00:00:37
The legend goes: when it sensed
that death was approaching,
00:00:41
the boa set out in search of
the sturdiest tree in the forest.
00:00:51
It chose a large,
hollow baobab.
00:00:58
The old snake had no offspring
to watch over it.
00:01:01
It would die alone.
00:01:05
Instead of slithering into a cave
because there are none here
00:01:09
it crawled
into a hole.
00:01:10
This was where it wanted
to spend its last days.
00:01:15
The boa was drawn to the big
baobabs, which let light inside them.
00:01:19
That's what made
it seek refuge there.
00:01:28
Once it was safe, the boa regurgitated
the diamond it had been carrying
00:01:33
and placed it at
the edge of the hole.
00:01:36
The stone attracted other
animals, so the boa could feed.
00:01:39
Two or three animals
were enough prey for it,
00:01:42
as it was old and
not active any more.
00:01:53
When we see a hollow
baobab, we don't disturb it,
00:01:57
because the old boa with
its diamond lives there.
00:02:00
It's said that our ancestors saw it
in the Tsitakakantsa, our baobab.
00:02:33
On Madagascar's barren west
coast lies a fragmented forest,
00:02:37
dispersed over an area of more
than 150,000 square kilometers.
00:02:43
Defying the laws of nature, this place
is a sanctuary, bustling with life.
00:02:51
Temperatures here can
soar up to 35 degrees Celsius,
00:02:55
while rainfall is
extremely rare.
00:03:00
This tropical dry forest is
home to the baobab trees.
00:03:06
These centuries-old
giants have massive trunks.
00:03:09
Proffering up their branches
towards the heavens,
00:03:12
the trees could almost be
praying to the clouds for rain.
00:03:17
But baobabs are
more than just trees.
00:03:20
They are the pillars
of an entire ecosystem,
00:03:23
and support a diverse
and vibrant wildlife.
00:03:32
A host of mammals
depend on them,
00:03:34
sharing them as a refuge
with hundreds of plant species
00:03:37
most of which exist
nowhere else on Earth.
00:03:47
With their lives often
hanging by a thread,
00:03:50
these species have
become interdependent
00:03:52
more out of necessity than solidarity.
00:03:56
A network of mutual dependence
enables these living beings
00:03:59
to face their
environmental challenges.
00:04:09
Baobabs play a crucial role in
these complex interrelationships.
00:04:14
And they are especially important
in the lives of the Sakalava people.
00:04:19
The majestic trees are the
silent guardians of their history,
00:04:23
their faith, and their most
valuable resource water.
00:04:53
It's very hot
and dry here.
00:05:04
We feed cactus
to the zebus.
00:05:10
It's hard to
find water.
00:05:11
Eating this, a zebu can go
five days without drinking.
00:05:20
Our life here is hard
because there's no water.
00:05:50
We use this baobab
as a water reservoir.
00:05:53
It ensures that we
can survive day to day.
00:06:08
Our ancestors came up with
the idea of hollowing out baobabs.
00:06:12
They chose the largest tree, so
that it could store a lot of water.
00:06:25
We use an ax to remove the bark,
and cut a window into the trunk.
00:06:33
Then we hollow
out the baobab.
00:06:35
It doesn't harm the
tree it keeps living.
00:06:46
There are 200 to 300
hollowed-out baobabs.
00:06:50
In our village, every
family has its own one.
00:06:56
Our technique involves digging
a hole at the base of the baobab.
00:06:59
When it rains,
water collects there.
00:07:04
As soon as the rain
starts, the whole family
00:07:07
even at night
with a flashlight
00:07:09
will head out to
fill the baobab,
00:07:13
because we can never know
when it will next rain again.
00:07:21
Wait, I’ll have
a little drink.
00:07:27
Do you want
some water, too?
00:07:31
With water from the baobab, our family
can survive through the dry season
00:07:38
which lasts
over five months.
00:07:55
This baobab is crucial
for our daily lives.
