1
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<i>Just 50 years ago,</i>

2
00:00:23,483 --> 00:00:26,319
<i>we finally ventured to the moon.</i>

3
00:00:40,374 --> 00:00:45,838
<i>For the very first time,</i>
<i>we looked back at our own planet.</i>

4
00:00:53,387 --> 00:00:58,726
<i>Since then, the human population</i>
<i>has more than doubled.</i>

5
00:01:04,232 --> 00:01:08,653
<i>This series will celebrate</i>
<i>the natural wonders that remain</i>

6
00:01:09,612 --> 00:01:12,323
<i>and reveal what we must preserve</i>

7
00:01:12,698 --> 00:01:16,911
<i>to ensure people and nature thrive.</i>

8
00:01:28,005 --> 00:01:30,007
[animals whooping]

9
00:01:34,595 --> 00:01:36,848
<i>This is a tropical forest.</i>

10
00:01:38,224 --> 00:01:39,642
<i>A rain forest.</i>

11
00:01:40,184 --> 00:01:42,353
<i>The richest habitat on Earth.</i>

12
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<i>Exactly how many species</i>
<i>rain forests contain is unknown,</i>

13
00:01:49,610 --> 00:01:51,571
<i>but it runs into millions.</i>

14
00:01:52,780 --> 00:01:54,991
<i>And new ones are discovered every week.</i>

15
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<i>There are some, like this clouded leopard,</i>
<i>we still know virtually nothing about.</i>

16
00:02:15,845 --> 00:02:19,265
<i>Although they cover just seven percent</i>
<i>of the world's land area,</i>

17
00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:23,769
<i>jungles play a vital role</i>
<i>in the health of the planet.</i>

18
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<i>In the heart of Africa lies the Congo.</i>

19
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<i>It is our planet's youngest rain forest,</i>
<i>a mere 18,000 years old,</i>

20
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<i>and it's the jungle</i>
<i>with more big animals than any other.</i>

21
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<i>A family of lowland gorillas.</i>

22
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<i>They're led by this silverback,</i>
<i>the dominant male.</i>

23
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<i>He's as tall as a man,</i>
<i>but twice the weight.</i>

24
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<i>His family depend on him for survival.</i>

25
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<i>As their guardian,</i>
<i>he must keep a lookout for danger.</i>

26
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<i>A rival male might usurp him</i>
<i>and tear his family apart.</i>

27
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<i>But there is one threat</i>
<i>beyond his control.</i>

28
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<i>In the last 20 years,</i>

29
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<i>poaching for bushmeat has halved</i>
<i>the Congo's gorilla population.</i>

30
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<i>His kind are now critically endangered.</i>

31
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[grunts]

32
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[elephant huffs]

33
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<i>It's only a forest elephant,</i>
<i>which needn't concern the silverback.</i>

34
00:04:57,965 --> 00:04:59,842
[low trumpeting]

35
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<i>But the elephant</i>
<i>has reason to be wary of poachers too.</i>

36
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<i>Their long straight tusks</i>
<i>are even more sought after</i>

37
00:05:11,771 --> 00:05:14,065
<i>than those of their grassland cousins.</i>

38
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<i>He follows paths</i>

39
00:05:23,616 --> 00:05:26,369
<i>made by generations of elephants</i>
<i>before him,</i>

40
00:05:26,827 --> 00:05:28,162
<i>searching for food.</i>

41
00:05:34,418 --> 00:05:38,964
<i>Like the elephant, the silverback's family</i>
<i>will travel several kilometers a day,</i>

42
00:05:39,090 --> 00:05:41,050
<i>looking for fruits and seeds.</i>

43
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<i>They and the elephants</i>
<i>are the gardeners of this jungle.</i>

44
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<i>The seed dispersers.</i>

45
00:05:54,563 --> 00:05:56,315
<i>And many of the trees here</i>

46
00:05:56,399 --> 00:05:59,276
<i>owe their existence</i>
<i>to these large animals.</i>

47
00:06:05,991 --> 00:06:10,746
<i>Here,</i>
<i>all paths eventually lead to Mbeli Bai.</i>

48
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<i>Open areas like this are a unique feature</i>
<i>of the Congo's jungles,</i>

49
00:06:22,925 --> 00:06:26,595
<i>and there are more than a hundred</i>
<i>dotted throughout the forest.</i>

50
00:06:30,391 --> 00:06:35,312
<i>Known as </i>bais,<i> these clearings attract</i>
<i>many of the jungle's inhabitants.</i>

51
00:06:44,363 --> 00:06:45,531
[elephant brays]

52
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<i>The silverback</i>
<i>cautiously leads the way,</i>

53
00:06:52,580 --> 00:06:54,582
<i>but his family are close behind.</i>

54
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<i>The gorillas come to feed</i>
<i>on aquatic plants rich in salt,</i>

55
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<i>a mineral in short supply</i>
<i>inside the forest,</i>

56
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<i>but crucial to their survival.</i>

57
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<i>Elephants mine salts from the mud</i>
<i>using their trunks.</i>

58
00:07:56,268 --> 00:07:58,979
<i>Or just drink the mineral-enriched water.</i>

59
00:08:06,487 --> 00:08:09,865
<i>The silverback's family</i>
<i>are not the only gorillas here.</i>

60
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<i>Nearly 200 others also use this </i>bai,

61
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<i>as well as more than 530 elephants,</i>

62
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<i>a measure of Mbeli's importance.</i>

63
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<i>For the elephants,</i>
<i>the </i>bais<i> have another vital role.</i>

64
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<i>Most of their lives are spent</i>

65
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<i>roaming the vast forested interior</i>
<i>on their own,</i>

66
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<i>so it's only here</i>
<i>they get a chance to meet others.</i>

67
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<i>Unlike most of the Congo's other </i>bais,
<i>Mbeli is well protected,</i>

