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{\an8}Hanauma Bay
is one of my favorite spots in the world.

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I grew up in Hawaii.

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This was my backyard.

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My love of the natural world began here.

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When I was growing up,
wild spaces and everyday spaces,

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they were one and the same.

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An essential part of our lives.

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I wanna make sure
that the world's wild spaces

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are there for my kids and my grandkids.

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Join me in this celebration

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of our planet's greatest
national parks and wilderness.

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A journey through the natural wonders
of our shared birthright.

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My mom used to tell me
that when she was pregnant,

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she'd come and sit and listen to the ocean

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and look at the waves
lapping over the coral reefs.

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She used to joke
that that was the reason I was so calm.

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I had spent a lot of time here
even before I arrived in the world.

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When I was six,

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Hanauma Bay joined the growing number
of protected wild spaces.

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What began as a common desire
to secure wilderness for people to enjoy

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has become a worldwide movement

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to preserve these areas
for future generations.

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They're a place to escape
the burdens of everyday life

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and an inspiration for our children.

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They're a haven for endangered species…

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and a hotbed for scientific research.

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Not only do they nurture
the greatest array of life on Earth…

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…they regulate our climate,

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clean our air,

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purify our water.

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When humanity started
to protect these wild places,

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we did not realize
how important they would become.

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Today, they are some
of the last strongholds

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of wilderness and wildlife.

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Some remain so remote

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that we're only just starting
to unravel their secrets.

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Take Loango National Park
in Gabon on the west coast of Africa.

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It's a haven for tropical forest animals.

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Yet many of the creatures here
are all drawn to the very same place.

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The beach.

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One of the last places
where the vast Congo rain forest

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meets the Atlantic Ocean.

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Buffalo graze vegetation

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coated with sea salt…

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a mineral that's hard to find
in the rain forest.

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A red river hog…

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with a craving for fresh seafood.

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African forest elephants come to the beach
and mingle with marine giants.

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Like this one-ton leatherback turtle.

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And there's one creature here

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who's figured out how to make the most
of all the seaside amenities.

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By day, hippos stick
to freshwater lagoons.

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Sheltering from the sun.

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As evening approaches,

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they usually trek inland
to favorite grazing grounds.

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But not this guy.

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He has other ideas.

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He heads

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straight for the surf!

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His three-ton frame
feels lighter in salt water.

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The waves wash away parasites

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and soothe the scrapes
and bruises of the day.

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There's nowhere else you'll see a hippo

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in the Atlantic Ocean.

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But he's not here just to take a dip.

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He wants to catch the waves.

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He rides the ocean swell north,

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up the coast.

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Until he reaches
his favorite spot for dinner.

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Now that he's worked up an appetite,
he'll spend the whole night grazing.

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As the sun sets all along this coastline,

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other hippos follow suit.

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Leaving their lagoons to hang ten.

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The surfing hippos of Loango.

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It just goes to show,

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the natural world
can continue to surprise us

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as long as we give it space to thrive.

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Nature's remaining strongholds

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are often in areas
that are difficult to reach,

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making national parks important
and valuable sanctuaries

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for iconic animals,

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as well as rare
and extraordinary creatures.

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On the other side of Africa,
on the island of Madagascar,

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the remote
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park.

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This inaccessible stone fortress

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has given rise to species
found nowhere else on Earth.

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A rock iguana,

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recently discovered
and never filmed before.

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His long digits and claws
help him grip the sheer rock face.

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The forest surrounding the peaks
shelters rare creatures

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native only to the Tsingy.

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Including one of the park's
most elusive residents.

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The Decken's sifaka.

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Many of these endangered lemurs
call this park home.

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Like most primates, they spend much
of their time in the safety of the trees.

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This small group has a new responsibility.

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At just eight weeks old,
his strength will soon be put to the test.

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So Mom gives him lots of encouragement.

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Building his confidence to leave her side…

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and explore his new world.

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Climbing and jumping

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is the best training
for life in this park.

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In time,

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he'll cover 30 feet in a single leap.

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Until then, it's baby steps.

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He may be undeterred
by the oppressive heat,

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but the others save their energy

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by resting in the shade.

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It's the height of the dry season.

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Sifakas mostly rely
on leaves for food and water.

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But resources in their patch
of forest are running out.

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The only fresh food
lies in small, shaded sanctuaries

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scattered between the peaks.

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The females decide
it's time to make a move.

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A maze of craggy, razor-sharp spires

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lie between them and survival.

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Below, gaping chasms.

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Baby must use all his strength
to cling on to Mom.

