Our Changing Planet

Original version

BBC One Yorkshire HD

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

An ambitious seven-year series documenting six of the planet's most threatened ecosystems.

Seven years. Six habitats. One planet. Charting our world's most threatened ecosystems - a unique global portrait of extraordinary change and the hope of groundbreaking solutions.

Series 2

BBC Two

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Channel Islands HD

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One East HD

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West HD

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One North West HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region. Separated as BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One London HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One South West

BBC One South HD

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One West Midlands

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One North West

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

BBC One South East HD

BBC One Nightlight

BBC One West HD

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

BBC Two England

England

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Our Changing Planet: Series 2: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC One - Our Changing Planet, Series 2, Episode 2

Six presenters meet the people fighting to rebalance earth’s failing ecosystems.

In the second year of a seven-year project, six presenters chart the fight to save the planet’s endangered ecosystems. In this episode, we visit Brazil, Cambodia and Kenya.

It’s year two of BBC’s ambitious, seven year project charting the fortunes of six of Earth’s most threatened ecosystems, and in the second episode we join three presenters as they celebrate the experts and communities fighting to rebalance another trio of vulnerable habitats.

Gordon Buchanan returns to Brazil, Ella Al-Shamahi to Cambodia and Ade Adepitan to Kenya.

Gordon Buchanan returns to Brazil, the most biodiverse country on our planet and home to one of the world’s most important wetlands, the Pantanal. Gordon’s here to revisit a pioneering project that is committed to saving one of the Amazon’s iconic predators, the jaguar, and to understand the importance of a healthy ecosystem.

The Pantanal is vital to the health of the jaguar’s territory. Fed by the Amazon Rainforest’s water cycle, it’s an extraordinarily rich habitat, and home to an array of water and land species. Gordon takes to the water and sees first-hand how this place is perched on a knife edge. As climate change accelerates, the Pantanal is becoming drier, endangering its wildlife and vegetation, including the jaguar. Gordon hears from a local conservationist how the plans for up-river dams could severely impact this precious ecosystem.

Habituating jaguars is a vital part of ecotourism, enabling paying guests to experience these iconic creatures. The profits fund vital research and this year Gordon follows the team on their annual collaring project, darting jaguars and collecting samples and data from these super-sized cats. Once sedated, Gordon gets the opportunity to get hands on with the scientists, witnessing for himself the range of samples and data the team are collecting. This will provide valuable insights into the jaguar’s movements within their ever-changing habitat.

Ella Al-Shamahi returns to Cambodia, an area experiencing increasing economic growth. This growth is putting massive pressure on natural resources, and is leading to expanding cities and potentially devastating over-exploitation of the natural world.

Ella discovers the reality about our planet’s most exploited resource after water – sand. The Mekong River is vital to the health of not only this region but to five other countries, and is being dredged for this valuable resource, endangering the structure and health of this mighty river system.  Ella takes to the water with a leading Mekong expert to see the extent of the extraction. Unsustainable and highly destructive, mining could possibly sound the death bell for this precious ecosystem. UK scientists are using high quality satellite imagery that reveals the extent of the damage and there’s hope that regulation can slow this exploitation.

Biodiversity plays a vital role in building resilience in these threatened landscapes. Ella joins an expedition that will reintroduce the nearly extinct Siamese crocodile into the depths of the Cardamom Mountains. To date, the survival of these critically endangered animals has been down to the cultural connection between the local people and the crocodiles, who they consider sacred. Ella and the team are taking ten crocodiles to a safe and very remote site. The crocodiles are inserted into bamboo rolls, which are soaked in water to keep them cool, then bundled onto the back of mopeds and driven to the release site. It’s a 24-hour journey, crossing rivers and tackling forest pathways, all the time ensuring the crocodiles are safely stowed. On arrival, the team acclimatise the animals before their final release. We meet those who discovered one of the last remaining crocodiles and an elder of the village explains the role of crocodiles and the natural world to his people.

Ade Adepitan returns to Kenya to report on the devastating effect of rising temperatures and failed rains. The conditions are extreme, and the challenges, unimaginable. Both communities and wildlife are fighting to survive the worst drought in 40 years.

When Ade visited Kenya in 2021, the elephants were severely affected by drought, but 2022 saw a new and sinister problem. People and elephants were now fighting over dwindling food and water supplies, even killing each other in their desperation to survive. 

Ade finds out about a project that could help farmers and elephants to co-exist until the next rains finally arrive. Using biology and behavioural science, leading elephant scientists, with the input of locals, have created affordable tools for repelling elephants from farms and reducing conflict. Ade travels to Sagalla, near Tsavo National Park, where its community is leading the way and testing these devices. He meets local farmer Jones, who has created what he calls a ‘noisy gun’ from tin cans and wood. Other devices include condoms full of chilli powder and beehives strung along fences.  Ade finds a community under extreme pressure, but the ingenuity of the ‘Human Elephant Coexistence’ toolbox is providing a genuine ray of hope.

Our Changing Planet: Series 2

BBC One

The second year of a definitive seven-year diary, documenting the fight to save our planet’s most threatened ecosystems. Six presenters meet the people fighting to restore the balance.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Our Changing Planet

Series 2

Episode 2

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One Yorkshire HD

About BBC One