68
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<i>making it a refuge from poaching.</i>

69
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<i>It's only when they leave</i>
<i>that the danger returns.</i>

70
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<i>And as the Congo's main seed dispersers,</i>

71
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<i>the loss of its megafauna</i>
<i>could have a far-reaching impact</i>

72
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<i>on the future of our planet's</i>
<i>second-largest rain forest.</i>

73
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<i>Jungles may look the same,</i>

74
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<i>but each is home</i>
<i>to a unique cast of characters.</i>

75
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<i>New Guinea is the world's largest</i>
<i>jungle-covered island,</i>

76
00:09:49,256 --> 00:09:51,759
<i>and more than half</i>
<i>of its plants and animals</i>

77
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<i>are found nowhere else on Earth.</i>

78
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<i>Its turbulent geological past</i>
<i>has shaped this vast island</i>

79
00:10:02,936 --> 00:10:07,024
<i>into a dramatic landscape</i>
<i>of mountains and valleys.</i>

80
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<i>A process</i>
<i>that isolated one species from another.</i>

81
00:10:19,119 --> 00:10:20,579
<i>Separated in this way,</i>

82
00:10:20,663 --> 00:10:24,166
<i>New Guinea's animals</i>
<i>have become truly bizarre.</i>

83
00:10:27,378 --> 00:10:29,922
<i>The male twelve-wired bird-of-paradise</i>

84
00:10:30,047 --> 00:10:33,967
<i>is the only bird in the world</i>
<i>that has tail ornaments like this,</i>

85
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<i>used to tickle</i>
<i>the face of a prospective mate.</i>

86
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<i>From one crow-like ancestor,</i>

87
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<i>birds-of-paradise have evolved</i>
<i>into 40 different kinds.</i>

88
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<i>Every corner of this island</i>
<i>has its own version.</i>

89
00:10:55,906 --> 00:10:59,702
<i>Meet the black sicklebill</i>
<i>of New Guinea's highlands...</i>

90
00:11:01,203 --> 00:11:02,663
[croaks]

91
00:11:04,081 --> 00:11:07,918
<i>...able to morph</i>
<i>into some very un-birdlike shapes.</i>

92
00:11:16,093 --> 00:11:21,473
<i>Each male bird-of-paradise</i>
<i>has a unique display for attracting mates,</i>

93
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<i>and none is more extraordinary</i>

94
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<i>than the one that takes place</i>
<i>on this stage.</i>

95
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<i>For the owner, a western parotia,</i>
<i>there's work to be done first.</i>

96
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<i>Every morning, he clears his court</i>
<i>of the night's fallen debris.</i>

97
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<i>It's a vital chore</i>
<i>if he wants to attract a mate.</i>

98
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<i>Females only visit the tidiest courts,</i>

99
00:12:03,307 --> 00:12:06,602
<i>so one rogue leaf might ruin his chances.</i>

100
00:12:10,647 --> 00:12:11,815
[squawks]

101
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<i>Perfect.</i>

102
00:12:19,281 --> 00:12:21,867
<i>His obsessive housework pays off,</i>

103
00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:25,579
<i>and a female drops in for a closer look.</i>

104
00:12:27,331 --> 00:12:29,875
<i>Now is his chance to really impress,</i>

105
00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:32,336
<i>but it won't be easy.</i>

106
00:12:34,213 --> 00:12:35,631
<i>Females are very fussy,</i>

107
00:12:36,173 --> 00:12:39,176
<i>and she'll expect</i>
<i>his carefully choreographed routine</i>

108
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<i>to be faultless.</i>

109
00:12:42,221 --> 00:12:44,181
<i>He opens with a bow.</i>

110
00:12:46,225 --> 00:12:48,894
<i>Next, his blue eye must flash yellow.</i>

111
00:12:52,564 --> 00:12:54,024
<i>So far, so good.</i>

112
00:12:55,984 --> 00:12:58,070
<i>He has all the moves.</i>

113
00:12:59,905 --> 00:13:01,198
<i>Fancy footwork.</i>

114
00:13:04,409 --> 00:13:05,953
<i>The whirling dervish.</i>

115
00:13:12,751 --> 00:13:15,879
<i>The head plume shuffle, with spin.</i>

116
00:13:18,966 --> 00:13:21,552
<i>Her erect head feathers</i>
<i>and quivering wings</i>

117
00:13:21,635 --> 00:13:23,554
<i>are a very encouraging sign.</i>

118
00:13:32,354 --> 00:13:35,732
<i>His sidestep and head bob</i>
<i>look good from any angle,</i>

119
00:13:37,276 --> 00:13:38,527
<i>but his crowning glory</i>

120
00:13:38,694 --> 00:13:42,030
<i>can only be appreciated</i>
<i>from her perspective.</i>

121
00:13:44,449 --> 00:13:45,367
<i>Wait for it.</i>

122
00:13:47,286 --> 00:13:50,497
<i>There it is.</i>
<i>A flash of his iridescent throat patch.</i>

123
00:13:53,667 --> 00:13:55,544
<i>Her excitement grows.</i>
<i>His performance has been a triumph,</i>

124
00:14:17,566 --> 00:14:19,568
<i>and he wins her approval.</i>

125
00:14:27,951 --> 00:14:32,289
<i>New Guinea's isolation</i>
<i>has created a unique variety of animals,</i>

126
00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:37,586
<i>but the age of a forest</i>
<i>has an even greater impact</i>

127
00:14:37,669 --> 00:14:40,005
<i>on the diversity of life it contains.</i>

128
00:14:43,717 --> 00:14:46,428
<i>The jungles of Borneo, in Southeast Asia,</i>

129
00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,891
<i>have grown here</i>
<i>for nearly 130 million years,</i>