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His added weight means her every move
requires pinpoint precision.

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A single misstep

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could prove fatal.

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It's a labyrinth,

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but they know a secret route.

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One day, he'll learn it too,

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but, for now, he just needs to hold on

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tightly.

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Expert hunters patrol the exposed rock.

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They shouldn't stay out here any longer.

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Mom makes one last push…

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…closing in on safety…

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until finally…

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they reach a sanctuary
hidden between the rocks…

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full of juicy leaves.

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An epic and exhausting journey.

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One he'll repeat many times

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in the years to come.

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The more isolated the national park,

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the more unusual its creatures

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and the more extraordinary
their behaviors.

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Which makes islands
especially important to protect.

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Like this one in southern Japan.

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Home to Yakushima National Park
and an ancient forest.

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Moss carpets the ground.

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Fig and banyan trees

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knit their roots through the landscape.

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Giant Japanese cedars,

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some over a thousand years old,
tower high overhead.

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Isolation has shaped the creatures
that live here.

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Many that live on islands
are smaller than their mainland cousins.

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This sika deer is just three feet tall.

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His diet of dead leaves is filling,

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but it's not the tastiest.

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And it doesn't satisfy his sweet tooth.

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If only he could reach the fruits
and berries high above.

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But there are windfalls in Yakushima.

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If you know where to find them.

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Japanese macaques.

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This is the gang he was hoping to find.

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Now, he just has to be patient.

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And the macaques are the key

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to the sweetest food in the forest.

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They say good things come
to those who wait.

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All the deer know that these monkeys

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are messy eaters.

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The food they drop is packed with sugars.

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But there's only so much to go around.

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The deer make the most
of the feast while it lasts.

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But a distracted stag becomes

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the perfect plaything.

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And it turns out,
there's no such thing as a free lunch.

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In return for eating his fill,

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the deer is taken for a joyride.

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It's good to keep your allies
on your side.

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But this is definitely the last stop.

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Our national parks do much more than
provide wildlife with food and sanctuary.

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And we're still learning the true benefits
of protecting wilderness.

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In 1872,

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Yellowstone, in the western United States,

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became the first national park
in the world.

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Two million acres of wild space
in the Rocky Mountains.

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Geologically active

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and spectacular.

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Home to the largest
concentration of wildlife

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in the lower 48 states.

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One of America's greatest ideas.

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Established for the benefit
and enjoyment of the people.

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And it caught on,
sparking a global movement.

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Today, around 15% of land

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and nearly 8% of our oceans
have been protected.

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Most of it in my lifetime.

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We've come to understand
the true value of these last wild places

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and that what happens inside our parks
affects us all.

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Take rain forests.

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They're home to more than half
of all life on land.

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If you're not sure why this biodiversity
is so important to protect,

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consider this.

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A quarter of all our medicines

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originated in rain forests.

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We're still discovering
new medical advances

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hiding in plain sight.

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In Costa Rica's
Manuel Antonio National Park,

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even familiar faces can surprise us.

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A three-fingered sloth

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enjoys the sun.

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With the slowest metabolism of any mammal,

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he can't afford to waste energy.

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But he's hungry.

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Fortunately, he doesn't have far to go.

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When it can take a month
to digest a single leaf,

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you may as well look
for just the right one.

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Like all sloths, he struggles to see.

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So he sniffs for the best leaves.

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Passing on the old ones.

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Until he finds

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perfection.

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But dinner is going to have to wait.

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The rain chills him.

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Unlike the monkeys,

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he can't warm up by moving quickly.

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But the rain forest provides
the ideal sun chair,

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from which to perform a neat trick.

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He changes color,

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turning vivid green.

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It's algae so far found only on sloths

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that gives him his unique tinge.

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And that's not all.

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There's an entire micro kingdom
living in his fur.

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At least 80 species call this place home…

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including sloth moths,

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who spend their adult lives
on their gentle host.

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His perfect mix of thick,
damp fur, warmed by the sun,

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ensures the little world
inside his coat thrives.

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That's why scientists believe
that this sloth

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could now benefit all of us.

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He's like a tiny pharmaceutical factory.

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Fungus in his fur produces chemicals

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that have the potential
to fight cancer, malaria,

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and antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

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If we can protect him and his rain forest,

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this sleepy sloth might just save us all.

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To safeguard our parks
and all their inhabitants,

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we must also protect the health of lands
and waters beyond their borders.

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Because every protected wilderness,
no matter how remote,

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is connected to the outside world…

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through the movements of wind,

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water,

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and wildlife.

