Finally, the new BBC documentary "Green Planet" was released! At 21:00 on the evening of January 10, it has been broadcast simultaneously on the CCTV record channel and the video website, have you seen it?
Its production lineup is still strong.
Produced by the Natural History Department of BBC Studios and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the "Father of World Nature Documentaries", a whole new journey to Earth is beginning.
With the blessing of cutting-edge technology, "Green Planet" has also become the world's first immersive plant documentary:
We can see the hidden secrets of nature from the perspective of plants, from scenes beyond the scope of human observation.
In Tim Lanjun's view, "Green Planet" is not only a high-scoring documentary that maintains the BBC's usual standards, but more importantly, it pioneered people to look at the world from the perspective of plants and pay attention to climate change, which is also an important "correction" in the concept of nature conservation for the general public - changing people's past prejudices about plants.
Because of this, the global premiere of Green Planet was specially arranged at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and the world's special guests in the field of environmental protection became the first audience.
Sir David and WWF Global Ambassador Maisie | at the premiere of Green Planet at COP26 in Glasgow Image: BBC Studio.
Before watching the film, WWF Global Ambassador Maisie Williams set the audience with a challenge:
Open your eyes and don't just see the green around you, but actually see the green planet.
Take this challenge and let's see the green planet together!
01
Plant life
Not inferior to animals
It is human nature to subconsciously place animals above plants, a phenomenon also known as "plant blindness."
For example, when it comes to protecting nature, we first think of protecting rare wild animals; when we think of nature documentaries, we think of the following scenes
Source: BBC Earth
But in fact, the life of plants is as important as the life of animals, and they are also competitive, aggressive and animalistic.
Plants are also caught up in life-and-death struggles for survival, territory, food, and light, and they also socialize, care, deceive, reproduce, manipulate other creatures...
This is the largest flower in the world, the Kate King Flower, also known as the Carrion Flower. As the flower calls it, its survival strategy is to mimic the carcasses (including smells) of animals.
Sometimes it can grow up to 1 meter in diameter, and when the flowers bloom, they will smell of carrion. | Source: BBC Studio
Up close, the texture of the whole flower is particularly similar to the skin of an animal, and even the fur, whiskers and teeth are imitated very well.
No, it's attracting flies.
Many insects and animals are far away from the taste of carrion flowers, but lilies mistakenly think that there is carrion suitable for laying eggs.
When the fly is looking for carrion inside the flower, the male flower has secretly attached the pollen to the back of the fly, waiting for the fly to go to the next flower to complete the pollination mission.
Look closely, the white slime on the back of the fly is actually the corpse flower that sticks to it. | Source: BBC Earth
Plants use not only insects, but also birds.
Lamp bat flowers produce sweet but unnourished nectar, attracting bats to forage for more flowers to help them pollinate.
Source: BBC Studio
In order to compete for the scarcest sunlight in the rainforest, plants will do whatever it takes.
When an old tree dies, the opportunity for new life comes.
Source: BBC via
Who will eventually take over this sky?
Some plants develop wide leaves to block out the sun, others borrow power through tendrils and climb upwards...
02
The beauty of the plants
It's not just good-looking
The brilliance of the plant world also lies in their unique habits that develop under the influence of the environment, with their own sense of art.
It's a glowing tree, but the light on its trunk doesn't actually come from itself, it comes from enzymes produced by fungi.
Most of the fungi in the forest are hidden in the fallen leaves and dirt, and this fungus clings to the trunk of the tree, showing itself in a mysterious and beautiful way.
In Congo, this phenomenon is also known as the "chimpanzee fire".
This giant cactus can store 5,000 liters of water when ripe. When it rains, it will drink water hard until the lines outside are flattened by the water.
Let's take a look at the plant behind Sir David Attenborough?
When I saw it, I thought of immortality.
It was the only flower to sprout in the ashes in the days after the fire swept through parts of South Africa.
Becoming beautiful is the survival skill of this flower, which will help it become the only one that attracts the attention of the pollinator.
03
Maintain ecosystems and combat climate change
Plants play a key role
Speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Sir David Attenborough said:
"For years, plant life has been largely neglected when talking about climate change. But as viewers see from Green Planet, green ecosystems are at the heart of all life on Earth, so it's vital that we tackle biodiversity and climate change together. ”
Source: Agence France-Presse
Indeed, the last time footage from a BBC documentary focused on plants was 26 years ago, when the documentary was titled Plant Private Life.
What about humans? Burning fossil fuels, destroying nature, developing industry, building buildings, allowing the city's "steel forest" to encroach on natural space...
In the documentary, Sir David Attenborough reads the diary written by Darwin 200 years ago when he explored the tropical world: "After experiencing the beauty of nature, the deepest impression on my mind is still the virgin forest that has not been defiled by human hands. ”
Unfortunately, today, 70% of tropical rainforest plants grow no more than two kilometers away from roads or artificially opened forest clearings.
At the end of the first episode, as the camera zooms out, the primeval forest is already surrounded by human activity.
Green Planet allows the crisis of plants to be seen and understood. When we all realize the value of plants, maybe we are not far from change.
Viewing address:
Every Monday at 21:00, CCTV-9 and video sites broadcast simultaneously.
Episode Topics:
Episode 1 Tropical Worlds
Episode 2 "Water Worlds"
Episode 3: Seasonal Worlds
Episode 4: Desert Worlds
Episode 5 Human Worlds