130
00:14:51,683 --> 00:14:54,102
<i>making them the oldest on Earth.</i>

131
00:14:59,691 --> 00:15:03,278
<i>This limestone mountaintop</i>
<i>in Borneo's highlands</i>

132
00:15:03,737 --> 00:15:05,697
<i>was originally formed under the sea.</i>

133
00:15:08,283 --> 00:15:12,079
<i>Time and rain</i>
<i>has slowly shaped this jungle fortress</i>

134
00:15:12,287 --> 00:15:14,790
<i>into these 40-meter towers.</i>

135
00:15:25,342 --> 00:15:29,304
<i>The great age of this island's jungle</i>
<i>is best illustrated</i>

136
00:15:29,554 --> 00:15:32,557
<i>by one of the oldest predators on Earth.</i>

137
00:15:43,110 --> 00:15:44,695
<i>A velvet worm.</i>

138
00:15:46,113 --> 00:15:49,366
<i>Completely at home</i>
<i>on the humid forest floor.</i>

139
00:15:53,078 --> 00:15:55,789
<i>They've been here</i>
<i>since the age of the dinosaurs,</i>

140
00:15:56,081 --> 00:15:59,042
<i>and have remained virtually unchanged.</i>

141
00:16:06,008 --> 00:16:10,095
<i>It detects its insect prey</i>
<i>through vibration and touch.</i>

142
00:16:11,847 --> 00:16:13,640
<i>But with no turn of speed,</i>

143
00:16:14,057 --> 00:16:17,060
<i>how does it capture</i>
<i>these fleet-footed critters?</i>

144
00:16:20,731 --> 00:16:22,941
<i>The answer is stranger than fiction.</i>

145
00:16:28,822 --> 00:16:30,115
<i>Glue guns.</i>

146
00:16:34,411 --> 00:16:36,455
<i>The sticky slime hardens on impact,</i>

147
00:16:38,290 --> 00:16:40,167
<i>trapping the luckless insect.</i>

148
00:16:41,585 --> 00:16:45,088
<i>The velvet worm will inject the cockroach</i>
<i>with digestive saliva,</i>

149
00:16:45,964 --> 00:16:48,550
<i>and then suck out its insides.</i>

150
00:16:55,599 --> 00:17:00,520
<i>The high humidity of the forest floor</i>
<i>isn't just good for velvet worms.</i>

151
00:17:06,443 --> 00:17:08,820
<i>It's perfect for fungi, too,</i>

152
00:17:10,697 --> 00:17:14,409
<i>and Borneo's ancient jungles</i>
<i>are rich in species.</i>

153
00:17:27,005 --> 00:17:28,840
<i>By decomposing the dead,</i>

154
00:17:29,466 --> 00:17:34,179
<i>the slime molds and fungi</i>
<i>recycle scarce nutrients.</i>

155
00:17:50,570 --> 00:17:55,992
<i>Time has made Borneo's jungles</i>
<i>extraordinarily rich and diverse.</i>

156
00:17:57,828 --> 00:18:00,497
<i>Here, in just a few hectares of forest,</i>

157
00:18:00,956 --> 00:18:04,960
<i>there may be more kinds of plants</i>
<i>than in the whole of Europe,</i>

158
00:18:08,672 --> 00:18:12,467
<i>including</i>
<i>some of the most specialized on Earth.</i>

159
00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:20,058
<i>Over several weeks,</i>

160
00:18:20,142 --> 00:18:25,188
<i>these growing tips inflate</i>
<i>to form jugs or pitchers.</i>

161
00:18:34,698 --> 00:18:38,118
<i>There are 39 kinds of pitcher plant</i>
<i>in Borneo,</i>

162
00:18:38,618 --> 00:18:41,121
<i>and most are found nowhere else.</i>

163
00:18:44,416 --> 00:18:49,796
<i>To get the nutrients they need to survive,</i>
<i>pitcher plants rely on animals,</i>

164
00:18:50,547 --> 00:18:52,591
<i>often in surprising ways.</i>

165
00:18:57,387 --> 00:19:02,309
<i>This is the mountain treeshrew,</i>
<i>an animal found only in Borneo.</i>

166
00:19:12,194 --> 00:19:15,822
<i>Every morning, the treeshrew visits</i>
<i>his neighborhood pitchers.</i>

167
00:19:17,157 --> 00:19:19,284
<i>It depends on the sugary solution</i>

168
00:19:19,409 --> 00:19:22,495
<i>that exudes</i>
<i>from hairs on the pitcher's lid.</i>

169
00:19:25,498 --> 00:19:28,793
<i>When he's licked this lid dry,</i>
<i>he'll move to another.</i>

170
00:19:31,755 --> 00:19:33,465
<i>And then another.</i>

171
00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:42,766
<i>Eventually, all that sugar</i>
<i>can have only one result.</i>

172
00:19:44,976 --> 00:19:45,977
[splat]

173
00:19:50,315 --> 00:19:54,611
<i>In return for the free food,</i>
<i>the treeshrew leaves a gift.</i>

174
00:19:56,112 --> 00:19:58,114
<i>Fertilizer for the plant.</i>

175
00:20:00,533 --> 00:20:03,411
<i>All that's needed is an afternoon shower</i>

176
00:20:03,495 --> 00:20:07,207
<i>to flush the shrew poo</i>
<i>into the pitcher's bowl.</i>

177
00:20:13,338 --> 00:20:17,133
<i>Without these added nitrates,</i>
<i>the plant couldn't survive.</i>

178
00:20:19,427 --> 00:20:24,474
<i>And the quest for nutrients has led</i>
<i>some pitchers down a sinister path.</i>

179
00:20:28,937 --> 00:20:30,897
<i>A gracilis pitcher plant</i>

180
00:20:31,273 --> 00:20:35,777
<i>attracts ants to the underside of its lid</i>
<i>with drops of nectar.</i>

