.

Eventually, Alessandra
makes it to Brasilia. News

of the protest has spread
all over the country.

200 groups have united in a huge camp.

From the north-east
of Brazil, Ixucuru. From

the southern edge of
the Amazon, the Carajá.

For ten days, they protest
against the proposed laws.

Alessandra and the other
leaders have created the

biggest protest by indigenous
people ever held in Brazil.

Later, one of the proposed laws was
passed. One of the laws was withdrawn.

A small but
significant victory in

Alessandra's fight
for Brazil's wild places.

The destruction of habitats
is currently the biggest threat

to the survival of animal
species. But there is an even

greater disaster on the
horizon. Our climate is changing.

Seasons have become
unpredictable and more extreme. Our

planet is getting hotter.

Scientists predict that if
the global temperature rises

by over two degrees, it is
likely to become the number one

cause of extinction.

To halt climate change, perhaps
politicians need to become heroes too.

Mohamed Nasheed is a
politician, the former president of the

Maldives. The doctors said
that they took 16 ball bearings

from all parts of my body. I
was unconscious for two days.

Over his political career, he
has been tortured, imprisoned

and recently survived an
assassination attempt. But during

that time, he's also fought
relentlessly against climate

change.

In Glasgow, on the eve of climate
conference COP26, he is addressing a rally.

So we come to COP26 to
find out whether we still have a

future. If we cannot have a
legally binding agreement not to

push global temperatures
above 1.5 degrees, my country will

be gone as will all the world's
coral reefs and most of the

rainforests. Is all this
devastation really worth it It's so

that we can continue to burn
coal and fossil fuel for a few

more years. I have spent a
lifetime fighting for my country

and with more determination
than ever because I know my time

on earth might be cut short.
Mohamed Nasheed's passion for

the natural world began the
first time he saw a coral reef.

My earliest memory is with
the ocean and the reef. We were

the first generation to actually
see the reef. Masks and

goggles came to the Maldives
in the late 60s, early 70s.

Once we started seeing the
reef as a living creature, we

were just dumbfounded.

But Nasheed's beloved
coral is now the habitat

that is most threatened
by climate change.

The critical tipping point
is a 1.5 degree temperature

rise. Beyond that, most reefs
will die, leaving nothing but

rubble.

When you think of a bigger picture,
then your own life is not so important.

It's what you want to get
done which is important.

Nasheed's aim is to persuade
politicians to cut the use of

coal and other fossil fuels.
He repeats this plea at every

climate conference. You need
to be able to convince people,

try to educate people. We
are in trouble. We will not

survive if the planet is heated
above 1.5 degrees. We must

act now. At first, journalists
are reporting on some eye

-catching promises made
by heads of state. 18 countries

have committed themselves
to a plan to stop using coal-fired

power plants. It is an election
issue now. That is why world

leaders have joined the
rhetoric. The next stage? Turning

promises into solid plans.
And Nasheed is busy working

behind the scenes. If they
don't agree, we will ring their

ministers, their presidents,
and get them online. I think

that's what we're trying to
do. So let's do this. How are

you, Prime Minister? OK, I
can hear you, but I can hear the

Prime Minister much clearer.
All countries need to agree to

the final text. And some won't.
People who want to continue

fossil fuel, I think, are the
bad guys. And people who want

to change, I feel, are the good
guys. Thank you, thank you

so much. After 14 days, this
COP closes, with some progress,

but also with big compromises.
An agreement was finally

reached this evening after a
key section on the future use

of coal was at the last moment
watered down. Without urgent

new commitments, the target
of 1.5 degrees will be missed.

It is disastrous. If you picture
this, if you kind of fathom it,

the coral will bleach and
they will die. And when they are

dead, the fish and the marine
life that lives there cease to

exist.

You would have thought that
your normal Prime Minister and

President would have a better
grip on understanding things

and not just go on and on and on
about protecting their way of life.

So it's frustrating to see politicians
who doesn't seem to understand it.

With current policies,
99% of coral reefs could be

gone in under 30 years.
Other habitats will follow.

You can't lose hope.
You cannot give up. I did

not stop. Nasheed
believes there is a solution.

The more environment becomes
an election issue, there will

be more action on climate.
Every time you vote, in every

election, please take the planet.

The challenge of saving
species can't be left to a few

heroic individuals working
against the odds. It's those in

positions of great power who
can make the most difference.

So ultimately, it is they
who must take the most

responsibility. Perhaps one
of our roles is to hold them to

account. Time is running out
for many species, but I truly

believe that if the right
decisions are made now, at this

critical moment, there
could still be a bright future for

all life on our wonderful planet Earth.

Whistle

Whistle

Whistle

Whistle