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Over Australia's north coast,

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a quarter of a million
magpie geese flock together…

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heading for Kakadu National Park.

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A landscape dominated by wetlands,
rivers, and billabongs,

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where shifting waters
shape the fortunes of all.

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In the dry season,
the geese gorge on water chestnuts

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revealed in muddy shallows.

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But one animal's good fortune
can be another's peril.

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Saltwater crocodiles,

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the world's largest reptiles.

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The dry season is a dangerous time
for these predators.

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A 15-foot male trying
to make his way to deeper water

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must cross a rival's patch.

261
00:31:54,203 --> 00:31:55,883
But it's worth taking the gamble.

262
00:32:03,243 --> 00:32:06,443
Crocs that don't move in time
risk being entombed

263
00:32:06,523 --> 00:32:07,843
in the drying mud.

264
00:32:12,523 --> 00:32:16,803
But he makes it to the river system
that connects Kakadu to the sea.

265
00:32:20,403 --> 00:32:22,843
Now, his mission picks up pace.

266
00:32:50,723 --> 00:32:52,803
He passes on his usual prey.

267
00:32:58,923 --> 00:33:01,083
There are better options
where he's heading.

268
00:33:20,723 --> 00:33:21,883
Cahills Crossing.

269
00:33:22,763 --> 00:33:27,163
A road that only floods
at the highest tides of the year.

270
00:33:29,403 --> 00:33:31,403
He's timed it perfectly.

271
00:33:41,923 --> 00:33:42,963
As the river rises,

272
00:33:44,003 --> 00:33:46,043
mullet traveling from the sea

273
00:33:46,563 --> 00:33:48,883
take their only chance to run the crossing

274
00:33:49,643 --> 00:33:53,603
and continue their journey upstream
to their spawning grounds.

275
00:33:54,843 --> 00:33:56,683
And the crocs know it…

276
00:33:59,123 --> 00:34:01,363
making this possibly
the greatest gathering

277
00:34:01,443 --> 00:34:03,963
of saltwater crocodiles on Earth.

278
00:34:07,523 --> 00:34:11,243
But the water's so churned up,
he can't see the fish.

279
00:34:11,963 --> 00:34:14,523
So he splays his limbs

280
00:34:14,603 --> 00:34:16,043
and points his digits.

281
00:34:19,283 --> 00:34:22,363
His scales are covered
in pressure sensors.

282
00:34:25,643 --> 00:34:30,723
By spreading out, he can more accurately
detect the movement of his prey.

283
00:34:48,363 --> 00:34:51,323
Driven by instinct,
the mullet won't turn back.

284
00:35:20,043 --> 00:35:24,883
These ancient predators have the most
powerful bite in the animal kingdom.

285
00:35:48,403 --> 00:35:51,323
Then, just an hour after high tide…

286
00:35:53,883 --> 00:35:54,843
it's all over.

287
00:35:59,603 --> 00:36:01,723
He returns to his solitary life,

288
00:36:03,443 --> 00:36:06,043
the beneficiary of the park's protection

289
00:36:07,603 --> 00:36:11,683
and the rich bounty that comes
from the seas beyond Kakadu.

290
00:36:16,763 --> 00:36:19,283
Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

291
00:36:20,683 --> 00:36:25,603
One and a half thousand miles of reef,
atolls, and islands.

292
00:36:28,043 --> 00:36:30,403
The largest coral reef system
in the world.

293
00:36:31,043 --> 00:36:33,563
Most of it protected as a marine park.

294
00:36:37,843 --> 00:36:39,363
Beneath the surface,

295
00:36:39,443 --> 00:36:42,763
an explosion of life and diversity.

296
00:36:50,483 --> 00:36:53,283
It's a busy underwater metropolis.

297
00:36:58,163 --> 00:37:01,243
Corals represent just 1% of the ocean,

298
00:37:01,323 --> 00:37:05,083
yet support nearly a quarter
of all marine life.

299
00:37:24,883 --> 00:37:27,203
The Great Barrier Reef
is so extraordinary…

300
00:37:29,323 --> 00:37:33,723
that even the smallest of places here
has a huge role to play.

301
00:37:38,203 --> 00:37:41,003
Raine Island is just half a mile long.

302
00:37:41,603 --> 00:37:44,563
A tiny strip of sand in a vast ocean.

303
00:37:49,243 --> 00:37:51,203
The park is a lifeline

304
00:37:51,283 --> 00:37:55,403
for 90% of the region's
endangered green sea turtles.