181
00:20:37,862 --> 00:20:40,699
<i>But what do the ants give in return?</i>

182
00:20:43,952 --> 00:20:47,330
<i>It's a story that also depends on rain.</i>

183
00:20:50,125 --> 00:20:51,668
<i>The force of the raindrops</i>

184
00:20:51,751 --> 00:20:54,421
<i>make it impossible</i>
<i>for the ants to hold on.</i>

185
00:21:01,219 --> 00:21:05,265
<i>It's the plant world's</i>
<i>only springboard trap.</i>

186
00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:10,603
<i>This pitcher plant</i>
<i>feeds on ant bodies.</i>

187
00:21:18,486 --> 00:21:21,656
<i>All pitcher plants</i>
<i>depend on animals for survival,</i>

188
00:21:23,325 --> 00:21:26,911
<i>and one has even gone into business</i>
<i>with a bat.</i>

189
00:21:29,539 --> 00:21:32,667
<i>The woolly bat finds hemsleyana pitchers</i>

190
00:21:32,917 --> 00:21:38,381
<i>because the plant's broad back wall</i>
<i>reflects the bat's ultrasound.</i>

191
00:21:44,346 --> 00:21:48,391
<i>The tube-like pitchers</i>
<i>are the perfect roosting site.</i>

192
00:21:52,479 --> 00:21:55,273
<i>The pitcher provides secure accommodation</i>

193
00:21:55,732 --> 00:21:59,694
<i>and the plant is enriched</i>
<i>by its guest's deposits.</i>

194
00:22:04,115 --> 00:22:07,911
<i>Relationships like these</i>
<i>have taken millions of years to evolve,</i>

195
00:22:08,411 --> 00:22:11,289
<i>but many could be gone in a decade.</i>

196
00:22:14,959 --> 00:22:20,048
<i>In the last 50 years,</i>
<i>Borneo has lost over half of its jungle.</i>

197
00:22:23,593 --> 00:22:25,303
<i>And it's even worse</i>

198
00:22:25,387 --> 00:22:28,014
<i>on the neighboring islands</i>
<i>of the Philippines.</i>

199
00:22:30,350 --> 00:22:34,270
<i>Here, 90 percent</i>
<i>of the primary rain forest has gone.</i>

200
00:22:41,111 --> 00:22:46,533
<i>What's left is the last refuge</i>
<i>for the world's rarest bird of prey.</i>

201
00:22:47,659 --> 00:22:49,869
<i>The mighty Philippines eagle.</i>

202
00:22:55,417 --> 00:22:56,251
[caws]

203
00:22:57,001 --> 00:22:59,671
<i>With just 400 pairs remaining,</i>

204
00:22:59,963 --> 00:23:03,216
<i>a chick on a nest is a very scarce sight.</i>

205
00:23:07,387 --> 00:23:10,515
<i>Scientists have tracked the mother</i>
<i>since she was a year old.</i>

206
00:23:11,266 --> 00:23:14,686
<i>Now aged ten, this is her first chick.</i>

207
00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:26,072
<i>It's four months old,</i>
<i>already nearly a meter tall,</i>

208
00:23:26,865 --> 00:23:28,783
<i>and increasingly confident.</i>

209
00:23:31,536 --> 00:23:35,039
<i>Although Mother still likes to give</i>
<i>a helping hand.</i>

210
00:23:42,714 --> 00:23:45,258
<i>The chick is very demanding.</i>
<i>She expects regular food drops,</i>

211
00:23:52,140 --> 00:23:56,978
<i>but, like a toddler having a tantrum,</i>
<i>she doesn't want any help at mealtimes.</i>

212
00:23:57,103 --> 00:23:58,688
[cawing]

213
00:24:01,316 --> 00:24:04,068
<i>Already, she's the same size as her father</i>

214
00:24:04,527 --> 00:24:06,571
<i>and too big to argue with.</i>

215
00:24:08,573 --> 00:24:11,326
<i>But if his youngster</i>
<i>is to take her next steps,</i>

216
00:24:11,576 --> 00:24:14,787
<i>he knows it's time for some tough love.</i>

217
00:24:16,247 --> 00:24:19,292
<i>From now on,</i>
<i>visits will be less frequent.</i>

218
00:24:29,594 --> 00:24:30,845
[caws]

219
00:24:30,970 --> 00:24:34,807
<i>The parents drop by</i>
<i>with an occasional food parcel,</i>

220
00:24:37,685 --> 00:24:41,147
<i>but a small fruit bat</i>
<i>isn't much to get excited about.</i>

221
00:24:48,738 --> 00:24:49,822
<i>It's confusing</i>

222
00:24:49,906 --> 00:24:53,993
<i>when your parents don't visit</i>
<i>as frequently as they once did.</i>

223
00:25:04,045 --> 00:25:04,879
[caws]

224
00:25:04,963 --> 00:25:06,673
<i>Every day, she calls,</i>

225
00:25:08,341 --> 00:25:10,426
<i>but no one is paying any attention.</i>

226
00:25:15,682 --> 00:25:16,516
<i>She's hungry,</i>

227
00:25:18,017 --> 00:25:20,395
<i>and all that's left are scraps.</i>

228
00:25:26,317 --> 00:25:29,279
<i>It's time to become a proper eagle.</i>

229
00:25:34,284 --> 00:25:38,496
<i>Flapping strengthens flight muscles</i>
<i>in two-meter wings.</i>

230
00:25:43,167 --> 00:25:46,629
<i>Wings that will be used</i>
<i>to carry off her hefty prey.</i>

231
00:25:51,884 --> 00:25:54,846
<i>Though that skill is still some time off.</i>

232
00:26:00,018 --> 00:26:03,771
<i>So far, she's never ventured</i>
<i>beyond the security of her nest.</i>

