Human Planet Jungles Part 3

<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"
xmlns:mv="http://macVmlSchemaUri" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta name=Title content="">
<meta name=Keywords content="">
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=unicode">
<meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14">
<meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 14">
<link rel=File-List href="Human-Planet-Jungles-Part-3_files/filelist.xml">

<link rel=themeData href="Human-Planet-Jungles-Part-3_files/themedata.xml">

<style>

</style>

</head>
<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US style='tab-interval:.5in'>
<div class=WordSection1>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>but it's the trees themselves that are
most in demand all around the world. Logging is one of the greatest threats
facing the world's rainforests. Yet there are a few places where its effects
are far less destructive. The jungles bordering India and Burma are harvested
using one of the most forest-friendly methods of all. And it involves
harnessing the raw power of the mightiest creature in the jungle. This is
Ramprasad - five-and-a-half tonnes of bull Asian elephant. And this is Sumir,
his mahout. Before nightfall, they have to drag a two-tonne log threeeeeeeeee
kilometres out of the forest. Ramprasad is the mightiest elephant in the camp,
but it's still a mammoth test of brute strength and communication. Sumir steers
Ramprasad with over 1 00 different commands. He can be operated in Hindi,
Assamese and he even understands a little English. And Sumir's pretty fluent in
elephant too. Unbelievably strong and surprisingly nimble, elephants are far
superior to logging machines in this tangled terrain. And most importantly, the
forest doesn't have to be completely cleared just to access a few selected
trees. There's no need for expensive spare parts and elephants run on 1 00%
green fuel. But, unlike a machine, Ramprasad has a mind of his own and must be
treated with respect. It's essential to break elephants in before they're put
to work, but they're still wild at heart, and keeping control of such raw might
is a fine balancing act of command and compassion. Sumir and Ramprasad make it
to the collection site in good time and help load the trucks. Transporting logs
to the sawmill is the only mechanised part of the entire process. But they're
not out of the woods yet. Once again, underjungle conditions, elephants
out-perform engines. Job done, time for a well-earned wash. The jungles of East
India and Burma form the largest area of rainforest left in Asia and provide
sanctuary for the last healthy population of Asian elephants. Ramprasad and
these other elephants have lost their freedom, but this way of logging helps
secure the future of their species and their home. It's through partnerships
with nature that people manage to live within the jungle without destroying it.
But in most areas of tropical rainforest, the picture is not so harmonious. In
just 50 years, half the planet's tropical forest has been cleared. As many as 1
00 rainforest species go extinct every day...often before they've even been
discovered. And it's not just animals and plants. We're also losing human
cultures that we know almost nothing about. Even in the 2 1st century, there
are still people who exist in isolation from the rest of humanity, and
virtually all live in jungles. These vast, unexplored forests are the only
places left on Earth where entire communities can live undetected. Brazil is
thought to be home to around 70 isolated tribes, around two-thirds of the world
total. Jose Carlos Meirelles works for FUNAI, a government agency that protects
Brazil's indigenous people. Today he's hoping to encounter one of these
uncontacted tribes. He needs to get to them before others do. Logging and
mining are encroaching on these forests and there are some who want to deny
that uncontacted tribes live here at all. Meirelles needs evidence. The fight
to protect these people depends upon proving and publicising their existence.
This is the very first aerial footage of an uncontacted community. Very little
is known about their way of life or even their language, and Meirelles would
rather it stays that way. He's dedicated 40 years to protecting isolated tribes
from the outside world, but this isn't as simple as just leaving them alone.
Using a stabilised zoom lens, it was possible to film from a kilometre away,
minimising disturbance. Meirelles believes the more people are aware these
tribes are here, the more effective the fight to preserve their way of life.
Humans have survived here by becoming part of the forest, but it's this
specialization that leaves them so vulnerable in these changing times. These
people are the guardians of a wealth of knowledge and skill that enable humans
to forge a life within the natural world. And there are very few whose
existence remains as intimately connected with the rainforest as the remote
tribes of West Papua. The Korowai are so adapted to life in the jungle, they've
taken to the trees. (SHOUTING). This clan is building a new house... (SHOUTING)
...but it will be no ordinary one. All materials must be sourced on site and
much of the cutting is still done using stone-age tools. It's an ambitious
project. The plan is to build their new home in a tree 35 metres up. Just as
well they've chosen an ironwood, the strongest tree in the forest. The first
step is to build a ladder to its crown. These are the only tribes in the world
who live in tree houses...and they do so for a number of reasons. It's an
escape from the floods and the biting insects on the forest floor. It offers
protection from enemy attack, but most of all, it's a display of theirjungle
prowess. For the Korowai, the higher the house, the greater the prestige. The
Korowai's skills may be exceptional, but builders are the same the world over.
As one of the clan's strongest climbers, Wayo is the foreman overseeing the
most dangerous jobs. Thinning the branches keeps the house from shaking apart
in the wind. A fall would mean certain death, but teetering in tree-tops is
second nature to the Korowai. (WHOOPING) As the house goes up, more trees come
down. But they have to fall in the right direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Human Planet Jungles Part 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Human Planet Jungles Part 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"

<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US style='tab-interval:.5in'>

You might also like