The Consequences of Deforestation
In The Consequences of Deforestation: A Global Problem, host Simon Reeve accompanies conservationists in Belize who have had to resort to drastic measures to protect the forest and its wildlife. This video is excerpted from BBC's Incredible Journeys With Simon Reeve, a series that highlights one journalist’s travels across the globe and the diverse cultures and peoples he meets along the way.
Lesson Express
Q: Name the groups from Guatemala who illegally enter the protected rainforests of Belize. What is their end goal?
A: There are farmers, loggers, poachers, and wildlife traffickers who sneak across the border. They seek to harvest trees and catch or hunt wildlife for money.
Q: What are some of the dangers that result from wild animals being forced into closer contact with humans?
A: Wild animals can become more aggressive as they search for food in populated areas. Wild animals can also carry disease and increase the risk of pandemics.
Q: In both Belize and Indonesia, what were the significant challenges in enforcing conservation laws?
A: The border between Belize and Guatemala had no patrol; there was simply a path entering the country. The trespassers were on horseback, but the conservation police were on foot. The area of the forest was very large to patrol. In Indonesia, the animals were being sold on the black market for cash, which cannot be tracked. In both places, the profits from these illegal practices were blinding people to the potential risks.
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In Saving the Land of the Lacandon People, host Simon Reeve ventures into the heart of Mexico's Lacandon rainforest, an area teeming with life but facing massive threats. Over just a few decades, outsiders have cleared millions of trees to plant crops, putting this rainforest and the Lacandon people in danger. With over 1,500 tree species and home to a third of Mexico’s birds, this forest is a treasure trove of biodiversity that is beginning to disappear. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Americas With Simon Reeve, in which Simon Reeve explores the landscapes, cultures, and wildlife of North and South America.
In The White Rhino Faces Extinction, narrator Sir David Attenborough tells the sad tale of how elephants and rhinos are killed for their tusks and horns. The northern white rhinoceros is now facing extinction. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Story of Thandi the Rhino, naturalist Steve Backshall goes in search of Thandi, one of the only white rhinos known to have survived a poacher attack. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In he Animals That Rule the Desert, host Simon Reeve journeys through the Kalahari in Botswana, where he encounters lions, elephants, and jackals. Botswana has become a safe haven for African elephants, holding nearly a third of the population after decades of poaching and habitat destruction. With only 400,000 elephants left from an original 25 million, Simon emphasizes the urgency to protect these majestic creatures. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, an epic adventure into the heart of Earth’s last great wild areas, where nature is at its most beautiful and fragile.