233
00:26:09,027 --> 00:26:10,528
<i>And with good reason.</i>

234
00:26:15,575 --> 00:26:18,911
<i>There's a 70-meter drop</i>
<i>to the forest floor.</i>

235
00:26:24,125 --> 00:26:25,710
<i>A fall would be fatal.</i>

236
00:26:33,009 --> 00:26:37,096
<i>It's a nervous moment,</i>
<i>but she must persevere.</i>

237
00:26:39,599 --> 00:26:42,393
<i>Right now, she's all toes and talons.</i>

238
00:26:52,612 --> 00:26:58,368
<i>Sudden gusts of wind are not helpful</i>
<i>when balancing over a death-defying drop,</i>

239
00:27:00,995 --> 00:27:03,748
<i>and the daily downpours</i>
<i>don't make it any easier.</i>

240
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,888
<i>Every day, she gets a little stronger</i>
<i>and more confident.</i>

241
00:27:25,144 --> 00:27:30,441
<i>Then, the day comes when confidence</i>
<i>finally matches know-how.</i>

242
00:27:48,292 --> 00:27:51,546
<i>Now is the moment to reach for the sky.</i>

243
00:28:00,513 --> 00:28:03,558
<i>Her first ever flight from her nest tree.</i>

244
00:28:07,270 --> 00:28:11,023
<i>It'll be nearly a year</i>
<i>before she's fully independent.</i>

245
00:28:13,109 --> 00:28:16,362
<i>Then, her survival</i>
<i>will depend on finding a territory</i>

246
00:28:16,946 --> 00:28:19,824
<i>with large stretches of unspoilt jungle.</i>

247
00:28:26,539 --> 00:28:28,499
<i>In the Philippines' fragmented forest,</i>

248
00:28:28,708 --> 00:28:32,712
<i>there's just too little prey</i>
<i>for a supersized eagle.</i>

249
00:28:36,799 --> 00:28:40,762
<i>But there is one jungle</i>
<i>whose size is still legendary.</i>

250
00:28:45,141 --> 00:28:49,187
<i>The Amazon basin</i>
<i>is over 3,000 kilometers across</i>

251
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,775
<i>and home to half of our planet's</i>
<i>remaining rain forest.</i>

252
00:29:00,740 --> 00:29:04,786
<i>But there are challenges for those</i>
<i>living in the Amazon's deep interior.</i>

253
00:29:05,119 --> 00:29:06,704
[birds hoot and chirp]

254
00:29:14,420 --> 00:29:16,130
<i>Black spider monkeys,</i>

255
00:29:17,673 --> 00:29:19,884
<i>with eyes on a salt lick.</i>

256
00:29:23,930 --> 00:29:27,975
<i>Being so far from the sea,</i>
<i>salt is in short supply here,</i>

257
00:29:28,726 --> 00:29:31,395
<i>so a visit to a lick is essential.</i>

258
00:29:36,234 --> 00:29:40,279
<i>But first, they must be sure</i>
<i>there are no predators lurking below.</i>

259
00:29:42,907 --> 00:29:45,493
<i>A harmless agouti is a good sign.</i>

260
00:29:54,377 --> 00:29:58,381
<i>This is the only time a spider monkey</i>
<i>ever sets foot on the ground.</i>

261
00:30:04,095 --> 00:30:05,930
<i>And if you have your head in a hole,</i>

262
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:09,016
<i>best to have a lookout.</i>

263
00:30:11,769 --> 00:30:14,647
<i>Monkeys can't survive</i>
<i>without these minerals,</i>

264
00:30:15,898 --> 00:30:17,567
<i>and predators know it.</i>

265
00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:22,905
[chitters]

266
00:30:22,989 --> 00:30:24,907
<i>A warning from the lookout.</i>

267
00:30:35,543 --> 00:30:37,211
<i>It's not a false alarm.</i>

268
00:30:41,591 --> 00:30:42,550
<i>A jaguar.</i>

269
00:30:44,719 --> 00:30:47,889
<i>Rarely seen,</i>
<i>but the Amazon's top predator.</i>

270
00:30:56,147 --> 00:30:59,650
<i>With the jaguar gone, the monkeys return,</i>

271
00:31:01,068 --> 00:31:02,570
<i>but it's a risk.</i>

272
00:31:03,237 --> 00:31:06,198
<i>Nobody knows</i>
<i>when the predator will be back.</i>

273
00:31:13,748 --> 00:31:18,169
<i>It's not just spider monkeys</i>
<i>for whom fear must give way to need.</i>

274
00:31:19,837 --> 00:31:24,008
<i>In the Amazon, salt licks are as vital</i>
<i>as an oasis in a desert.</i>

275
00:31:31,140 --> 00:31:33,225
<i>Noises could be friend or foe,</i>

276
00:31:33,309 --> 00:31:36,979
<i>so every visitor</i>
<i>must remain poised for flight.</i>

277
00:31:50,284 --> 00:31:51,285
[rustling]

278
00:31:54,121 --> 00:31:55,665
[cawing]

279
00:32:00,503 --> 00:32:02,004
<i>It's a false alarm.</i>

280
00:32:02,380 --> 00:32:04,548
<i>Just the harmless agouti again.</i>

281
00:32:10,137 --> 00:32:14,600
<i>In the Amazon, every animal group</i>
<i>has more species than anywhere else.</i>

282
00:32:17,687 --> 00:32:19,522
<i>And that includes frogs.</i>

283
00:32:22,984 --> 00:32:26,654
<i>There are thought to be over a thousand</i>
<i>different kinds of them here,</i>

284
00:32:30,658 --> 00:32:33,536
<i>and new ones are still being discovered.</i>

285
00:32:49,844 --> 00:32:53,014
<i>Frogs are an indicator</i>
<i>of a healthy forest,</i>

