Life on Earth

Programme Outline

'Life on Earth' introduces the concept of 'biodiversity' - simply defined as 'variety of life'. The diverse nature of life forms - animal and plant - is illustrated, together with the value and importance of that diversity, for example in allowing humans to select particular qualities of plants to grow for foods. The variety of life forms in Britain is noted, but then compared to the vastly greater variety that exists in the world's tropical rainforests.

The programme displays a map of the location of the rainforest belt around the tropics, stretching from South America, via Africa, to the Pacific islands, before focusing in on the rainforests of Borneo which, it is explained, contains millions of different life forms including 89 species of frog, 134 species of snake and over 25,000 different types of plant.

Herwasano Soedjito, from the Center for International Forestry Research, shows some of the fungi and mushrooms that grow in the forest, explaining that they provide a source of food not only for animals that live in the forest, but also for humans. He goes on to explain how the mushrooms are being studied for their medicinal properties, because scientists believe that they may hold a cure for cancer. He warns however, that the trees that the mushroom grows on are in danger of extinction because of the logging that is taking place in the forest. Scientists believe that even more medicines are waiting to be discovered in tropical rainforests. (A quarter of all the world's medicines have come from the rainforest).

The Borneo rainforest is also home to indigenous peoples, such as the Punan. Ipo Kre and his family, Punan people, depend on the forest for their livelihoods. Ipo explains how they hunt animals, and collect fruits from the forest to eat, but also cultivate the land to grow crops, including cassava, for food. The forest also provides them with fibres, tree gums, timber, leaves, resins and rattan. These can be used to make and furnish the Punan's homes, but can also be traded in markets in the town to enable the Punan to earn money to buy clothing, sugar and salt - and other things they are unable to produce for themselves. The market is shown, with its tremendous variety of fruit and vegetables, all products of the forest, including 8 species of banana.

The Borneo rainforest is fast disappearing, three-quarters of a million hectares are being felled every year (globally, an area of forest the size of Britain is felled annually). Local people cut down trees for firewood and to sell - because they are poor. Most of the logging is done by big companies, who fell trees and then saw them into timber to make furniture. Much of the timber (including that from rare trees) goes to make paper. Much of the logging is done very destructively, with bulldozers, in the process not only cutting the trees that are wanted, but also destroying young saplings and other plant life. This is also destroying the homes of animals such as the Orang Utang - which is now in danger of extinction.

The programme illustrates that consumers here in the UK have the ability to bring about change, for example by buying timber products from sustainably grown forests, by using recycled paper, and by supporting or joining pressure groups and campaigning against the indiscriminate destruction of the worlds rainforests.

Charles Secrett explains that globally we know what the problems of deforestation are, including global warming, and we know what the solutions are. All that is needed is the political will to implement them.