01x05 - Forests

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Patagonia's forests
are magical places.

Here, age-old relationships
between animals,

people, and trees still survive.

These bonds are needed
like never before...

...as these ancient forests
face unprecedented threats.

At the ends of the Earth
is a land of extremes...

...home to spectacular wildlife.

For centuries,
people and animals

have battled for supremacy.

But now enemies
are becoming allies.

Together, they face
new challenges...

...in a rapidly changing world.

You are at the mercy
of the elements.

Narrator: This is the story
of what it takes to survive...

...on the edge of the world.

Patagonia's forests are filled
with fascinating wildlife

and jaw-dropping vistas...

...unlike anywhere else
on Earth.

We're on a journey of discovery

Through Patagonia's
wild woodlands...

...from its northern
rain forests

to the tip of South America,

where the trees have to tough
out long, freezing winters.

Forests filled with a host
of miraculous creatures...

...many found
nowhere else on Earth.

Today, though, these ancient
woodlands are under siege,

sometimes
from surprising threats.

These are araucarias,
Patagonia's most iconic trees.

Because of their
intricate branching,

they're also known as
"monkey puzzles."

Found only in southern
South America,

they were once far more common.

They're hanging on
in a few remote spots,

peppered along the slopes
of Patagonia's volcanoes

in both Chile and Argentina.

Reaching up to 160 feet,

these giants are survivors
from the Jurassic era

more than 145 million years ago.

Distinct spiny leaves evolved
as a defense

against hungry
long-necked dinosaurs.

But today's visitors
are less destructive...

...though they do
raise a racket.

Austral parakeets --

the southernmost species
of parrot on Earth.

A restless bunch,
they flit from tree to tree

in flocks of up to 15 birds.

When they find a good
feeding spot,

numbers can swell to over 100.

Their preferred way
to fatten up for the winter?

Gorging on monkey puzzle
pine nuts.

In return, the birds spread
the seeds far and wide.

But the parakeets aren't the
only ones here for the harvest.

The Mapuche -- indigenous people
who have lived here

for almost 3,000 years.

They rely on these seeds
for food...

...grinding them into flour
to make bread.

The Mapuches' unique bond with
the trees was almost broken.

For hundreds of years,
European colonizers

stole their land and forests,
stripping them for lumber.

And the devastation continued
through the 1990s.

Petrona Pellao watched
as homes were torched

and many of her relatives fled
to neighboring countries.

But she remained to defend
her community

and the trees.

Narrator: In recent decades,
the Mapuche battled with loggers

and the government,

demanding legal protection
for the trees.

And they won.

Today, these once besieged
monkey puzzle forests

are protected by law
across Patagonia,

to the relief of parrots
and humans alike.

But while these giants may yet
survive for more millennia...

...one of Patagonia's
tiniest creatures

could really use a helping hand.

Narrator:
The wild forests of Patagonia...

...a vast region straddling
southern Chile and Argentina.

North to south,
it's over 1,000 miles,

more than 200 miles longer
than California,

And its mountain spine
is blanketed

by distinct forest kingdoms.

In the north,
nestled in a narrow strip

between the mountains and
the warm waters of the Pacific

is the Valdivian rain forest.

Bordered by ice caps,
oceans, and deserts,

it has been cut off
from the outside world

for millions of years.

This is the forest
that time forgot...

...home to tiny,
magical creatures...

...many found nowhere else
on Earth.

Only 13 inches high,

say hello to the world's
smallest deer...

...the southern pudu.

This miniature mom
has her fawn in tow.

They'll stay close
for up to a year.

But pudus aren't
the only tiny marvels here.

This elusive speedster
is the monito del monte.

It's a marsupial,

raising its young in pouches
like koalas and kangaroos.

The monito is the only creature
in South America

to truly hibernate.

Remarkably, it's lived here
virtually unchanged

for 60 million years.

Biologist Robert Nespolo studies
animal metabolism.

He first encountered one of
these puzzling little creatures

at the start of his career.

The monito's ability to survive
the winter fascinated him,

and he made it his life's work
to figure out

exactly how they pull it off.

Solve the mystery,
and it might just help us

to better understand
our own metabolism.

Roberto quickly discovered
that monitos

really know
how to pack on the pounds.

Narrator: Like all monitos,
this tiny critter is nocturnal.

To learn its secrets,
Roberto and his team

leave out baited cage traps overnight.

This little guy just
couldn't resist a free meal.

Now he's ready to be weighed
and measured.

Narrator:
Hibernation has enabled monitos

to survive the winters here.

The truth is

the monito's future
is looking bleak.

Their forest home is being cut
down to make way for farmland.

But Roberto remains optimistic.

