Patagonia, at the southernmost tip of the American continent, is a fascinating animal world. The rugged region is shaped by mountains, wind and water. Patagonia appears largely uninhabited, certainly not by humans, making it a paradise for animals. A honking sound can be heard along the Patagonian coast. September is the mating season of Magellanic penguins. At sunrise, the peaks of the Torres del Paine Mountains glow with reddish light. The mountains are the majestic center of the Chilean national park in the heart of Patagonia. Their name means Towers of Blue Skies. Rightly so, because the granite peaks reach nearly 3,000 meters into the sky. The enormous massifs are testimony to the enormous forces that have been creating the Andes for millennia. They influence the climate of all South America. Also to Patagonia, a raw, wild land at the very edge of the continent.
Masai Mara National Reserve is a protected area in Kenya with an area of 1,510 square kilometers, constituting the northern part of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. In 2010, the Masai Mara was included on the UNESCO Tentative List for inclusion in the organization's World Heritage List.
Vosges – a mountain landscape in the heart of Europe. The symbol of the region is the stork. His return reconciles man with nature. The cold season is barely over when the storks are already returning from their winter quarters in Spain and Africa. 30 years ago the birds almost completely disappeared. Currently, there are 400 pairs nesting in the Vosges Mountains. Flying nearly 200 km a day, after two weeks they reach their winter quarters in Spain and North Africa. They winter in the stork valley in the Vosges Mountains.
The Vosges Mountains are home to numerous species of wild animals. There are mountains, valleys, vast forests and fields. In the southern Vosges the landscape is shaped by traditional Alpine farming. In the Northern Vosges, on the other hand, forests rich in species often reach higher slopes, interrupted only by deeply cracked sandstone outcrops towering above the trees. In the nature reserve of the Northern Vosges, large areas are protected from logging and agricultural crops. The domed peaks of the southern Vosges are mostly unvegetated. They are called balloons and only rarely can you encounter a wind-hardened beech tree. In the northern Vosges, ancient sounds echo. Autumn turns the Vosges deciduous forest into a sea of colors. The trees will soon lose all their leaves. The Vosges forest must wait until spring before it comes to life again.
The Pantanal in southwestern Brazil is the largest marsh plain in the world, fed by numerous rivers. Tourists come here to admire the unique nature. The rivers and lakes of the Pantanal are fed by the Paraguay River. It belongs to the same Iguazu river system that is home to the largest waterfall on the planet. Huge masses of water fall from a height of 82 meters. The thundering waterfall is surrounded by dense rainforest.
The fascinating Black Forest, also known as the Black Forest or Selva Negrato, is a logging mountain range in southwestern Germany. It is heavily dissected by numerous river valleys. The Danube has its source in the eastern part of the Black Forest. Once upon a time, the Black Forest lived up to its name and was an inaccessible refuge for wild creatures. Today, this lush mountain region welcomes all visitors. There are unique landscapes and unique nature there. Ferns and mosses develop beautifully in the play of light and shadow, together with herbs, grasses, shrubs and flowering plants. In late summer, when the weather is warm and humid, mushrooms appear. There are over 800 different species of mushrooms in the Black Forest, but only 100 are edible.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and the first in Africa. It is a paradise island in the Indian Ocean with a unique natural landscape and fun-loving inhabitants. The capital Antananarivo is located in the very center of the island, almost 1,200 meters above sea level. It has nearly two million inhabitants, almost one tenth of the entire population of Madagascar. Numerous towns and villages mark the roads crossing the geographical center of Madagascar. The mountainous region of Andringitra is less populated. Despite travel difficulties, the Andringitra region attracts visitors from all over the world. Water from the highlands eventually flows into the forests on the slopes and turns into numerous rivers and streams winding through the forest floor. The bizarre shapes of baobabs emphasize the uniqueness of nature in Madagascar. This is what makes the island so fascinating.
We will take a closer look at the lush forests of Madagascar. The Masoalas rainforest lies in a region with some of the highest rainfall in the world. Every year, 4,000 liters of rain fall per square meter. The north-eastern region of Madagascar has preserved a lot of untouched nature. But only if generations of Malagasy people continue to respect nature will Madagascar's fascinating natural heritage have a future.
Madagascar - a paradise island in the Indian Ocean with a unique natural landscape and fun-loving inhabitants. 500 km off the coast of Africa lies the island of Madagascar, the fourth largest island on Earth, separated from the rest of the world for 90 million years. Madagascar was discovered only 2,000 years ago. People came there from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The diversity of origins of the Malagasy tribes is now clearly visible in their lifestyle and traditions. Anakao in the southwest of the island is the home of the Vezo fishermen. It is a remote region and difficult to access from land. The Vezo peoples are called children of the sea. You rarely see motorboats here because they are too expensive. Many families still live mainly at sea. They sail from islet to islet along the huge coral reef located west of the coast of Madagascar.
