The living planet : a portrait of the earth: jungle
David Attenborough makes a vertical journey down a kapok tree, whose crown emerges above the jungle canopy. He descends by ropes through various layers to the forest floor below, finding en route some of the most colorful and extraordinary plants an...
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: new worlds
Man has changed the face of the planet in many ways, causing willful damage and destruction while also creating new habitats for plants and animals. Adaptability is the key to success, and this program looks at the mixed fortunes of a wide variety o...
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: the frozen world
From the snowy peaks of the Andes to Antarctica and the Arctic, David Attenborough explores remote places and sees how plants and animals survive in the most extreme conditions.
Is there a crisis?: biodiversity in decline
The most striking feature of life on Earth is its richness and variety. But research shows that the planet's biodiversity is seriously threatened with destruction by human activities. From the depths of the oceans to the tops of rainforest canopies,...
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: the open ocean
Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by sea. This program looks at the oceans in their broadest aspects - from drowned plains and hidden mountains to minute drifting plankton and forests of kelp. The food webs of the oceans and the evolution o...
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: the margins of the land
Life between the tides makes great demands on the inhabitants, yet many creatures have made their home in this shifting world of mud and sand. Mangroves with their roots help to expand the coastline, and in Bangladesh a varied community inhabit the ...
The future of life: searching for solutions
At the current rate of resource depletion, humankind stands to lose fully half of Earth's remaining species over the next 100 years. At this crucial point in world history, a choice must be made: will coming generations inhabit a healthy planet or, ...
Why is there a crisis?: environmental exploitation
Extinction is a natural process, and five times in the dim reaches of Earth's long history it has happened on a huge scale. Now, due to human activities, another mass extinction has been set in motion - and it is unfolding at an unprecedented speed....
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: the northern forests
Trees of the coniferous forests have special adaptations that enable them to survive long cold winters. Many animals that inhabit these vast forests are dependent on the trees for leaves, cones or bark. Further south, in the deciduous woodland, we s...
The living planet : a portrait of the earth: the baking deserts
Desert animals must survive two demanding conditions - heat and drought. They have solved these problems in a variety of ingenious ways. Beetles and strange plants in the Namib Desert collect fog. Lizards gear their lifestyle precisely to the positi...