All language subtitles for The Age of Nature Series 1 2of3 Understanding 1080p

♪♪

♪♪

-Orcas.

They live together
in close-knit families.

Some pods stay in the same area
for generations,

like this one off the northwest
coast of America.

♪♪

In 2018, they hit the headlines.

-A mother orca
whose calf died after birth

is still carrying her baby
17 days later.

Watching this mother orca
express a very human emotion,

this outpouring of grief...

some are calling it
a "tour of grief."

Researchers say
that they're now concerned

for the mother's health.

-She's not the only mother
in difficulty.

70% of females
are miscarrying their babies.

The future of the whole
community is under threat.

The race is on to save them.

-Yeah, there's...
Oh, he's right there.

-These orcas are
the most studied population

on the planet.

And researchers now realize
their future depends

on a completely different
environment.

♪♪

-If humans get our acts together

and start thinking about
the whole ecosystem,

we're going to be
recovering the whales,

and ultimately, we're going
to be saving ourselves.

-Across the world,
people are studying ecosystems

and looking for connections,

giving us a deeper
understanding of nature.

♪♪

We're at a turning point
in history

and moving in a new direction.

How we live with nature now

will determine our future.

A new age is upon us...

the age of nature.

♪♪

-Strait Watch, Strait Watch.

-Strait Watch, go ahead.

-Hi, I just wanted
to let you know

we're coming on scene here

and we're just gonna do
some distant fluke follows.

-For 15 years, Dr. Deborah Giles

has been studying
this community of orcas.

-Gosh, the southern resident
killer whale population

is critically endangered.

We only have 73 individuals
at this point.

-Records show this is the lowest
they've been for 40 years.

-I've dedicated
my professional life

to trying to study them

to try and help answer questions

that will lead to, hopefully,
their recovery.

-Giles works with an unusual
research assistant...

-Let's get her out.

Okay, baby.
[ Dog barks ]

-...Eba the orca dog.

-Good girl! Let's get it!

[ Dog whimpers, barks ]

-Eba, it's okay.

-She plays a vital role,

sniffing out orca feces.

-Oh, my goodness.
Are you gonna get a poop?

[ Barking ]
Are you gonna do it?

Good girl! Let's get it.

- This is it.
- Yeah.

-This is it.

She took me to it!

Good job, good job.

Good job.

Nice!
- Did you get that one?

-This is like gold.
It really is like gold.

We can learn so much about
this population of animals.

-The fecal samples reveal
something surprising.

These orcas are feeding
almost exclusively

on one species of fish...

Chinook salmon.

-The sad thing is that
through the millennia,

700,000 or more years,

Chinook salmon was humongous
and abundant, and it was plenty

to keep a large population
of killer whales thriving.

But within 150 years,

we have completely decimated

almost all
wild Chinook salmon runs

that these whales
would have relied on.

-The whales are
severely malnourished.

The samples of their feces
can help explain why.

-The thing that samples
like this can tell us

is what actually...
What is this?

What was this meal?

So, was it salmon?

If it was salmon,
what species of salmon?

And also, in some cases,

if it's not too degraded,
what river it came from.

And not only what river,

but even what tributary
it came from.

It's like a gold mine.

-Chinook salmon spend
most of their lives at sea,

but return to the rivers
of their birth to spawn.

Rivers like this one...
The Elwha in Washington state.

♪♪

It flows through the old-growthforest
of Olympic National Park.

♪♪

♪♪

These streams and tributariesalways
provided a safe sanctuary

for the Chinook salmon to breed.

But 100 years ago,
everything changed.

Two hydroelectric dams were
installed on the Elwha River

to power industrial growth.

Migrating salmon now faced
an impassable barrier.

Unable to get further up
the river,

the survival and reproduction
of the salmon

was severely compromised.

Robert Elofson is from
the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe,

who have lived here
for generations.

-I worked in the Park Service
40 years ago,

and when you were
above the dams,

you never saw any salmon.

I would sit there and think
what a beautiful river it is,

and except there's
no salmon in it.

-It wasn't always like this.

-Before the dams were built,
there are stories

about enough... there being
enough salmon in the river

that you could walk
across their backs,

they were so thick.

-The size of them
was also remarkable.

A fish could weigh
up to 100 pounds.

♪♪

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe

had relied on salmon
for centuries,

so they campaigned
to get them back.

-The fight to get the dams
removed took about 35 years.

It began in the 1980s.

