Marine scientists across the world are racing to tackle the most urgent environmental challenge facing our planet today – ocean acidification. From the icy polar seas to the world’s most pristine coral reefs we track the latest scientific research. Heading the investigation is Dr Katharina Fabricius from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. She’s made a game-changing discovery. Nestled amongst Papua New Guinea’s stunning coral gardens is a unique reef – a window to the future of our oceans.
The Great Australian Fly
The Great Australian Fly looks at how a national nuisance has shaped Australia and its people, confounding our scientists, influencing our lifestyle and defining the way we speak. But is its value misunderstood? The one-hour documentary explores how this much-maligned spoiler of the Australian summer is in fact a crime solver, healer, pollinator and street sweeper. We’d miss them if they were gone, yet we put huge amounts of energy into wiping them out. Is it time to call a truce? Directed by Tosca Looby and produced by Sally Ingleton, the amusing and intriguing film pays homage to a much-maligned invertebrate and the influence it has had on our world. Part social history, part scientific study, The Great Australian Fly introduces the people who devote their lives to flies through science, criminology, medicine, as breeders and for love. And it explains why we might need to stop swatting and start embracing the fly, because, like it or not, this pesky little insect looms large in our past, our present and our future.
Ireland’s Coast
This series is a thematic exploration of Ireland’s coast which brings the audience on a journey through time revealing its fascinating origins, rich biodiversity and magnetic charm.
With stunning cinematography, cutting edge graphics and gripping storytelling this breath-taking odyssey uncovers the treasures of this living land and seascape. From mystical jellyfish, forgotten shipwrecks and cold water coral reefs, previously unseen marvels of the Irish coast will be revealed.
Birdsong
Thirty five year-old ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co Cork has an acute ear and a passion for the natural world. After compiling a list of 195 ‘regularly occurring’ bird species in Ireland, he sets out to record each one. But what begins as a recreational personal project transforms into an urgent environmental mission. Seán’s recordings – many the first of their kind – reveal stark realities of our biodiversity and climate crises, and provide a poetic record of a vanishing, vital part of our world.
Devil Island
It’s a shocking reality, but the Tasmanian Devil is under threat. As an infectious cancer ravages the largest carnivorous marsupials on mainland Tasmania, a group of experts have come up with a daring plan to protect the species.
Since 1996 the devil has fallen prey to a contagious facial cancer that has wiped out 80% of the wild population. Now the Save the Tasmanian Devil team is attempting to create an ‘insurance’ population of disease-free devils on a former penal settlement
Devil Island follows their remarkable journey as these intelligent but pampered devils experience life in the wild for the very first time.
Timeless Temples, Timeless Forests
Beside the thousand-year-old temples lie deep, ancient forests known as temple forests. These temple forests are greener and more ecologically preserved than any other. For monks, they also serve as places of meditation and spiritual discipline. Standing beneath a towering tree that has lived for a thousand years, one is reminded of how small and insignificant human existence can be. This naturally leads to a sense of humility and quiet introspection. Walking along the temple forest paths is an encounter with nature. By following the natural flow of life, one’s existence becomes simpler and more fulfilling. In the vast and deep embrace of a thousand years, we now journey into the forest of our hearts.
Twilight of the River King
The story of the Atlantic Salmon has been interwoven with our own for over 10,000 years, making its destiny forever. After centuries of persecution and habitat destruction these magnificent animals are now hanging on in only one third of the rivers they once occupied. This documentary takes us through the Atlantic Salmon’s incredible lifecycle and describes its relationship with humankind from time immemorial to the present day.
Africa’s Wild Wonders
This series showcases the unique wildlife of Africa with intimate connection. Each Episode follows one species, getting up close and revealing behaviours and life in the diversity of the African Landscape.
Species include baboons, zebras, antelope, lions, giraffes and many more.
Larapinta
Larapinta, known more commonly by its Western name, the Finke River, is the oldest river in the world, running through the heart of Central Australia. Stretching over 750 kilometres, Indigenous clans of Central Australia have relied on the river for food, water, comfort and travel for generations upon generations. Larapinta’s past, present and future is a story about culture, environment, art, climate change, totems, songlines and, of course, history. Talia Liddle, a young Arrernte and Luritja woman, travels through the majestic Central Australian outback along Larapinta, taking viewers on an intimate and engaging journey where she meets with people who call Larapinta home, as well as scientists, rangers, Traditional Owners, artists, historians, archaeologists and palaeontologists – all of whom give her unique insights and stories of this once mighty river. The story of Larapinta is more than just a story about a river, it is the story of Central Australia.