00:07:59
We love it because our
ancestors hollowed it out.
00:08:02
For us, it's
a blessing.
00:08:08
When I die, my
children will inherit it.
00:08:34
Elsewhere in the forest,
00:08:36
baobabs are so
revered that they're not hollowed out.
00:08:40
They're also said to have specific
personalities, and magical powers.
00:08:48
The majestic
Tsitakakantsa is one of them.
00:08:53
This giant's name means 'If
you sing on one side of the trunk,
00:08:57
you won't be
heard on the other'.
00:09:00
It's one of the thickest
trees in the world.
00:09:09
Oh, Tsitakakantsa! Here
is rum, tobacco, and money.
00:09:14
Bless us, so that nothing
happens to us here in Andombiry.
00:09:23
The more than 800-year-old
tree is only 15 meters tall.
00:09:27
But its massive trunk has a staggering
circumference of almost 30 meters.
00:09:34
It's topped by a crown of
upward-turned branches,
00:09:37
and towers like a king
over its surroundings.
00:09:40
Whether acacias, Madagascar
palms, or spurge plants
00:09:44
all seem to
bow before it.
00:09:51
The baobab is, in many ways, the
cornerstone of an entire ecosystem
00:09:56
that has formed
around it.
00:09:58
It attracts many species,
who are drawn by its leaves,
00:10:02
the sweetness of its flowers,
and the abundance of its fruit.
00:10:08
The tree’s huge trunk and antler-like
crown provide countless hiding places
00:10:13
for small mammals and
birds seeking shelter.
00:10:20
Tsitakakantsa may
reign over this forest,
00:10:23
but it doesn't
rule alone.
00:10:25
Its trunk is guarded by a subtle
yet indispensable army of ants.
00:10:32
These tiny ground workers
live in harmony with the tree,
00:10:35
enriching the soil
around it and contributing
00:10:38
to the smooth functioning
of the forest ecosystem.
00:10:42
For entomologist Brian Fisher,
ants are more than just workers.
00:10:46
They are the beating heart of
this forest true bringers of life.
00:10:53
I was a botanist, and I
was with other botanists.
00:10:57
It was like this infinite
reign of ants everywhere,
00:11:01
and I was like Who
studies these ants?
00:11:03
and they
said 'Nobody.'
00:11:05
I said, What?
00:11:06
Nobody's
studying this?,
00:11:07
and right there I
stopped studying plants
00:11:10
and began to really
explore the world of the ants.
00:11:20
You couldn't have a
forest without the ants.
00:11:27
What is a forest?
00:11:28
A forest is these thing that
we recognize as important,
00:11:32
but often when you
walk into a forest,
00:11:34
you get so attracted to all
the green trees everywhere
00:11:38
but that's the
green cycle.
00:11:40
That's the growth, but to
have a functioning ecosystem,
00:11:45
you have to have also the
brown cycles, and insects,
00:11:49
especially ants, they
rule that brown cycle.
00:11:57
Ants really are the soil engineers,
in the forest of Madagascar.
00:12:06
The soil in a rain
forest is very important,
00:12:09
and that's why these
colonies are critical.
00:12:11
They turn
over soil,
00:12:13
so they're moving nutrients and mixing
them through a huge layer of soil.
00:12:22
It's a constant action of soil
going out, nutrients going out,
00:12:25
and that keeps getting mixed up,
and that mixing up creates real soil.
00:12:33
We could say that
without the ants,
00:12:36
these plants here
would not get the water
00:12:37
they need throughout
the entire year.
00:12:39
Of course, they'd have
water during the rainy season,
00:12:41
but the question is how
to survive the dry season.
00:12:46
So not only do
they turn over soils,
00:12:48
but they're also making
the soil kind of porous.
00:12:51
They're creating all these
tunnels so that when it does rain,
00:12:55
it actually allows that
water to sink into the soil.
