Lord Howe Island - Garden of Eden between Australia and New Zealand

There's a place full of  species long believed extinct.   Where creation made laws that only apply here. A place teeming with species found nowhere else. Lord Howe island is a unique microcosm,   a Garden of Eden, a collection of  botanical and zoological wonders. An Eden of the South Pacific  between Australia and New Zealand. It rises from the deep thousands of meters down. Created by a whim of nature, it is fragile and  endangered. Only man can secure its future.   Lord Howe is a paradise with changeable  weather the huge mass of mount gower soars   from the sea to a height of almost 900 meters  it draws approaching storm clouds like a magnet 700 kilometers off the coast of new south wales  the weather can change from one moment to the next storms come and go and sometimes stay  clinging grimly to the rocks of the island even underwater they feel the swell wind and waves release huge forces even down here   everything is moving the  sea creatures seek shelter any fish that can finds a nook or cranny even  30 meters down the swell shifts the seabed   only a few like this double header  are still on the lookout for prey the storm seems undecided as  to whether to break in full   force suddenly the clouds part  and the sun breaks through but the strong winds have damaged the  white turn colony helpless the parent   birds flutter over their nesting places this  three-week-old chick is fighting for its life   it might survive the four meter fall but on the  ground its chances would be slim white turns   do not build nests on the bare branches their  eggs and young are at the mercy of the elements whenever there's a storm ian hutton is out  in it nothing will keep him at home because   he knows that his white turns his children need  his help the birds of lord howe island are what   gives ian's life meaning there why he left the  comforts of life on the mainland 25 years ago   the mother has returned with food for her young  she watches the interfering stranger suspiciously but ian knows the parents won't reject the  baby even though he has touched it the mother   approaches carefully and as soon as the chick  smells the fish it forgets its fear and the storm this chick is not the only victim the white  turns only came to lord howe in the 1950s   when the norfolk pines were planted the  trees are their favorite nesting places   why no one knows as every storm claims its victims seeking shelter fallen birds move further  and further away from their parents knowing that the fallen baby  birds will not survive unaided   ian takes them to the wilson family to be  looked after until they're ready to fly with great powers of persuasion empathy and  infinite patience and above all with his books   ian has succeeded in raising the islanders  awareness of their unique animal and plant world for a long time nature's abundance was  taken too much for granted on lord howe   which is why ian fights to save every baby  bird parents may come back or it may not so   rather than have it starved there brought  it down here to campbell and every year he   raises about 10 of these little birds so  these ones have been here about a month   and we'll just have this one here for the lot and  he'll be handsome every day and he should survive the weather is changing again  the wind is now buffeting the   island at more than 80 kilometers an hour birds that haven't found shelter must be careful within minutes the storm  can blow up to cyclone force in the sea too the storm is raging a sea  urchin is dislodged by the strong swell the double header picks up the tumbling movement if the urchin lands with its unprotected  stomach facing upward it won't have a chance the double header isn't the only one  interested but the more eel takes   over only when the doubleheader's more  powerful jaws have broken the urchin open the brightly colored coral fish are  scavengers they too want their share the double header becomes more  aggressive and the more a eel gives in in less than a minute it's all over all  that remains is a hollowed-out skeleton the ever-hungry double-header moves on to  the coral and algae an omnivore found only   in the waters of lord howe island it is  perfectly adapted to this tiny ecosystem the feast is soon over and so is the storm   suddenly lord howe shows its other  face paradise set on an ancient volcano mount gawa rises nearly 3  000 meters from the sea floor   but it has been a loser in the  struggle between wind and waves what you see today is only a fraction of what was  once a huge island millions of years of erosion   have reduced it to about a  fortieth of its original size all over the island strange rock  formations stand like wounded soldiers   raising their twisted forms to the sky in the course of a few million years a  brief moment in the history of the earth   the huge massif of mount gawa disappeared but the disappearance of the massif left  behind a unique habitat on the mountain plateau a fairytale forest a magic garden  cut off from the earth's history over a hundred plant species are found only   in this lonely forest the rare  flightless woodhen survives only here   and this is where twenty thousand providence  petrols gather for their annual mating ritual as a world heritage site lord howe island  enjoys unique protection just 400 islanders   live here mostly descendants of the first five  families who settled on the island 150 years ago and there are the tourists limited by agreement  with unesco to a maximum of 400 per day both man and nature seem to have withdrawn  from the outside world other rules apply   here it's one of the few places in australia  where children can still go to school barefoot   the children also design the island's phone  book and every islander's nickname is included everything has its own rhythm lord how time the island is a legend the  