Just as the monito has Roberto
fighting for its protection...

...other creatures also have
champions going the extra mile.

Narrator:
Summer in the magnificent

ancient Valdivian rain forest.

Everyone's making the most
of the good weather.

Magellanic woodpeckers...

...they're South America's
largest woodpecker,

up to a foot and a half tall.

Dad sports a scarlet hood...

...while mom's feathers
are all black.

They're kept busy
by their growing chick.

He's beginning to get
his own red crest,

but his face still has
some black feathers.

He has a way to go.

Magellanic woodpecker couples
are monogamous,

defending their territory

and sharing parenting duties
for over two years.

The family depends
on old-growth forest

with plenty of rotting wood

teeming with juicy insects
and grubs.

The hungry chick
gives it a shot.

Right idea...

...wrong wood.

It's not rotten enough.

Dad shows him how it's done...

...displaying his well-honed
technique as he digs out grubs.

The chick's got a lot to learn
before he can fend for himself.

While woodpeckers stand out
among the trees,

the Valdivian rain forest
is a sanctuary

for an extraordinary number of
smaller, less obvious species...

...many still undiscovered...

...which attracts intrepid
scientists like Isaí Madríz.

Isaí explores
extreme environments,

searching for some of the
Earth's least loved creatures...

...bugs.

His passion began in college

when he first looked at one
through a microscope.

Madríz: I started seeing
how beautiful they were.

A bug could be as beautiful
as any mammal you might like.

Narrator: His mission
to track down new species

has led him to Alerce Andino
National Park in Chile.

Madríz:
This forest is special

because it's considered
a biodiversity hotspot.

If you're looking for insects,
this is the place to be.

Narrator:
Today Isaí is on the hunt

for a bug
he's never captured before...

...a primitive cranefly.

It's lived here
for millions of years.

Like the monito,
it's virtually unchanged

since the time of the dinosaurs.

Being nocturnal, the cranefly
is tricky to find

and even trickier to catch.

Isaí uses a light trap.

A small light bulb on top

attracts
the night-flying insects,

and a fan sucks them in.

The next morning,
he checks the trap,

hoping to find a new friend.

Very careful
so I don't damage the legs.

Wow.

So beautiful.

Narrator:
Isaí has finally caught one of
these incredibly rare insects.

Madríz: What makes this species
of primitive cranefly

that we're after special

is it's the largest species
of that entire family.

Narrator: Some would assume
it's simply a pest,

but every creature here in
the forest has a part to play.

Isaí sees the craneflies
as the forest's cleaning crew.

Their larvae chew up dead trees,

helping them to rot

and stopping them
from damming up the rivers.

He believes these tiny insects

may support
the whole rain forest.

Madríz:
This could have a huge impact

in the biodiversity
that you see in rivers

in this part of the world.

Narrator: Species that play
vital roles in the forest

are worth seeking out
and saving.

All the evidence that I am
finding doing my fieldwork

leads to conservation.

If you don't know
what's out there,

you cannot preserve
those species.

If it's been around
for millions of years,

that means they're hugely
important for this ecosystem.

We just don't know about it yet.

Narrator:
Isaí isn't the only one hunting

for extraordinary creatures.

Further south,
a man is on a mission

to see one of Patagonia's
most elusive predators.

Narrator: The vast and magical
Valdivian rain forest

is home to many
fascinating creatures...

...like this peculiar
pocket-sized predator --

the kodkod.

They may look cute,

but kodkods
are ruthless K*llers...

...often preying on poultry...

...which puts them
on the locals' hit list.

Kodkods are now threatened
with extinction.

One man has become
their defender --

Fernando Vidal.

He's given up his life
as a pilot,

devoting himself
to looking after

captured and injured kodkods.

It all started
when he was 12 years old

and he tried to
persuade neighbors

not to k*ll the kodkod
raiding their chicken coop.

Little did he know their futures
would become so entwined.

Surprisingly little is known
about these wild cats.

Narrator:
To try and understand them,

Fernando wants to observe
kodkods behaving naturally,

without fear of persecution.

He's had a tip-off
that some cats

have been spotted


in Laguna San Rafael
National Park.

He's got five days
to try to find them.

But it won't be easy.

Kodkods are so elusive,

some call them
"the ghosts of the forest."

Fernando spends the next
four days combing the forest

for tracks and signs,

trying to stay optimistic.

But the tiny cats
always seem one step ahead.

It's Fernando's fifth
and final day...

...his last chance to see
a kodkod here.

After searching all day,

he finds evidence
that he's getting close.

As the evening approaches
and hope begins to fade...

...it's the rarest
of the rare --

a melanistic, or black, kodkod.

This is almost certainly
the first time

a melanistic kodkod
has been filmed in the wild.