00:13:00
Without that, we would not have this
rich biodiversity that we have here.
00:13:06
We're just now learning more and more
about this incredible relationship
00:13:10
each of these species have with
the other species around them,
00:13:14
be it plants or
other insects.
00:13:32
So this is a recent snakeskin
that lives in the nest,
00:13:36
and the ants are taking out right
now. The snakeskin, it's amazing.
00:13:44
All this must have been
taken out maybe yesterday,
00:13:47
and right now they're taking out
larger chunks of this snakeskin.
00:13:51
I've never seen
this before.
00:13:53
This is going to be really interesting
to see how big the snake actually is.
00:13:58
I'm tempted to want to help them,
00:14:02
but they seem to be doing
a good job themselves.
00:14:09
"What's going on here?
Why are there snake skins?
00:14:12
Well, here: There's an
amazing relationship with snakes.
00:14:16
These ants
are giant.
00:14:19
They're huge
colonies.
00:14:20
Deep tunnels that go into the
ground, and all their eggs are there.
00:14:24
So if you have a thousand
workers, you have thousands of larva.
00:14:26
In fact, there's a
snake that specializes
00:14:28
in eating the
larva of ants.
00:14:32
What if you can find a way
to keep that predator away?
00:14:36
Well, these ants
have done that.
00:14:39
There's
another snake.
00:14:40
An even bigger snake that
they're nice to and are friendly with,
00:14:43
that goes
into the nest.
00:14:45
Why the snake wants to go
in there is because it's cool.
00:14:48
It's deep, it's dark, it's humid,
and that snake will live there
00:14:52
and it protects that colony from
the predator snake that will go in
00:14:57
and eat all the larva and
that's what we'd call mutualism.
00:15:02
Now, the locals also have realized
that there is this relationship
00:15:06
between the
snake and the ants,
00:15:09
and they call that snake
'the mother of the ants'.
00:15:20
That's what's kind of really hard for,
I think, humans to really appreciate
00:15:24
is the co-dependence and
co-relationships that happen
00:15:28
in a real ecosystem, and we
start breaking those processes
00:15:33
or breaking those interactions
through disturbance,
00:15:37
because we're cutting
trees or making roads.
00:15:40
We're not to the point where
we realize; the more we disturb,
00:15:44
the more fragile and these
systems start falling apart.
00:15:52
When you lose a forest, you
lose more than just the trees, right?
00:15:56
As we lose the trees we're also losing
all those insects even the ants.
00:16:02
Madagascar's special;
that each forest,
00:16:05
each protected area has
its own unique species.
00:16:09
If we lose that forest,
we've lost that species.
00:16:19
The baobab is essential for
the species that depend upon it
00:16:23
but it's not only providing a
refuge for other living beings.
00:16:27
In this harsh landscape, the
tree itself must fight for survival,
00:16:32
and has developed some unique
strategies to withstand drought.
00:16:38
The first secret of its
resilience is its trunk.
00:16:41
This trunk has little in common
with the rigid trunks of other trees.
00:16:46
Its fibrous structure
acts like a giant sponge:
00:16:50
up to 80% of the trunk can
be water, that’s stored for later.
00:16:55
The thick bark acts
as an insulating layer,
00:16:58
limiting moisture
loss from sunlight.
00:17:01
One tree can hold up
to 120,000 liters of water.
00:17:08
This ensures that the
baobab can sustain itself during
00:17:12
long drought periods, which can
last for years, or even decades.
00:17:19
The baobab can even do without one
of its basic components: Its leaves.
00:17:25
Through this
deliberate sacrifice,
00:17:27
the tree minimizes water
loss through transpiration
00:17:30
a vital adaptation for
extended dry periods.
00:17:38
The ancient baobab has developed other
sophisticated adaptation strategies,
00:17:43
as well.
00:17:44
The tree’s roots are
strategically spread out,
00:17:48
no more than
two meters deep,
00:17:50
in order to capture every possible
drop of rainwater the heavens give.