mere mention of the name   lord howe is enough to fill many  australians with a yearning to go there   but the limit on visitor numbers makes it  an exclusive destination full of surprises many well-known species are found in unusual  forms here above and below the surface here you enter a strange world the clownfish star of finding  nemo is usually orange and white   here there is a different species the  lord how clownfish is black and white this looks like a perfectly normal coral reef   but coral reefs are not usually found  this far south it's too cold even so   countless tropical species live among the  strange structures that ring the island right next to the reef there are algae  and sponges found only in cold water   two different worlds are side by side several currents from the  south pole and the equator   ensure that two completely different habitats  meet offload howe tropical and cold waters the fish move between the two worlds species that normally never meet come face to  face on the southernmost coral reef in the world the storm is not yet over but the work  can't wait ian hutton takes ornithologist   darren peck to mutton bird point nesting  place of the mutton birds or sheer waters well hidden under the long grass on the cliff  the chicks await the return of their parents darren is one of many researchers who keep coming  back to study the island's unique bird life 38.7 ian's help is essential on their own  strangers would take days to find the birds the chicks are weighed measured  and checked three times a week   their growth is monitored because  shear water numbers are declining at the same time masked boobies  are reproducing at a great rate   even though this is muttonbird point the  masked boobies now dominate its nesting the delicate balance has been upset ian was  the first to study the behavior of the boobies   he knows their partnership rituals which  bolster a couple's lifelong relationship and he found out why the boobies are  living in what was the mutton bird's home an apparently insignificant human action has  destroyed the habitat of one of these species this native grass was growing all over mutton  bird point until 1948 when somebody planted   kaikuhu grass and that's spread over most  of the point which has benefited the mast   booby they can nest on it more densely but  the poor shear waters that used to nest here   they can't nest here anymore because the kaiku  the introduced grass that chokes their burrows the elegant parents accompany the still orc  with young boobies on their maiden flight   an idyllic picture however  the balance has been upset   these problems are found all over lord howe  wherever humans have carelessly intervened lord howe island was discovered in 1788 40 years  later five families gradually settled here their   persistence on their isolated island is amazing  in the early decades they often went hungry to this day their descendants determine the  island's fate and defend it against newcomers until the mid-1970s there was little  contact with the outside world   they often had to wait weeks for the supply ship despite aircraft and telecommunications  the fear of being cut off still lingers so the islanders have bought a cargo ship it  comes every two weeks bringing food ordered   by phone from supermarkets on the mainland  from cement mixers to desks cars to pencils   virtually everything on lord  howe island comes on this ship but the construction of the  new jetty changed the bay the wooden piles have attracted  giant shoals of catfish   shoals provide safety in numbers against predators  and the jetty has brought plenty of predators too stingrays are attracted by waste from the jetty   the catfish would be a tasty snack but there isn't  much here today and the giant ray takes his leave most people don't notice the changes underwater   who knows what shellfish seaweed or plankton have  come to the island via the hull of the supply ship   any contact with the outside world could lead to  the collapse of the island's fragile ecosystem visitors above the water are much easier to  identify in 1918 a stowaway came to lordau island over the side or in a crate it doesn't  matter but nothing has been the same since within a few years nine  bird species had disappeared humans played a part in it too  they had no idea that the birds   were just the first to leave the island forever   the rats gorged themselves on the  unprotected eggs and nestlings   then they started attacking the flora their favorite food was the fruit of the  kentia palm the failure to deal with the   intruder became such a problem that  the islanders livelihood was at stake dean hiscox is a fisherman diving instructor  and national park ranger in the season he's   also a kentia harvester the toughest job on the  island but up to sixteen hundred dollars a day   it's also the best paid but after  three days of shining up and down trees   ochre as he's known needs at least three days rest the kentia palm was once unique to  the island and it's still vital to   the island's economy from lord howe island the  palm has gone to living rooms all over the world small kentia palms are popular pot plants   if it weren't for the palm exports  many islanders would have to leave it takes seven months for the seeds to germinate  and nurseries have been set up to meet the demand annette thompson works in  one under her supervision   six hundred thousand seeds a year are planted  here they are nurtured in special germ-free soil in the greenhouses protected from rats and other  pests ninety percent of the seeds germinate but until then annette has to keep  a constant eye on the tiny seeds   when the seedlings are the right size to be  shipped it has to be done quickly they arrive   in greenhouses in europe and the united  states within 48 hours either to be sold   or to be further grown every inch of storage space  is used they