That's when
the environmental groups

and the tribe started work

for a phase-out removal
and acquisition of the dams.

-It was time for the dams to go.

[ Explosion ]

♪♪

In 2014, the river
was free again.

But no one knew if and when
the wild fish would return.

-I love being out here
with these fish.

-John McMillan
is a fish scientist

studying the recovery
of the river.

-The past 10 years
working on the Elwha,

I'd say, have been probably

the most special
in my whole life.

I think when I add it up, I've
snorkeled about 1,800 miles,

so a lot of time in the water.

And now that we've opened up
over 70 miles of new habitat,

we're starting to see the
Chinook salmon really take off.

I believe that my counts
of juvenile Chinook salmon

have tripled from what
they were three years ago.

-John has now recorded
a spawning run

of nearly 8,000 fish

and seen them in headwaters
60 miles upstream.

-Wow, there are a lot of fish
in there,

both juveniles
and adult Chinook.

And so far, it's looking like
it's gonna be an awesome year,

so I'm excited about that.

♪♪

-This rise in salmon numbers
has a far-reaching impact

on the whole forest.

The salmon bring vital
marine-derived nutrients

upriver...

♪♪

...providing a wealth of food
for others living here.

And their decomposing bodies
put vital nitrogen

and phosphorus into the soil,

enabling the trees to grow three
times faster than without them.

-Large-bodied, abundant fish
provide nutrients

and food sources literally
for the whole ecosystem...

everything from animals
that are here in freshwater,

from the insects to the birds,

to the orcas and seals that live
out there in the ocean.

These salmon are literally
a keystone species

that connects the marine world
to the freshwater world.

♪♪

-The governor of the state
of Washington, Jay Inslee,

has environmental issues
high on his agenda.

-Well, the Elwha Dam project,
when it first came up

as an idea,
it's like many ideas...

it was revolutionary.

It has been such a thrill
to see Mother Nature recovering

now that they've been removed.

I can't think of a more
inspirational place or story

than to see Mother Nature coming
back like a freight train.

♪♪

-Things are improving,
but we don't yet know

if it's enough
to help the orcas.

-Orcas are in a very fragile
position right now,

but we're not done yet,
and it's like many things...

we just need to go faster.

-Governor Inslee has issued
an executive order

putting together
a committee of scientists

and dedicating a budget
of $1 billion

to try and save
this endangered population.

♪♪

♪♪

-You only get one shot
to prevent extinction,

and so we got to make sure

we go faster
than we are even today.

♪♪

-Understanding how ecosystems
are connected

is a big part
of restoring nature.

♪♪

Life is a complex web

where every creature
has its place.

♪♪

As we learn more
about what that is,

we're in a better position
to look after them.

♪♪

Professor Fu Xinhua
has dedicated his career

to studying
an endangered insect.

He's created a l in theHuazhong
Agricultural University

to breed them safely.

-We have about 0.3 million
larvae in this lab.

-He's the only scientist
in China

breeding these tiny creatures.

-It took us about six years
to set up this breeding lab.

I'm quite proud of my work.

-These insects were once found
all across rural China.

Today, they are incredibly rare.

But Professor Fu knows
where to find them.

-Now we have to wait
for the dark.

♪♪

♪♪

-Fireflies.

♪♪

♪♪

When courting, they produce
a spectacle of light.

♪♪

-In 2005, I went to Sichuan
to find fireflies

and I found a plum
with many fireflies,

like stars falling in the trees.

I felt very excited

because I had never seen
such beautiful things.

♪♪

One year later,
when I went back,

the tree was still there,
but the firefly were gone.

I felt very disappointed
and sad.

That moment made me realize

that I should do some works
to save firefly.

-Because of rural development
and increased pollution,

fireflies are in decline
all across China.

[ Insects buzzing,
footsteps crunching ]

-I realized
something had to be done.

It was a race against time.

I collected eight
of the fireflies

and took them back to my lab
to breed them.

♪♪

♪♪

-Professor Fu needed a
safeplace to release the new larvae.

He chose an agricultural area

around a village
in Hubei province.

But first, he needed
to win over the villagers.

♪♪

-When I first spoke to farmers,

they thought firefly were pests
and they didn't like them.

I needed to get the local people
on my side.

-Xu Tanghui is the head
of the village.

[ Speaking Chinese ]

-Professor Fu explained
that the opposite was true.

They are a natural pest control
for the farmers

because they eat slugs
and snails.

Fireflies are an important part
of the ecosystem.

But their larvaecan only
survive in clean water.