00:17:57
Compared to the baobab's
drought adaptations, other species
00:18:00
such as the Furcifer
labordi chameleon
00:18:03
have pursued even more
radical survival strategies.
00:18:07
To avoid being exposed to
an overly hot environment,
00:18:10
this tiny master
of camouflage
00:18:12
goes so far as to delay
the moment of its own birth.
00:18:22
The herpetologist
Frank Glaw
00:18:24
is a renowned
specialist on this species.
00:18:29
In the dry forest where
the water is very limited.
00:18:32
You have to survive
in the dry season.
00:18:44
Furcifer labordi is one of the
animals with a shorter lifetime
00:18:48
among the
higher vertebrates.
00:18:53
This species spends
most of the time in its egg
00:18:57
and only few months
as a chameleon.
00:19:00
It lives only for four or
five months before it dies.
00:19:08
This is one strategy to
to survive the hot, harsh,
00:19:11
dry conditions
in the dry forest.
00:19:19
Each species which occurs here
has its own strategies to survive.
00:19:24
If we do not
have this strategy,
00:19:25
it would not be here anymore
and would have gone extinct.
00:19:37
The species are not only linked
to the trees with their physiology,
00:19:41
but also by
their coloration.
00:19:45
Mimesis is everywhere
in the nature.
00:19:54
All these species are
linked to their environment.
00:19:57
Without the environment that gives
the basic substrate of their life,
00:20:02
they cannot exist.
00:20:04
Right, it's
hiding now.
00:20:13
So species here
use camouflage.
00:20:16
So that means that they
resemble the environment
00:20:20
where they live on so that predators
have big problems to see them.
00:20:29
Mimesis can include color and
also shape and also the behavior.
00:20:33
For example,
chameleons.
00:20:35
If they are sitting among branches
and there is a little bit of wind,
00:20:40
they move forward and
backwards to imitate the wind,
00:20:44
the movement of the
branches in the wind.
00:20:48
That makes it very difficult for
predators to see the chameleons.
00:21:07
Chameleons have a limited
ability for color change.
00:21:10
If you look into the forest, we
have brown colors and green color.
00:21:14
So both both are
part of the habitat.
00:21:17
So of course you
have to decide.
00:21:19
The chameleon has to
decide, is it better to imitate
00:21:22
the green or imitate the brown or
imitate a mixture of green and brown?
00:21:33
The interdependence between species
is omnipresent in such a forest.
00:21:37
Each species is linked
to many other species.
00:21:41
They all form a
complete ecosystem.
00:22:05
The baobab,
by contrast,
00:22:07
doesn't rely on camouflage to survive
in Madagascar's dry tropical forest.
00:22:12
Thanks to the
chlorophyll in its leaves,
00:22:14
it stands out against its
backdrop in resplendent green.
00:22:21
The pigment is the
foundation for photosynthesis
00:22:24
that subtle chemical process by which
sunlight is converted into sugar;
00:22:29
essential,
life-giving energy.
00:22:31
This elementary biological
process not only nourishes the tree
00:22:36
it's the starting point of
every food chain on Earth.
00:22:42
The leaves of the baobab are
fundamental to a whole network
00:22:45
of
inter-dependencies.
00:22:48
The leaves are food, shelter,
and a birthplace for insects,
00:22:52
who use them for
their egg-laying.
00:22:58
Thanks to the magic of photosynthesis,
and with the help of the tree’s roots,
00:23:03
the leaves of the baobab activate
an amazing biological pump
00:23:07
that can draw hundreds of liters
of water out of the ground daily,
00:23:11
even when the forest is
in the grip of dry season.
00:23:15
The roots channel the precious fluid
up the trunk to the highest branches,
00:23:19
supplying the entire
tree with moisture,
00:23:22
and giving it the strength to
unfold its blossoms once a year,
00:23:26
for a few
scant hours.