are packed quickly and efficiently it's only when the plane leaves  that lord how time takes over again the rhythm of nature never stops on mount eliza   the red-tailed tropic birds are  starting their courtship flights the male's mating ritual includes circling soaring  and maneuvering in front of his chosen female   in order to keep her interest he  has to do it over and over again because thousands of rivals are waiting  for their chance to attract the females tropic birds breed in greater numbers on  lord howe than anywhere else yet it's still   hard for ian to get a photo the nests are  hidden in inaccessible niches in the cliffs   the larger the chicks are the more  aggressively they beg for food   the birds so elegant when they fly are clumsy  when they walk the walk from the nest is a   balancing act every view on lord howe island is of  a different bird territory every bird species has   its own territory but they all compete for  food that is where specialization comes in at low tide when parts of the sea floor are  exposed the beach teems with small agile birds   there's plenty of food here the ruddy turnstones  have evolved their own feeding techniques   and are very successful other birds are less  skillful but they may still find some leftovers or they might steal from a careless relative it has been difficult for the human residents  too since lord howe island was declared a world   heritage site many children will have  no future on the island the strict rules   mean that no new houses may be built ruby  anna and nathan will probably have to leave is fighting for these children he often  goes to the reef with them at low tide   he wants to help them understand what conservation  means and make them enthusiastic about it by touching and feeling things the children learn   to understand the natural  wonders of their island home ian is pleased to see how happy  the children are when they touch   a sea urchin starfish or sea cucumber twelve-year-old ruby is full of enthusiasm ian  is glad to answer all the curious questions   yet he himself is a victim of the restrictive  conditions he has no permanent home and this   may mean that as a newcomer he will have  to leave the island even after 25 years   the sea hare is a kind of sea slug  one of many species around the islands   lacking a shell it relies  on camouflage for protection the spanish dancer a 20 centimeter sea snail has  another strategy it feeds on poisonous seaweed   it is itself immune to the poison but  deters predators by storing it in its body   even its eggs are poisonous so they can be  exposed to the current without protection other species protect their eggs devotedly the  reef ocean perch constantly swims around them   creating a current that  maximizes their oxygen supply it isn't easy for the corals to survive in the  world's southernmost reef not only do they face   storms and cold currents but also their worst  enemy has followed them here from warmer waters the crown of thorns starfish  creeps from coral to coral   when it comes to a polyp its stomach puffs  out through its mouth covers the polyp and   begins to eat it alive all it leaves behind is  the bleached limestone skeleton of the victim large numbers of crown of thorns starfish  have been turning up in recent years   is this also because of human  activity above and beneath the water   the flowers also provide plenty of puzzles for  scientists at first sight lord howe is a sea   of flowers but there are drawbacks most  of the flowers are introduced varieties   that are driving the native flowers out  ian hutton is fighting on this front too   the island has 348 human residents  and about 220 introduced species   of those 17 are weeds that spread  rapidly crowding out all the other plants ian mobilizes tourists for his campaigns   they sacrifice their holiday for this paradise  at the end of the earth and it is working the flora and fauna on the  tiny islands around lord howe   have not been affected the islands are  still a refuge for rare and exotic creatures the black lord howe cockroach was perfectly  adapted until the island was invaded by rats   and humans over time it had lost its  wings and its legs evolved into stumps   its body shape became rounder and more solid  in contrast to that of its unpopular relative   the domestic cockroach with no  predators it had no need to run away well camouflaged the lord  howe gecko awaits its prey   he isn't interested in cockroaches he'll find  smaller tastier insects in the undergrowth the most famous creature lives  on the archipelago's remotest   and most spectacular island balls pyramid  it stands 551 metres above the sea   it was thought there was nothing  on it but a few stunted tea trees but under these bushes scientists  found the well-preserved skin   of an insect that was believed extinct  decades ago curious the men climbed higher   and at the next bush a relic from the  age of the dinosaurs came towards them   as if waiting to be discovered a bizarre  stick insect almost 15 centimeters long this could only happen on lord howe  just 24 of the insects were found   scientists captured two breeding pairs  and began an elaborate breeding program   although no one knew what the insect ate or when  it mated their numbers have now almost trebled and the scientists can now  tell the mail from the female ball's pyramid must be the  loneliest spot in australia   it is where the warm and cold ocean currents meet food is plentiful and not just for the plankton  eating manta rays almost six meters long many sharks are also attracted by the shoals  of small fish that feed on the plankton the sharks are always on the prowl   small fish gather in elegant  formations seeking refuge in the crowd it's only a matter of time until the sharks attack  and hunters are waiting near the surface as well the strong currents have created a  complex system of underwater