For the reintroduction
to be successful,

the farming community
had to lend a hand.

[ Speaking Chinese ]

♪♪

Insects are essential
for a healthy ecosystem.

Some are pollinators.

Others, predators.

♪♪

And they're food
for other animals.

♪♪

Now nature is recovering.

The farmers are also doing well.

They're selling their rice
as organic firefly rice,

which fetches a higher price
at the market.

[ Speaking Chinese ]

♪♪

What Professor Fuhas
achieved here is remarkable.

But it's only the first step.

-So far, we have created an area

22 square kilometers in size.

It's a place where man
and nature live again in peace.

-He now has plans to roll out

similar projects
across the country.

-Because fireflies are very
important to nature,

I hope many people see fireflies
sparkling all around China.

♪♪

-It takes a lot of time
and effort

to reintroduce wildlife.

But it's essential
for our planet.

And it's happening
all over the world.

♪♪

We're putting endangered
animals back

into their natural habitats.

♪♪

♪♪

It can be very successful...

...but sometimes controversial.

Wolves.

We've had an uneasy relationship

with these predators
for a long time.

[ Cattle mooing ]

♪♪

Dean Petersen is
a fourth-generation rancher

in Montana.

-I woke up one morning
to two wolves chasing

15 to 20 cows,

just out from my house.

So I went to the other room,
got a gun, walked out,

leaned over my yard fence,
and shot one.

-Dean and his son Malcolm
run 800 cattle

over 6,000 acres of pasture

bordering wolf territory.

-Last winter, on the upper end
of the valley here,

there was one pack
of six to eight wolves

and they were harassing
a rancher's cattle

right by his house,
that he was feeding.

And I don't remember how many
confirmed kills there was,

but the rancher claims
14 to 18 cows dead.

-It's always been tough.

At the turn of the 19th century,

wolves were persecuted here
to the brink of extinction.

-I've never hated them,
but I've always admitted

they're hard to ranch around
or live around

'cause they cost you moneyand
they cost you time and work.

It is a part of living
in this valley

or living
in an unpopulated area.

That's where you're
gonna have wolves.

There is a mindset
that people hate wolves,

and I...

I don't know why.
They're just another one

of the creatures
that are here on the Earth,

and they're part
of the ecosystem,

just like I'm part of
theecosystem at this point in time.

And I can accept them.

But I'm gonna get...

I'm gonna be part of the rules
that control them, too.

♪♪

-Dean only faces
these issues today

because of a pioneering
restoration project

which began 25 years ago

in nearby
Yellowstone National Park.

♪♪

♪♪

Doug Smith was a key part of
the project from the beginning.

-Well, this is one of the most
beautiful areas in Yellowstone.

I've been here 25 years

and I've always loved
this little spot.

We've got bison all through
the valley, we've got elk,

we've got deer, we've got
grizzly bears, black bears.

I mean, this is as good
as it gets for America.

I've been interested in wolves
since I was a small boy,

so I started working with wolves
at 18 years of age.

So this is my 40th year
studying wolves.

-After a long campaign,

the reintroduction of wolves
to Yellowstone

was a special moment for Doug.

-Here they come.

Yeah, this is history here.

January 1995.

Big day.

-The park was chosen
as a suitable location

because of its size
and the large amount of prey.

-So we went to Canada,
where there were a lot of wolves

and we caught wolves there.

We brought them down here
to Yellowstone.

♪♪

So, bringing in 41 wolves
like we did

was enough to jump-start it.

Now we're a self-sustaining
population.

-Today, there are
about 500 wolves

across
the Greater Yellowstone area.

And they're having a huge impact
on the landscape.

-We're pretty close.
It should be along this trail.

So, we're looking for any sign
of disturbance,

maybe some hide and different
bones that are left over

after wolves or bears have been
at a carcass site.

[ Flies buzzing ]

-Jack Rabe is a scientist

studying the effect wolves have
on other animals.

-So, here we have the lower jaw
from a yearling bison.

One huge thing that comes
from wolves making kills

is it feeds a whole ecosystem.

So, a lot of times
these carcasses bring in

different scavengers
like ravens,

eagles, coyotes, fox, bears.

[ Bear growls ]

[ Wolf whimpering ]

-The wolves here
are actually helping

other predator populations
to increase.

[ Pups squeaking ]

Because of the way they hunt,

wolves can even benefit
their prey, like elk and bison.

-Wolves, they're what we call
coursing predators.