00:23:34
Decked out its finest attire, it
presents itself resolutely to the sky.
00:23:41
As all of the forest
dwellers watch on,
00:23:43
the boabab sets off the
dance of the flying pollinators.
00:23:48
Biologist Onja Razanamaro takes
every opportunity she can to observe
00:23:53
this captivating
natural spectacle.
00:23:56
In this great symphony of
life, every detail is a note,
00:24:00
every organism a musician,
every interaction a harmony.
00:24:06
In the complex composition
of the tropical dry forest,
00:24:10
they all have a
specific role to play.
00:24:27
I'm currently on the
lookout for flower buds
00:24:29
that will open this evening,
00:24:31
because baobabs open
their flowers at dusk.
00:24:34
We need to find out in the morning
whether there are mature buds,
00:24:38
and hope that some
will open in the evening.
00:24:41
That way, we can watch the
baobab pollinators at work.
00:24:48
No, these won't
open today.
00:25:00
Baobab flowers are very special
00:25:03
because they only
open for three hours.
00:25:06
They emit a strong, floral
scent and produce a lot of nectar
00:25:11
to attract pollinators
precisely in that window of time.
00:25:20
Baobabs have just three
hours to ensure their survival.
00:25:43
The sun is setting.
00:25:46
We're waiting for
the flowers to open.
00:25:48
One, two,
three, four...
00:26:09
Some are opening.
00:26:11
Right here.
00:26:33
They're opening
late! Quite late!
00:26:36
What time is
it? Wait, wait...
00:26:42
Here, they're
opening at 7:15 PM.
00:26:49
Not all insects that come to the
flowers are actually pollinators.
00:26:53
Only insects that also transfer
pollen can be considered as such.
00:26:58
Others the ones
that collect nectar
00:27:00
at the base of the flowers
without touching the pollen
00:27:03
are nectar robbers.
00:27:09
The flowers are up
to 17 centimeters long.
00:27:13
The pollen can only be transferred
by insects with a long proboscis
00:27:18
that can reach deep into the
flower tubes to collect nectar,
00:27:22
while simultaneously
reaching the pollen.
00:27:25
So far, moths have mostly
appeared as pollinators.
00:27:33
Is this flower new? No,
no, this one... Oh! A moth!
00:27:55
Since it's difficult to gather
statistics in the treetops,
00:28:00
we use a light trap to capture
insects, especially moths.
00:28:09
On the ground, we can
work well and handle the trap.
00:28:14
Additionally, we can determine
the length of the proboscis
00:28:17
and establish a correlation
between flowers and pollinators.
00:28:30
More and more areas with
baobabs are being deforested.
00:28:34
It's endangering
many species.
00:28:42
You see baobabs standing alone
in the middle of rice or grain fields,
00:28:47
even though they should be
surrounded by a whole ecosystem
00:28:51
with its inhabitants.
00:28:55
Baobabs depend
on all these insects to survive.
00:29:00
If we cut everything down,
all interactions come to a halt
00:29:05
and it's highly questionable
whether baobabs
00:29:08
still have a future
beyond that.
00:29:16
Tsitakakantsa, the 800-year-old baobab
00:29:19
in the heart of the
dry tropical forest,
00:29:22
watches, helpless and alone,
as the forests are cleared,
00:29:26
and the network of
inter-dependencies disappears.
00:29:32
The tree’s own fruit carries
the memory of vanished fauna:
00:29:36
Just a few centuries ago,
elephant birds, giant lemurs,
00:29:41
and giant
tortoises fed on it,
00:29:43
breaking the hard
shells and dispersing
00:29:45
the seeds during
their journeys.
00:29:50
This was vital for
the trees' survival.
00:29:53
Now, climate change and human
influence have cast their shadows
00:29:58
these giant animals
have gone extinct.
00:30:02
A natural spectacle has
come to an abrupt end.
00:30:07
Tsitakakantsa still offers its fruit –
but finds no takers who can eat it,
00:30:13
then help the tree
disperse its seeds.