caverns   huge labyrinths where the  sea has created a new habitat some creatures never leave these caves others hide in holes and only venture  out to mate or to feed at night when the sun sets the stick  insect on ball's pyramid   appears on the only bush that can  survive on the storm buffeted rocks it only eats the leaves of this bush and of course   this is a special variety of tea tree that  only grows in the lord howe archipelago marine creatures have developed all sorts  of strategies to protect themselves at night   but things are a little different on lord howe   the parrotfish usually spins itself a cocoon of  mucus to keep its predator the black tip shark   from getting its scent but there are no black  tips here so the parrotfish can sleep unprotected other creatures are extremely careful  this decorator crab covers itself in   such a coating of algae and sponges it is  almost undetectable if it goes elsewhere   it has to change its camouflage at night a false  move can be fatal many hunters are on the lookout the lionfish spreads its poisonous  spines while it waits to snap up its prey the trumpet fish floats like a leaf  for hours waiting for the right moment   the frog fish is perfectly camouflaged a poor swimmer it melts into its surroundings then it crawls along the  seabed on fins like tiny feet then it attacks so quickly that  its victim doesn't notice a thing but something unusual is happening on this  march night a new cry pierces the darkness   at twilight the first providence  petrols land on the mount gawa plateau they have flown tens of thousands of kilometers  this is their only nesting place in the world   right away they start building their nests  the weather on lord howe forces them to only nesting places on small hills are safe   the frequent rain regularly floods the caves  lower down and would endanger the chicks   once claimed the nest is defended against  all comers even if there's not yet any mate of course the arrival of the providence  petrols has not gone unnoticed down at   the foot of mount gawa the birds cries fill the  air many have already flown around the mountain   in the early evening ian hutton has  been waiting for this for months   at first light he sets out on  the four hour climb up mount gard he passes the norfolk pines  and the white turn colony   more peaceful in the calm weather  than it was on his last visit pairs of birds spend the night  huddled together for warmth   there's not much room in the trees and the birds  are very conscious of one another's territory   ian believes that couples sleep on the same  spot on the same branch year after year the mating season lasts until spring lord howe is now a paradise for the white turn a  species increasingly endangered worldwide there   are now more than 200 breeding pairs and all of  them have to find shelter in the few norfolk pines   like this one white terns are quite willing  to take advantage of any finds on the beach   but usually they catch and eat their  prey on the wing far out over the sea   the rest of the colony is still  setting out for the daily hunt after half an hour ian reaches the  woods at the base of mount gawa   almost straight away he hears a  sound unique to lord howe island a step a breaking branch and the wood hen is alert   unlike most birds the wood hen reacts to  a disturbance by defending its territory   even against ian the greater the noise the more  determined the wood hen becomes like so many   island birds the woodhen has lost the ability to  fly a bird that doesn't fly doesn't have to eat so   much a sensible strategy in an environment without  predators but it also made them an easy catch for   the first settlers for whom the woodhens were  a delicacy the settlers cats dogs and pigs made   short work of the eggs and chicks barely 30 birds  survived all of them on the mount gawa plateau then came the world's most successful reproduction  program first three pairs were bred in captivity   the eggs were hatched and the fledglings  were released rangers laid poisoned rat   traps to protect the eggs and chicks now there are  almost 300 birds and they are carefully monitored   every autumn the rangers set out with huge  nets and special whistles that imitate the   territorial call of the woodhen they  are counting the wood hen stocks the wood hens are used to but that doesn't mean they  like it they've grown shy so when they're suddenly surrounded things have to go very quickly the birds are weighed in air  permeable coarse-grained linen bags the rangers catch every bird at least once a year a database analyzes every change in  size and weight no matter how small the rangers use a system  of different colored bands   to tell whether when and where a bird has  been caught before there is probably no   animal species in the world whose behavior has  been analyzed as much as that of the wood hen   but that is why the program has been so successful  the birds have now spread all over the island things are looking good for the wood hen the  symbol of the island's unique natural world   at least one would think so but once  the biological balance has been upset   the problems just don't stop there's now a new problem this is a rail a  relative of the woodhen it's the same size   but a lot more agile and was introduced by man   while it's not an enemy it does  compete for exactly the same resources this little chick's only one or two days  old he's still got the egg tooth on there   that'll drop after after a couple of days  this is one of the birds that's benefited   from the move to get rid of cats off lordhow  island when cats are removed these birds were   able to increase all through the settlement  area and other birds have too but this is   probably the most notable of the birds on lord  howe that has increased since cats have gone   because there are still too few woodhens  the rails are winning the race