Once they send the prey running,
it's gonna be much easier

for them to target,
you know, a weaker individual

that's gonna be also an easier
target for them to hunt.

So we've seen overall
healthier populations

within elk and bison.

-And wolves do something
even more important.

-We call this
"landscape of fear,"

where it changes the behaviorof
elk or the behavior of bison.

They have to be more vigilant.

They have to be on the lookout
for different predators,

which means, you know,
they can't sit down

in the valleys and graze

and, you know, not have to worry
about wolves on the landscape.

-Elk, deer, and bison
no longer stay in the open,

so the areas
they once overgrazed

are able to recover.

The return of the wolves
is transforming the landscape.

♪♪

-And now we see a great
abundance of willow and aspen

in many different places.

And there was a signal of
songbirds coming back, as well.

It's filled with birds,

and that's not what it was like
25 years ago.

♪♪

♪♪

And so I think back
to the moment

of letting those wolves go
a lot.

Here I am in younger days,
better shape.

Could carry a wolf.

That was fun.

This was one of
the most famous photos.

It really captures
the essence of a wolf.

This is the beginning
of the Yellowstone story.

The wolf's looking out
into Yellowstone.

We don't know
how it's gonna turn out.

Is it gonna work?
Is it gonna be successful?

Certainly, Yellowstone's
a better place now

with wolves back.
The ecosystem's more whole.

Helping to restore a species
that we wiped out

feels very good.

But looking back on this is
a strong sense of satisfaction

that you've been part
of something bigger than you.

♪♪

-Wolves are now spreading
across America,

reclaiming old territory.

They've got the space to do so.

But in Europe,

where wolves are returning
of their own accord,

the space is limited.

They've recently arrived
in the Netherlands,

home to 17 million people.

♪♪

Much of the land is taken up

by intensive agriculture
and industry...

♪♪

...leaving little room
for wildlife.

♪♪

Despite this,

the first few wolves
are beginning to return.

♪♪

[ Sheep bleating ]

-[ Whistles ] Come-bye!
Come-bye!

-Daphne van Zomeren
looks after her sheep

not far from Amsterdam,

where one of them
has been sighted.

[ Whistles ]

-I think it's very special

that the wolf is back
in the Netherlands.

I'm really not afraid
of the wolf.

I think he's more afraid of us.

[ Sheep bleating ]

I can't imagine
that he would come here

and catch one of my sheep
when I'm with them.

-And when she's not with them,

Daphne secures the flock
behind an electric fence.

There's only one wolf here
at the moment,

but she's not taking any risks.

-It's very important
that all the shepherds

protect their sheep.

Then the wolf won't kill them.

And then there is a more
positive feeling about wolf.

♪♪

-Ecologist Hugh Jansman
is out looking

for signs of wolf activity.

-Since 2015,

we see more and more frequently
wolves settling here.

But the idea that this system
is now being influenced

by such a top predator,

well, it definitely adds
to the excitement, I'd say.

-By analyzing wolf scats,

Hugh can learn a lot
about their behavior.

-This wolf has been eating
wild boar.

I can tell
from the hair structure.

And here you can see
a bone fragment.

We take a DNA sample.

and then we want to know
if it is the female,

and that gives us information
about our territorial status.

She is probably settling down.
So, yeah, very important.

-His studies show that,
so far, this female wolf

is only preying on wild animals.

-Now we have wolves
already surviving

for more than half a year
in this country

without killing sheep
in these areas.

Yeah, good news.
Very good for the ecosystem.

-Only three wolves have settled
in the Netherlands so far.

It's early days
in the relationship.

Time will tell
if we can coexist,

and whether the wolves
will benefit this landscape.

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

All around the world, we're
helping nature to recover.

♪♪

And the foundations of life
are the plants and trees.

♪♪

Many restoration projects
begin with planting,

which can kick-start
the ecosystem.

But it is a complex process,

as every place is different,

with unique soils and climate.

The hardest places to restore

are those that have laid bare
for hundreds of years.

♪♪

-Like many people,
I grew up in Scotland

thinking that these
wide-open landscapes,

these vast expanses of grass
and heather were natural,

that was the way
it was always supposed to be.

It's only since I've been
an adult that I've learned

there's something
seriously wrong here.

There's something
very fundamental missing

from this view.

-Much of Scotland looks
like this...

Wild and rugged.

But it's actually
a heavily degraded landscape.

-This is what we call
a peat hag.

This is a gaping wound.

It's an open sore on the land.