305
00:37:58,643 --> 00:38:03,843
Each summer, thousands of them
travel huge distances across the Pacific

306
00:38:03,923 --> 00:38:05,883
to reach this tiny island…

307
00:38:09,323 --> 00:38:12,723
the largest green turtle nesting site
in the world.

308
00:38:18,723 --> 00:38:23,043
Up to one million eggs are laid
in the sand here every season.

309
00:38:26,123 --> 00:38:28,803
As they have been for a thousand years.

310
00:38:35,043 --> 00:38:37,643
But our world is changing fast.

311
00:38:37,723 --> 00:38:40,643
Today, the accelerating pace
of climate change

312
00:38:40,723 --> 00:38:42,843
is having a devastating impact.

313
00:38:46,363 --> 00:38:50,643
The hatchling's sex is determined
by the temperature inside its nest.

314
00:38:53,203 --> 00:38:57,563
Hotter sands now mean
that up to 99% of eggs that hatch here

315
00:38:57,643 --> 00:38:58,843
are female.

316
00:39:08,323 --> 00:39:09,203
And there's more.

317
00:39:11,563 --> 00:39:13,763
As the planet warms and waters rise,

318
00:39:15,243 --> 00:39:18,243
nest sites can flood, drowning the eggs.

319
00:39:23,923 --> 00:39:26,723
With much of the beach
just inches above sea level,

320
00:39:27,843 --> 00:39:30,763
Raine Island is at serious risk.

321
00:39:39,443 --> 00:39:41,763
It's been said
that we're the first generation

322
00:39:41,843 --> 00:39:44,363
to feel the impact of global warming.

323
00:39:46,003 --> 00:39:48,483
And the last
that can do something about it.

324
00:39:50,963 --> 00:39:53,883
Our parks, like the rest of the planet,

325
00:39:53,963 --> 00:39:56,203
are now threatened by extreme weather,

326
00:39:57,283 --> 00:39:58,923
escalating pollution,

327
00:40:00,083 --> 00:40:02,523
and biodiversity and habitat loss.

328
00:40:07,443 --> 00:40:12,203
Some of it, the result of the choices
we all make in our daily lives.

329
00:40:15,363 --> 00:40:17,043
We risk our own well-being…

330
00:40:20,123 --> 00:40:22,363
and that of future generations.

331
00:40:24,323 --> 00:40:25,723
But we're not powerless.

332
00:40:27,643 --> 00:40:29,443
We can turn things around.

333
00:40:30,283 --> 00:40:32,243
If we act now.

334
00:40:36,243 --> 00:40:39,483
In some protected places, we already have.

335
00:40:43,683 --> 00:40:47,763
In the heart of Africa,
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.

336
00:40:50,803 --> 00:40:53,203
After genocide tore the country apart,

337
00:40:53,763 --> 00:40:55,963
this tiny nation rebuilt.

338
00:40:59,243 --> 00:41:00,563
And as Rwanda healed,

339
00:41:01,283 --> 00:41:03,563
it prioritized conservation.

340
00:41:07,523 --> 00:41:12,003
The rich volcanic soil is farmed
right up to a discreet stone wall.

341
00:41:17,123 --> 00:41:18,163
Beyond the boundary,

342
00:41:18,683 --> 00:41:23,643
one of the last two populations
of endangered mountain gorillas.

343
00:41:34,683 --> 00:41:37,083
The family is making the most
of the bamboo.

344
00:41:46,803 --> 00:41:49,243
There are nine females in this troop,

345
00:41:49,323 --> 00:41:51,843
including this mother with her newborn,

346
00:41:52,683 --> 00:41:55,283
the youngest gorilla in the whole park.

347
00:42:00,123 --> 00:42:04,403
Just three weeks old,
she's barely able to raise her head.

348
00:42:11,083 --> 00:42:13,803
In a few months, she'll be given a name

349
00:42:13,883 --> 00:42:15,283
by the Rwandan government

350
00:42:15,363 --> 00:42:19,363
in a ceremony that celebrates
the arrival of each new gorilla.

351
00:42:25,403 --> 00:42:28,643
She and her seven siblings
are part of a baby boom

352
00:42:29,603 --> 00:42:32,603
which has seen
mountain gorilla numbers double.

353
00:42:37,723 --> 00:42:39,923
While their father, Mirambo,

354
00:42:40,563 --> 00:42:41,843
grabs a little shut-eye,

355
00:42:42,963 --> 00:42:45,723
his three-year-old son, Paradiso,

356
00:42:45,803 --> 00:42:48,003
keeps a watchful eye over the family.

357
00:42:59,443 --> 00:43:01,323
He seems keen to impress Dad…

358
00:43:12,123 --> 00:43:14,803
…and has all the makings
of a future leader.