to breed   they breed faster and they've adapted better  to humans as yet no one knows how to stop them ian can't miss the chance  to photograph this spider   after 25 years of research he's still surprised  at the diversity of species on the island after an hour and a half ian reaches the so-called   lower road the track along  this 400 meter basiled wall   carved out by the wind and waves since a recent  landslide the track has been marked with ropes the rock is slippery clouds and mists appear  constantly the extreme humidity at the top of   mount gawa makes climbing unpleasant but  is essential for the unique plant life   the only ecosystem similar to this one is  on the slopes of mountains in east africa at the top of five streams no more than a few  hundred meters apart for ian it's just a few   steps from one creek to the next but for some of  the creatures in them they are barriers they can   never cross under the water it's like another  planet each stream is an isolated microcosm each stream has its own species of snail they will never meet their  neighbors in the next pool another water animal has evolved in its own way the caddisflies move between worlds  only their larvae live underwater they   leave the water to mate they have  now spread all over the mountain the larvae live on the leaves  that drop from the primeval forest shrimp have ended up here  too another lord howe puzzle the freshwater shrimp live in the not  very extensive waters of the streams   no one knows how they got here eels have made their way up here  as well they work their way up the   mountain streams from the sea if necessary  they can even cover short distances on land   up here 600 meters above sea level they face no  predators and there is an unlimited supply of food after climbing for three hours  ian has a clear view of the summit   and of the gathering petrols  every hour there are more this is a crucial point in the climb a  vertical rock face 20 meters high for   many intruders it is an insuperable obstacle  no feral pig could climb this natural barrier this unique natural world was saved from the  omnivores by a whim of nature the rocky barrier   almost 700 metres above sea level  provides the last view of the island   before the entrance to the high plateau  here the terrain is suddenly flatter ian has   reached the first of the four plateau levels the  further he goes the more the vegetation changes the number of endemic species  increases with every meter of height forty percent of the plant varieties  on the plateau only grow here   on an area the size of 35 football fields   if these plants were dug up and taken down  to sea level they would die in a few days they have survived in the humidity for  thousands of years each with its own strategies this fern has two different kinds of leaf the  broad ones photosynthesize sugar and starch   to feed the plant the narrow  ones are for reproduction   this yellow fork fern is one  of the oldest plants on earth   it was around long before our ferns  and the dinosaurs took over the world ian has found just 40 specimens since 1980   he now records gps data for every new  discovery so that he can monitor their growth on this plateau there's a great deal for the  plant lover every time he comes here ian is   captivated by its beauty he even forgets  his actual goal the providence petrols   in the magic world of the peak it's  easy to forget about time and objectives   only the cheeky karawongs distract him  until he discovers the next treasure this is one of the beautiful mosses on the top of  mount gower it's 105 my species up here because of   the cloud forest with constant high humidity  and this group of mosses the dorsania group   they're amongst the tallest mosses in the world  it certainly is the largest mossy on northern many of the plants found in such  abundance up here are endangered the small mountain palm only grows here it was  almost extinct because its fruit was a favorite   with rats which ate the seeds before they ripened  so much rat poison is now used on the plateau   that the palm can reproduce once more  for the first time in almost 100 years the screeching is getting louder in the afternoon   the providence petrols returned from  their sea hunt from their thicket   hideout they express their indignation  of the presence of a human interlocutor ian makes calls of his own the noise makes the petrols inquisitive   they aren't at all fearful ian's first  calls bring them out to investigate more and more birds come out  and a unique spectacle begins   providence petrols are very aggressive  they fight for every inch of territory   more than 20 000 of them will live on  this small plateau for the next few months   and they'll attack whenever they hear a noise sometimes ian thinks he hears a different cry a  special pitch or that he sees other plumage colors then he follows the birds to  their burrow ignoring the snapping   beaks and fights his way through the undergrowth he is looking for the legendary kerman deck   another species of petrol that  was killed off by rats years ago could there be a few left despite all the studies  have some survived somewhere in the masses   of other species ian dreams of rediscovering them   it would be another chapter in his book  of natural wonders on lord howe island you

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Keywords: Free High-Quality Documentaries, HD, Full HD, Quality, Eden, Pacific, island, evolution, species, extinction, botanic, South Pacific, nature, Mount Gower, storms, underwater, fish, sharks, Stingray, prey, Doubleheader, birds, Norfolk pines, moray, plants, biodiversity, World Heritage site, UNESCO, clownfish, 1788, shellfish, seaweed, catfish, stowaway, Kentia palm, insect, dinosaurs, Ball’s Pyramid, plankton, currents

Id: N_GdRzTmqcw

Length: 52min 1sec (3121 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 08 2021