And what happens is, you know,
the surface vegetation

gets broken up and deer trample
and so forth,

and then erosion takes place,

the vegetation gets washed away,
and the bare peat gets exposed.

This was much more full of life
in the past.

And today, nothing
can survive here.

And there's leaching
of carbon, as well,

that's stored in the peat,

and there's no vegetation
to store it.

So it's actually contributing
to climate change, as well.

-These tree stumps
are clues to the past.

This was once woodland.

Today, the hillsides are bare

and much of Scotland's native
wildlife is missing.

♪♪

But one species is thriving.

Red deer.

Innes MacNeill is head ranger

at the Alladale
Wilderness Reserve.

-Well, I guess
what people have forgotten

that historically red deer
were a forest animal.

But as you can see, the forest
is well and truly gone.

So to my mind, deer...

deer are the success story.

They've adapted, and they
love an open range now.

[ Deer bellowing ]

-Thousands of years ago,
agricultural development

led to the clearing
of Scotland's forests.

By the 18th century,
they were virtually gone.

-There's not a lot
of forest left.

They say that there's between 2%
and 6% of the original forests.

It's not the deer
to blame for that.

It's man that did that damage.

-But today, deer prevent
the forest from regenerating

because they eat young saplings.

And numbers are so high,

it's Innes' role to try to keep
the population in check.

-[ Whispering ] Get down,
get down, get down, down, down!

Alright, it's too good a chance.

Can you see them?

Just be careful,
careful, careful.

[ Gun cocks ]

[ Gunshot ]

-Each year, Innes and his team

kill up to 350 deer
on this estate.

The work is difficult,
but necessary.

-Some people will probably
find it, you know,

hard to understand
that we do respect the deer

when we cull so many of them.

But you've got to switch off
to that part.

I guess it's worth taking on
the role of the predator.

We don't have any large
apex predators in Scotland,

so it's our role to manage
the deer population

and keep it, you know,
in sync with the habitat.

♪♪

-This action allows forestsa
chance to recover naturally...

...so that more of Scotland may
one day look like this again.

♪♪

Glen Affric...

A beautiful land
of ancient forest.

♪♪

-This is what most of Scotland
would have looked like,

in the Highlands at least,
several thousand years ago,

and now we've got less than 1%
of this old forest left

in scattered fragments.

And Glen Affric
is one of the best of those.

It's the largest extent of least
disturbed forest in the U.K.

So it's a very special place.

♪♪

-Alan knows how important
this ancient forest is

to Scotland's native wildlife.

He also knows
how little there is left.

♪♪

-And I thought somebody
should do something about this.

And for some time,
I kept getting this feeling,

until eventually
it dawned on me,

"Well, maybe the somebody is me.

[ Chuckling ] Maybe I need to do
something about this."

-In the early '90s, Alan set up
a charity and began planting.

He installed fences
to keep out deer and sheep

to safeguard the young saplings.

-So, here inside the fence,

there's been no grazing
for 28 years now.

So, this is one of the first
Scots pines that I planted here

in Glen Affric 28 years ago.

And at the time,
this area was a desolate,

open, barren,
treeless landscape,

just like the peat hag
outside here.

And this tree
has grown really well.

It's now putting on
over a foot of growth a year.

It's really flourishing.

-Within Alan's enclosure,

the whole ecosystem
is regenerating.

-This is bog myrtle.
It's an aromatic shrub.

It's also highly palatable
to deer,

so we don't find much of it
outside the fence.

It's important because
it has bacteria in its roots

that fix nitrogen from the air

and it fertilizes
and improves the soil.

It dries out the ground
and it helps make way

for the pioneer trees
like the birch

and rowans and willows
to follow.

So this is the process
of ecological recovery,

the process
of natural succession,

which shows that this ecosystem

is returning to health
and balance again.

-Alan himself has planted
50,000 trees.

The charity, nearly 2 million.

-So it gives me a great sense
of hope and positivity

for the future

that I'm passing on
to future generations

a land that is going to be rich
and diverse and healthy again.

-And Alan's not the only one.

Across Scotland,

the rewilding movement
is gathering momentum.

Beavers are being reintroduced.

Pine martens and osprey
are naturally returning.

♪♪

♪♪

The benefits of these
restored forests are clear...

...increasing biodiversity...

...reducing the impact
of floods...

...and absorbing carbon.

Healthy forests,
rather than degraded land,

cope better
with a changing climate.