286
00:32:54,390 --> 00:32:59,770
<i>but its most important residents</i>
<i>are the jungle's smallest inhabitants.</i>

287
00:33:16,996 --> 00:33:21,876
<i>There are thought to be over two million</i>
<i>kinds of insect in the Amazon.</i>

288
00:33:23,544 --> 00:33:25,713
<i>These are the most numerous.</i>

289
00:33:30,885 --> 00:33:35,097
<i>A colony of leafcutter ants</i>
<i>can run into the millions.</i>

290
00:33:41,353 --> 00:33:45,399
<i>Each colony is a superorganism</i>
<i>with a collective function...</i>

291
00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:51,113
<i>to gather leaves and carry them back</i>
<i>to their underground nests.</i>

292
00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:15,638
<i>Within the territory</i>
<i>of a leafcutter colony,</i>

293
00:34:15,721 --> 00:34:21,727
<i>as much as a fifth of all new plant growth</i>
<i>will be harvested by the ants.</i>

294
00:34:23,562 --> 00:34:26,607
<i>Slicing through leaves</i>
<i>with specialized mandibles,</i>

295
00:34:26,899 --> 00:34:32,113
<i>they produce high frequency vibrations,</i>
<i>which stiffens the leaf,</i>

296
00:34:32,947 --> 00:34:34,323
<i>making it easier to cut.</i>

297
00:34:36,534 --> 00:34:41,205
<i>Working together,</i>
<i>they can strip a tree bare in 24 hours.</i>

298
00:34:52,133 --> 00:34:56,428
<i>The trick is holding on to your leaf</i>
<i>as you fall.</i>

299
00:35:01,183 --> 00:35:02,935
<i>Easier said than done.</i>

300
00:35:04,687 --> 00:35:08,065
<i>But best not to return to the nest</i>
<i>empty-handed.</i>

301
00:35:15,698 --> 00:35:19,118
<i>A leafcutter colony</i>
<i>is like a mega-herbivore,</i>

302
00:35:19,368 --> 00:35:21,871
<i>not dissimilar</i>
<i>to an elephant in the Congo,</i>

303
00:35:21,954 --> 00:35:26,041
<i>and their impact on the ecosystem</i>
<i>is just as important.</i>

304
00:35:28,752 --> 00:35:32,089
<i>The ants follow scent trails</i>
<i>back to the nest,</i>

305
00:35:35,426 --> 00:35:37,595
<i>dodging unexpected obstacles.</i>

306
00:35:42,099 --> 00:35:47,104
<i>But to increase efficiency,</i>
<i>the ants keep their paths clear of debris.</i>

307
00:36:04,538 --> 00:36:08,125
<i>A leafcutter nest</i>
<i>can be up to eight meters deep</i>

308
00:36:08,334 --> 00:36:11,462
<i>and have thousands</i>
<i>of interconnected chambers.</i>

309
00:36:15,132 --> 00:36:18,177
<i>The workers</i>
<i>carry the freshly harvested leaves</i>

310
00:36:18,385 --> 00:36:20,888
<i>to special rooms for processing.</i>

311
00:36:23,891 --> 00:36:28,729
<i>The leaves are not food,</i>
<i>but used to create gardens of fungus,</i>

312
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:30,689
<i>which they feed to their larvae.</i>

313
00:36:35,736 --> 00:36:40,866
<i>The success of the colony depends on</i>
<i>keeping their gardens disease-free.</i>

314
00:36:42,076 --> 00:36:46,830
<i>So, the ants have teamed up</i>
<i>with bacteria to help control pathogens,</i>

315
00:36:46,997 --> 00:36:49,291
<i>which would destroy their precious fungi.</i>

316
00:36:53,420 --> 00:36:54,880
<i>Scientists now believe</i>

317
00:36:54,964 --> 00:36:59,343
<i>these bacteria could provide</i>
<i>new solutions to human diseases.</i>

318
00:37:03,264 --> 00:37:05,516
<i>But as successful as these ants are,</i>

319
00:37:05,724 --> 00:37:11,647
<i>the rain forest's diversity depends on</i>
<i>no one species gaining the upper hand.</i>

320
00:37:14,483 --> 00:37:15,859
[animal hoots]

321
00:37:18,946 --> 00:37:21,615
<i>Here,</i>
<i>ants don't have it all their own way.</i>

322
00:37:25,077 --> 00:37:27,288
<i>This one is behaving oddly.</i>

323
00:37:32,751 --> 00:37:35,379
<i>It seems compelled to climb upwards,</i>

324
00:37:35,796 --> 00:37:39,091
<i>and is already</i>
<i>several meters above the forest floor.</i>

325
00:37:40,843 --> 00:37:43,887
<i>Something has taken control</i>
<i>of its movements,</i>

326
00:37:44,221 --> 00:37:47,474
<i>like a puppeteer</i>
<i>pulling at the strings of a marionette.</i>

327
00:37:54,106 --> 00:37:58,986
<i>There's just one final act,</i>
<i>for which the ant has no choice.</i>

328
00:38:03,699 --> 00:38:09,038
<i>It must find a place to bite down,</i>
<i>tethering it to the vegetation.</i>

329
00:38:24,386 --> 00:38:26,805
<i>With the ant in its death grip,</i>

330
00:38:27,222 --> 00:38:31,560
<i>a parasitic fungus, Cordyceps,</i>
<i>erupts from its body.</i>

331
00:38:41,528 --> 00:38:46,283
<i>Finally, the fruiting body of the fungus</i>
<i>bursts from its head.</i>

332
00:39:01,215 --> 00:39:05,886
<i>From this bulbous container,</i>
<i>spores will be cast into the air currents,</i>