There are few places on Earth that would be closer to the stars. The Andes are a powerful, unique, mysterious and amazing mountain range. They are almost like a separate universe on our planet. At the foot of the chain is the largest reserve of drinking water in South America, Campo de Hielo Sur, the enormous Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet on the border between Chile and Argentina. The southwestern areas of the central Andes are exceptionally barren. There is the world's largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, which outside the rainy season looks like a desert of crystals.
A traditional mixed orchard is a paradise for flora and fauna. The species-rich orchards are at their most beautiful in spring. With the first warm rays of sunlight, everything comes alive and makes itself felt. Fruit appears in orchards in summer.
Typical traditional orchard with mixed tree species. It is there, on the outskirts of villages and fields, that various animals find their ideal habitat all year round. In autumn, when there is plenty of food, and in winter, when animals go there to survive frosts and snowstorms.
Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada - here the ice begins to melt exceptionally late, but when it does, the bay becomes a paradise for animals during the short Arctic summer. Long before the drift ice completely melts, the first signs of spring appear on the coast. Migrants arrive in their millions and scatter across the coast in search of food and a place to breed. Arctic terns, as we are talking about them, are a symbol of the far north.
We observe nature, which manages to survive in all seasons. When snow and ice cast a spell over the land, winter in Central Europe shows its most beautiful face. Meanwhile, white splendor has its dark side, as many animals struggle to find food in winter. The mice snuggle comfortably under the snow carpet. It protects them from icy temperatures and hides them from predators. Meanwhile - the deer has no protection against the elements. The fox too. How can he find his prey in an endless sea of white? The world in winter seems like a quiet, isolated place. It's hard to imagine finding anything to eat here. Meanwhile, Mother Nature provides animals even in the harshest winter.
Winter has many faces: unyielding and harsh, but also fascinating and beautiful. Although it is demanding, many animals adapt to cold and ice surprisingly well. The world seems enchanted, but it is only water in the form of ice, frost and snow. Even sharp, exuberant wild boars succumb to the romantic charms of winter. For animals and plants, winter is definitely the most difficult time of the year.
In this episode we will go to the area of Ticino, also known as Ticino. It is the southernmost canton, proud of its majestic mountains and almost Mediterranean climate. It is a region of contrasts and beauty. In the upper parts of Ticina, near Lake Maggiore, the landscape is dominated by dense, virgin forest.
In this part of the series we will look at nature in the Jura Mountains all year round. This mountain range stretches for 340 km from the Rhône arc around Brégnier-Cordon in the southwest, to Baden and Dielsdorf in the Rhine Valley in the northeast.
In this episode we will get to know the Bernese Region, which is one of the most charming regions of Switzerland. It is a habitat for various protected species of animals and plants. The peaks of the Alps regulate the climate, the air from the humid Atlantic collides with the mountain slopes, releasing rains. One of the most beautiful effects of this are mountain lakes.
On the southern side of the Alps, only 3.5 hours' drive from Basel, lies Ticino - a Swiss enclave on the border with Italy, located on Lake Maggiore. Only one fifth of this area belongs to Switzerland, the rest is in Italy. Ticino has Swiss federal law, Swiss francs and prices comparable to national ones. Everything else, however, is Italian: the language, cuisine, culture and temperament.
The Swiss Jura Mountains are more than just a canton, because the mountain region stretches from northeastern Switzerland to Lake Geneva. This is a rugged, unspoilt area that is sparsely populated compared to the rest of the country, and you can certainly find a lot of peace and quiet here.
Graubünden, a region in eastern Switzerland, attracts skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts. It's a picture-perfect winter here - full of sun, frost and snow. It is a treat for people, but a real survival school for animals. Living on a rocky land perpetually covered with ice and snow requires good preparation. However, representatives of fauna are masters of adaptation.
The Bernese Mountains are one of the most charming regions. The Aare River has its source here. It is the longest river, the entire riverbed of which is within the borders of Switzerland. Every year, nearly 260 cubic kilometers of water flows down from the Alps. This is more than 5 times more than in Lake Constance. During the Ice Age, water from the melting Aare glacier carved out as many as seven deep gorges in the rock plateau. One of these gorges is now the bed of the Aare River. For some, this is a disturbing place: the gorge is considered the home of a legendary dragon.
In early March, the nights in Central Europe are still frosty and the trees are bare. As the sun gradually warms up, nature comes to life. The chill of winter can still be felt in the air, but the animal and plant world is already preparing to come to life. The first flocks of returning birds signal a new beginning.
In this episode, we will witness the spring awakening of nature, which, together with the cherry blossoms, appears in all its glory every year in Central Europe. Nature wakes up and signals the time of a new beginning.
In this episode we visit Hudson Bay in Canada. In these parts, polar bears live on pack ice in winter. However, after a long, cold winter, the drift ice begins to break, which means the disappearance of their hunting grounds for polar bears. So what do they do as the temperature rises and the ice melts? How do they spend their summer?
After months of darkness, the sun finally appears. Animals know well that it is worth taking proper advantage of the short Antarctic summer. On many Antarctic islands - including on South Georgia, 2,000 km east of the South American continent, snow and ice are beginning to disappear.