♪♪

[ Chainsaw starting ]

But the wrong trees
in the wrong place

can be catastrophic.

♪♪

The Western Cape in South Africa

is famous for its ancient
ecosystem called fynbos.

It has over 9,000 plant species,

many of which are found
nowhere else on Earth.

They support a great diversity
of wildlife,

from insects

to birds

and mammals.

♪♪

♪♪

The fynbos is critical
for the city of Cape Town,

which in 2018
was facing a disaster.

After three years of drought,

it was days away
from zero water.

-Well, 2018,
there was a very real risk

of the city potentially
running out of water.

-Councillor Limberg was
the official in charge

of preparing for this situation.

-The city did have to take
very tough decisions

during the height
of the drought,

and this is why we declared
a local disaster.

-It didn't matter
where you lived...

beachside suburbs or townships,

everyone was affected.

-There was risk of greaterhealth
issues around sanitation,

particularly,
and a potential risk

of lawlessness and violence.

-To conserve water,

everyone was restricted
to 13 gallons per day.

Nontombi Lubisi runs
a car washing business

in the Khayelitsha Township.

♪♪

Water restrictions
were threatening livelihoods

in a country where 50% of people
live in extreme poverty.

It was potentially devastating.

♪♪

Cape Town gets all its water
from the fynbos ecosystem

in the mountains
that surround the city.

And the fynbos itself can cope
with intermittent rainfall

because most of its moisture
comes from regular coastal fog

when cold air from the ocean
condenses over the warm land.

It's worked like this
for millions of years.

But in this finely tuned
landscape,

there are invasive species
upsetting the balance.

Alien plants.

-Oh, yes, here's a small pine.

It's always good to get them
when they're still this size

because it's easy
to hand-pull them.

So, slow pull, and out.
There it is.

It shows quite a big
root system already,

even though this pine
is not even yet a year old.

-Louise Stafford, water director
at the Nature Conservancy,

is an expert
on the ecosystem here.

-Most of the invasive species
that we find

in the watersheds
of the Cape Town region

come from Europe and Australia.

-The pine tree was introduced
200 years ago for its timber.

-In comparison to fynbos,
the pine trees are huge trees

with deep taproot systems,

and they actually use more water
than the native species.

And if you look at the system
in Cape Town,

about 70% of the watershed

upon which Cape Town
depends for its water

is invaded by alien plants.

♪♪

The region is losing

55.5 billion liters of water
every year

as a result of alien plants
in the catchments.

And it equates to about
two months' water supply

just for the city
of Cape Town itself.

-The war against
these aliens is on.

[ Helicopter blades whirring ]

A specially trained team

is taken to the most
inaccessible places.

-Come on, guys.

We're gonna chop down some trees
at the bottom there.

Cedric November and Po Malawu
are part of the team.

I'm cutting because
this pine tree was drinking

200 liters in the day, water.

-I would say it's very important
because by cutting down this

that is taking such much water
from our country and our land,

it's actually saving lives.

-Each pine tree can drink up to
9 gallons of water a day...

almost as much as people
were allowed during the crisis.

[ Chainsaw whirring ]

[ Saw rasping ]

It's estimated that
these clearing efforts so far

have saved over
6.5 million gallons of water.

♪♪

♪♪

But there's no short-term fix.

The invasive seeds
can lie dormant for many years.

-So it is very labor-intensive,

very time-consuming,
and a very costly exercise.

But if we don't do that,
the losses will continue

and even increase... somethingthat
this region can ill afford.

-In 2018, the rains did
eventually come,

but well below expected levels.

It was just enough
to avert the crisis...

This time.

Cape Town isn't the only city
struggling.

Many others around the world
are under severe water stress.

♪♪

Extreme weather like this
is becoming more frequent

because of a huge
environmental challenge

that the whole world now faces.

♪♪

Climate change.

♪♪

Research shows
the healthier the ecosystem,

the better it can cope.

♪♪

In this new era
of understanding,

we know that the more of nature
we can restore,

the brighter the future
for our planet.

-Next time, on "The Age
of Nature: Changing"...

We understand our planet
better than ever before,

but the world is changing fast.

♪♪

Can biodiversity
help us fight climate change?

If we allow it to,

nature can do more
than we ever imagined.

It's time to turn to nature
for help.

It's time for
"The Age of Nature."

♪♪

-To order
"The Age of Nature" on DVD,

visit shopPBS or call
1-800-PLAY-PBS.

This program is also available
on Amazon Prime Video.

♪♪

♪♪

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