333
00:39:05,969 --> 00:39:09,098
<i>where they will claim more ant victims.</i>

334
00:39:13,519 --> 00:39:15,104
<i>But it's not just ants.</i>

335
00:39:15,896 --> 00:39:19,358
<i>Many others are infected</i>
<i>by the Cordyceps fungus.</i>

336
00:39:38,502 --> 00:39:40,587
<i>The more numerous a species is,</i>

337
00:39:40,671 --> 00:39:45,008
<i>the more likely it is to fall victim</i>
<i>to the killer fungus.</i>

338
00:39:52,433 --> 00:39:57,312
<i>Checks and balances like these</i>
<i>means no one species can ever dominate,</i>

339
00:39:58,313 --> 00:40:01,525
<i>so protecting</i>
<i>the jungle's incredible diversity.</i>

340
00:40:15,164 --> 00:40:19,460
<i>But today,</i>
<i>the diversity of the world's rain forests</i>

341
00:40:19,668 --> 00:40:22,296
<i>is falling at an alarming rate,</i>

342
00:40:23,172 --> 00:40:25,048
<i>and that is because of us.</i>

343
00:40:29,136 --> 00:40:35,017
<i>We have now replaced</i>
<i>up to 27 million hectares of virgin jungle</i>

344
00:40:35,392 --> 00:40:37,853
<i>with a single species of tree.</i>

345
00:40:42,441 --> 00:40:44,276
<i>This is oil palm,</i>

346
00:40:44,943 --> 00:40:47,237
<i>one of the world's most productive crops.</i>

347
00:40:48,614 --> 00:40:49,907
<i>But these monocultures</i>

348
00:40:49,990 --> 00:40:55,537
<i>support only a fraction of the diversity</i>
<i>found in primary rain forests,</i>

349
00:40:56,413 --> 00:40:59,583
<i>and it is pushing many animals</i>
<i>to extinction.</i>

350
00:41:04,046 --> 00:41:07,549
<i>In the swamp forests of northern Sumatra,</i>
<i>in Indonesia,</i>

351
00:41:07,925 --> 00:41:11,803
<i>time is running out</i>
<i>for one of our closest ancestors.</i>

352
00:41:14,348 --> 00:41:15,641
<i>The orangutan.</i>

353
00:41:21,104 --> 00:41:25,901
<i>A baby orangutan takes more than ten years</i>
<i>to become independent.</i>

354
00:41:28,362 --> 00:41:30,697
<i>Everything must be learned</i>
<i>from its mother.</i>

355
00:41:31,782 --> 00:41:35,035
<i>Like how to bridge the gaps between trees.</i>

356
00:41:40,874 --> 00:41:43,335
<i>Survival depends on each orang</i>

357
00:41:43,418 --> 00:41:46,505
<i>understanding its patch of forest</i>
<i>perfectly.</i>

358
00:41:49,424 --> 00:41:53,679
<i>Watching scientists</i>
<i>have named this pair Ellie and Eden.</i>

359
00:41:56,390 --> 00:41:58,016
<i>Ellie is 18 years old,</i>

360
00:42:00,018 --> 00:42:02,813
<i>and Eden, her first baby, is three.</i>

361
00:42:07,651 --> 00:42:11,446
<i>Right now,</i>
<i>he needs a little bit of encouragement.</i>

362
00:42:20,872 --> 00:42:22,416
<i>Like all orangutans,</i>

363
00:42:22,874 --> 00:42:25,627
<i>Ellie has a mental map</i>
<i>of her surroundings,</i>

364
00:42:26,420 --> 00:42:29,881
<i>including the location</i>
<i>of every fruiting tree.</i>

365
00:42:35,012 --> 00:42:37,180
<i>Eden needs to learn this, too,</i>

366
00:42:37,764 --> 00:42:41,560
<i>but for now,</i>
<i>he must watch everything his mother does,</i>

367
00:42:43,020 --> 00:42:47,733
<i>learning not just what's edible</i>
<i>but also how to eat it.</i>

368
00:42:58,702 --> 00:43:02,080
<i>Every day is a new lesson for Eden.</i>

369
00:43:06,168 --> 00:43:11,173
<i>Here, ants are a big part of their diet,</i>
<i>and there's a knack to gathering them.</i>

370
00:43:15,761 --> 00:43:19,514
<i>Once tangled in Ellie's fur,</i>
<i>they're easy to pick off.</i>

371
00:43:24,019 --> 00:43:28,357
<i>For little Eden,</i>
<i>it's all about watching and learning.</i>

372
00:43:35,072 --> 00:43:38,784
<i>Eden's cousin, Louis, is more experienced.</i>

373
00:43:40,243 --> 00:43:41,620
<i>Four years older than Eden,</i>

374
00:43:42,162 --> 00:43:44,498
<i>he can move through the branches</i>
<i>with ease.</i>

375
00:43:55,258 --> 00:43:57,928
<i>It's taken a few years to master,</i>

376
00:43:58,845 --> 00:44:02,516
<i>and it's clearly a skill</i>
<i>he feels is worth showing off.</i>

377
00:44:13,318 --> 00:44:18,740
<i>Conquering the treetops is just stage one</i>
<i>in an orangutan's education.</i>

378
00:44:19,241 --> 00:44:22,202
<i>To survive, Louis must learn more.</i>

379
00:44:24,913 --> 00:44:26,081
<i>Much more.</i>

380
00:44:29,459 --> 00:44:32,379
<i>His mother, Lisa,</i>
<i>has found a rotten tree trunk</i>

381
00:44:32,963 --> 00:44:34,673
<i>with lots of ants.</i>

382
00:44:35,882 --> 00:44:40,095
<i>But this anting opportunity</i>
<i>requires more know-how.</i>

383
00:44:41,555 --> 00:44:45,016
<i>To get them, Lisa must break sections off.</i>