Though it was just a glimpse,

seeing a wild kodkod
unafraid of humans

gives Fernando hope for
the future of these little cats.



Patagonia's forests are
preparing for winter...

...and life for one of
its most endangered creatures

is about to change...

forever.

Narrator:
Though summer's nearly over

in Patagonia's mountain forests,

temperatures are still pushing


Young pumas are getting older

and bolder...

...honing their climbing skills.

But their claws are no defense

against the season's
greatest threat.

The forests are tinder dry.

All it takes...

...is a spark.

Devastating fires
are all too common

in Patagonia's drier forests.

Though lightning starts
a few of them,

more than 90% are caused
by humans,

either accidentally
or to clear land for grazing.

Every year, tens of thousands
of acres of forest

are turned to ash.

Fires are even a problem in
the colder regions of Patagonia.

At the far end of the continent,

majestic southern beech forests
stretch for nearly 700 miles

down towards the Antarctic.

Autumn's here, so deciduous
trees prepare for winter...

...drawing back nutrients
from their leaves.

The result?

A stunning blanket of color

rivaling any tree-scape
on Earth.

But this magical display
doesn't last long.

The first snows of winter
have arrived.

For ranger
Daniel Valazquez Romero,

it's a special time of year.

He used to be
a commercial sheep rancher,

but his love of nature
has led him to a new calling...

...rounding up a very different
kind of creature...

...the incredibly rare
south Andean deer,

the huemul.

Their short legs
and stocky build

are perfectly adapted for life
in upland forests.

Daniel uses
radio-tracking collars

to follow them
over the rough terrain.

They're necessary
for their survival.

Poaching and habitat loss

has driven the huemul
to the brink of extinction.

Fewer than 1,500 remain --

just 1%
of their former population --

making them one of the rarest
mammals on the planet.

At the start of winter,
Daniel fits the young huemuls

with their first
radio-tracking collars.

He's joined by colleague
and wildlife veterinarian

Cristian Saucedo.

They've both dedicated
their lives

to a project
that is transforming Patagonia.

In a ground-breaking
partnership,

the governments of Chile
and Argentina

have teamed up with the charity
Tompkins Conservation.

Their mission?

To rewild vast areas
of former farmland.

Cristian is in charge
of the project,

hoping to save the huemul.

To do this...

...Cristian must take
drastic measures.

This year's fawns need to be
darted and sedated.

It may look dramatic,
but it's harmless for the deer.

They get a health check

and a collar
that will help keep them safe.

For this new generation
of huemuls,

life will now be a little safer

with Cristian and Daniel
watching over them.

But for another
of Patagonia's forests,

the future is less certain.

In the far south,

an unwelcome developer
is causing big trouble

with deadly consequences.

Narrator:
In Patagonia's far south

sits Tierra del Fuego,

a rugged collection of islands

covering almost


In Karukinka Park,
winter's icy grip is tightening.

Beavers are getting busy.

And their numbers are booming...

...which is a problem,

because they're not supposed
to be here.

Their relentless chewing
is decimating the forests.

In 1946,
just 10 pairs of beavers

were imported here from Canada.

The idea was to launch
a new fur trade.

No one realized how much damage
beavers can do

if let unchecked by predators.

Today, more than 100,000 beavers
are ravaging Patagonia.

There's no easy solution,
as Cristobal Arredondo

from the Wildlife Conservation
Society is well aware.

Narrator: Unlike their
North American cousins,

these trees can't grow
new shoots from chewed stumps.

And in waterlogged conditions,
they simply drown.

Thousands of acres of trees
are dying every year,

driving Cristobal and his team
to do the unthinkable...

...exterminate the invaders.

They set up humane

but lethal traps.

Only then can they destroy
the beaver dams.

Finally, the forest waters
can flow freely again.

Eradicating the beavers
will be tough,

but it's important work,

not just for this wilderness,

but for the planet.

Patagonia's vast forests,
like the jungles of the Amazon,

trap huge amounts of carbon,

helping to fight climate change.

Only now are we waking up
to the importance

of protecting
Patagonia's forests.

But some have known how vital
they are all along.

In the monkey puzzle forests,

conservation has been going on
unnoticed for generations.

Petrona Pellao
and her Mapuche community

have been taking care
of their trees for hundreds,

if not thousands, of years.

Narrator: The respect
the Mapuche show for their trees

demonstrates how forests
can survive...

...and thrive
long into the future.

Next on "Patagonia:
Life on the Edge of the World,"

we go behind the scenes...

Oh!

...and reveal how our crews
battle the elements...

Oh!

...to film the animals
and the people

who live in one of
the wildest places on Earth.

Stay still.

You don't run.