359
00:43:20,403 --> 00:43:22,283
But he's gonna need some shaping.

360
00:43:26,003 --> 00:43:29,483
Volcanoes National Park
is a gorilla's paradise,

361
00:43:30,083 --> 00:43:31,603
but it wasn't always this way.

362
00:43:34,003 --> 00:43:38,563
Just 40 years ago, poaching
and habitat destruction were rife.

363
00:43:45,243 --> 00:43:48,963
But efforts to protect the gorillas
mean that, today,

364
00:43:49,043 --> 00:43:51,523
Mirambo and his family are safe.

365
00:43:53,323 --> 00:43:56,083
Even when they do leave
the sanctuary of their forest.

366
00:44:01,923 --> 00:44:04,283
They carefully cross the park wall.

367
00:44:42,963 --> 00:44:46,923
Others, too, leave the park
in search of delicacies.

368
00:44:48,523 --> 00:44:51,763
Rare golden monkeys
that live only in these mountains

369
00:44:51,843 --> 00:44:53,403
come to pocket potatoes.

370
00:44:54,683 --> 00:44:56,323
But wildlife isn't harmed.

371
00:44:57,123 --> 00:44:59,243
And neither do farmers lose out.

372
00:45:02,323 --> 00:45:03,923
Damaged crops are paid for,

373
00:45:04,003 --> 00:45:08,923
and revenue from wildlife tourism
is reinvested in local communities.

374
00:45:14,123 --> 00:45:17,923
Meaning people can live
sustainably with nature.

375
00:45:34,283 --> 00:45:37,163
And there are plans
to increase the size of the park.

376
00:45:41,563 --> 00:45:44,843
Ensuring that by the time
Paradiso reigns here,

377
00:45:45,643 --> 00:45:49,963
his future,
and that of his species, is secure.

378
00:45:56,083 --> 00:45:59,083
Active conservation
is responsible for protecting

379
00:45:59,163 --> 00:46:02,443
so many of the world's national parks
and their inhabitants.

380
00:46:06,323 --> 00:46:09,443
In Yellowstone, that's included species

381
00:46:09,523 --> 00:46:11,963
that are fundamental
to a nation's identity.

382
00:46:27,643 --> 00:46:29,683
Just over 100 years ago,

383
00:46:30,203 --> 00:46:33,563
American bison were facing extinction.

384
00:46:39,963 --> 00:46:43,003
Today, in the safety of the trees,

385
00:46:43,083 --> 00:46:46,243
a bison calf, just minutes old.

386
00:46:57,123 --> 00:47:00,723
Soon, she'll be strong enough
to explore her world

387
00:47:01,483 --> 00:47:02,723
and meet her playmates.

388
00:47:14,123 --> 00:47:17,563
Some 5,000 bison now roam Yellowstone.

389
00:47:18,283 --> 00:47:21,203
A key attraction
for the millions of visitors

390
00:47:21,283 --> 00:47:23,083
who come to the park each year.

391
00:47:30,843 --> 00:47:34,003
The feeling of seeing a bison
for the first time

392
00:47:34,603 --> 00:47:36,403
is something I will never forget.

393
00:47:40,643 --> 00:47:42,043
It's here that, as a kid,

394
00:47:42,843 --> 00:47:48,443
I started to truly appreciate
for the first time my place in nature.

395
00:47:49,803 --> 00:47:53,483
That I was part of something
much bigger than myself.

396
00:47:57,083 --> 00:48:00,443
I wish everybody had the chance
to visit a national park.

397
00:48:01,123 --> 00:48:04,363
To experience the sheer joy
and wonder of nature.

398
00:48:05,403 --> 00:48:09,163
To understand that each one of us
is part of this precious natural world.

399
00:48:11,683 --> 00:48:12,723
Each breath we take.

400
00:48:15,163 --> 00:48:16,803
Each glass of water we drink.

401
00:48:18,443 --> 00:48:21,843
So many of the medical
and scientific discoveries we make.

402
00:48:23,083 --> 00:48:27,523
The fabric of wild space
connects to our lives in so many ways.

403
00:48:29,123 --> 00:48:30,763
It's up to us to protect it,

404
00:48:31,883 --> 00:48:32,803
to care for it,

405
00:48:33,723 --> 00:48:37,883
and to pass on these wild spaces
to the next generation.

406
00:48:38,883 --> 00:48:43,283
Join me as we explore
the wonders and secrets

407
00:48:43,363 --> 00:48:47,083
of some of the most extraordinary
national parks on the planet.