384
00:44:51,022 --> 00:44:53,942
<i>At his age, Louis must do more than watch.</i>

385
00:44:56,903 --> 00:44:57,988
<i>He must copy.</i>

386
00:45:16,047 --> 00:45:17,048
<i>Not a bad effort.</i>

387
00:45:21,928 --> 00:45:27,017
<i>But even at the age of seven,</i>
<i>he's yet to master the art of ant capture.</i>

388
00:45:33,148 --> 00:45:35,150
<i>Louis has much to learn.</i>

389
00:45:39,696 --> 00:45:44,117
<i>Pluto, on the other hand,</i>
<i>graduated a long time ago.</i>

390
00:45:46,161 --> 00:45:48,872
<i>Thirty years old</i>
<i>and nearly a hundred kilograms,</i>

391
00:45:49,206 --> 00:45:51,166
<i>he is king of this jungle.</i>

392
00:45:54,085 --> 00:45:57,172
<i>His cheek flanges are a sign of power,</i>

393
00:45:58,215 --> 00:46:00,300
<i>something for Louis to aspire to.</i>

394
00:46:06,056 --> 00:46:09,017
<i>Pluto is constantly</i>
<i>on the lookout for food,</i>

395
00:46:10,769 --> 00:46:13,772
<i>and he's just spotted</i>
<i>a promising opportunity.</i>

396
00:46:16,817 --> 00:46:19,903
<i>These wasps mean one thing to him.</i>

397
00:46:21,696 --> 00:46:23,198
<i>Tasty grubs.</i>

398
00:46:28,453 --> 00:46:33,166
<i>To get at them,</i>
<i>he favors a smash-and-grab technique.</i>

399
00:46:39,297 --> 00:46:43,343
<i>His thick fur protects him</i>
<i>from most of the angry wasps,</i>

400
00:46:43,844 --> 00:46:46,805
<i>but the rewards</i>
<i>are worth risking a few stings.</i>

401
00:46:52,477 --> 00:46:54,396
<i>Louis keeps his distance.</i>

402
00:46:58,024 --> 00:47:00,652
<i>He would need to be</i>
<i>a lot bigger and hairier</i>

403
00:47:00,819 --> 00:47:02,863
<i>before he could do battle with wasps.</i>

404
00:47:10,370 --> 00:47:15,166
<i>But here, there's one trick that can take</i>
<i>half a lifetime to get to grips with.</i>

405
00:47:22,507 --> 00:47:27,137
<i>Louis' mother, Lisa, has learned</i>
<i>how to make tools from sticks,</i>

406
00:47:27,512 --> 00:47:29,431
<i>to winkle out insects.</i>

407
00:47:31,641 --> 00:47:33,184
<i>The orangutans living here</i>

408
00:47:33,351 --> 00:47:36,771
<i>are the only ones in the world</i>
<i>to have discovered this skill.</i>

409
00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:42,402
<i>Louis must try and learn it too,</i>

410
00:47:42,485 --> 00:47:46,156
<i>but it may be another eight years</i>
<i>before he's as good as his mother.</i>

411
00:47:49,409 --> 00:47:52,412
<i>This long education has made orangutans</i>

412
00:47:52,495 --> 00:47:56,249
<i>particularly vulnerable</i>
<i>to changes taking place in their forest.</i>

413
00:48:01,463 --> 00:48:06,384
<i>It's now estimated that we lose</i>
<i>100 orangutans every week</i>

414
00:48:06,843 --> 00:48:08,511
<i>from human activity.</i>

415
00:48:17,771 --> 00:48:23,443
<i>Louis and Eden's generation</i>
<i>could be the last wild orangutan.</i>

416
00:48:28,573 --> 00:48:33,787
<i>When Pluto was their age,</i>
<i>his jungle home stretched to the horizon.</i>

417
00:48:39,668 --> 00:48:41,127
<i>Not anymore.</i>

418
00:48:44,381 --> 00:48:46,299
<i>In the last four decades,</i>

419
00:48:46,716 --> 00:48:50,679
<i>the pristine lowland jungle</i>
<i>that orangutans depend on</i>

420
00:48:51,262 --> 00:48:55,517
<i>has declined by a staggering 75 percent.</i>

421
00:48:58,770 --> 00:49:02,232
<i>Across the world,</i>
<i>we are losing tropical forest</i>

422
00:49:02,482 --> 00:49:07,153
<i>at the rate</i>
<i>of nearly 15 million hectares every year,</i>

423
00:49:08,405 --> 00:49:12,617
<i>and with it,</i>
<i>the planet's treasure trove of diversity.</i>

424
00:49:15,578 --> 00:49:21,960
<i>Jungles store and capture more carbon</i>
<i>than any other habitat on land.</i>

425
00:49:23,211 --> 00:49:24,963
<i>They cool our planet,</i>

426
00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:27,841
<i>provide food and medicines.</i>

427
00:49:29,676 --> 00:49:32,095
<i>We lose them at our peril.</i>

428
00:49:44,024 --> 00:49:46,234
<i>Please visit ourplanet.com</i>

429
00:49:46,484 --> 00:49:50,530
<i>to discover what we need to do now</i>
<i>to protect our jungles.</i>

430
00:49:53,324 --> 00:49:59,247
<i>♪ I can hear the whole world</i>
<i>Singing together ♪</i>
<i>♪ I can hear the whole world</i>
<i>Say it's now or never ♪</i>

431
00:50:10,550 --> 00:50:14,846
<i>♪ 'Cause it's not too late</i>
<i>If we change our ways ♪</i>

432
00:50:14,929 --> 00:50:18,433
<i>♪ And connect the dots to our problems ♪</i>

433
00:50:18,850 --> 00:50:24,522
<i>♪ I can hear the whole world</i>
<i>Say we're in this together ♪</i>