00:30:16
And in the shade
of old trees,
00:30:19
young shoots
cannot thrive.
00:30:28
High above the ground,
more than ten meters up,
00:30:30
the fruit defies
gravity for months.
00:30:34
When it does fall, however, the
hard shell doesn't always break open.
00:30:40
Then, protected by the shell,
the seeds remain where they are.
00:30:47
When the fruit shells finally break,
they become a meal for lemurs,
00:30:51
small rodents,
and insects.
00:30:54
But at today's feast, no
guest no matter how hungry
00:30:58
can help the baobab
with seed dispersal.
00:31:18
Yet, even without its former helpers,
the baobab clings to its existence.
00:31:25
Herman Rafalinirina knows how
important seed-dispersing animals
00:31:29
are for the forest.
00:31:34
The primatologist
specializes in the relationships
00:31:37
between plant
and animal life.
00:31:40
When I see a
lemur in a tree,
00:31:45
I see myself
in the mirror.
00:31:52
One day, the forest
might disappear.
00:31:56
And when it disappears,
the lemurs will disappear too.
00:32:01
And then, perhaps,
I will as well.
00:32:09
There are 112 species
of lemur in Madagascar.
00:32:14
The animal is our
national symbol.
00:32:25
Lemurs are the gardeners
of the Malagasy forests.
00:32:31
They prefer fruit,
00:32:33
but also complement their
diet with leaves, seeds, or fungi.
00:32:41
They help
spread the forest
00:32:44
so there is a mutual dependence
between the forest and the lemurs.
00:32:54
Lemurs are very mobile
and can roam for kilometers.
00:32:59
While they're on the
move, they digest the seeds,
00:33:02
excrete them, and
distribute them.
00:33:07
For an animal to be
considered a disperser,
00:33:10
it must move seeds more than 100
meters away from the mother plant.
00:33:15
This prevents competition between
the mother plant and young shoots.
00:33:20
You can tell right away when
an animal is about to defecate.
00:33:27
We try to collect the
feces as quickly as possible
00:33:31
so that it doesn't get contaminated
by bacteria on the ground.
00:33:35
So we collect
it immediately.
00:33:39
For researchers, this feces
is worth its weight in gold.
00:33:47
There are
00:33:48
Oh! Six seeds.
00:33:58
There's a clear connection
between the size of the fruit
00:34:01
and the size
of the animal.
00:34:02
An animal with a large esophagus
can swallow larger pieces with seeds.
00:34:12
And there is also a correlation
between chewing strength
00:34:15
and the hardness
of the fruit.
00:34:17
Take the baobab animals with
weak chewing power cannot break
00:34:22
the shell of the
baobab fruit.
00:34:35
You could say that baobabs
have become orphans because
00:34:38
they have lost their
seed dispersers.
00:34:40
They're in
real danger.
00:34:50
Most baobabs are found
near fields and villages.
00:34:55
No one spreads the
baobab seeds anymore—yet
00:34:58
some believe that livestock and
humans could help spread baobabs.
00:35:16
Plants are heavily
dependent on assistance
00:35:19
from the animal
world to spread.
00:35:24
While the solitary baobab
waits for new dispersers to come,
00:35:27
it finds a silent but loyal
companion – in its own shadow.
00:35:46
The wide-spreading shadow moves around
the tree with the sun, like a dance.
00:35:59
In this cooling shade, living
creatures seek refuge from the heat.
00:36:08
Shade-loving grasses
and shrubs absorb nutrients
00:36:11
from the decomposition
of baobab leaves, too.
00:36:19
The tree shapes the
landscape, and influences the fate
00:36:22
of the plants that
grow at its base.
00:36:33
Nevertheless, in some places
these giants are little more
00:36:36
than ghosts of the past –
remnants of a long-vanished forest.
00:36:42
Still and silent witnesses
to human activity.
00:36:46
Their imposing size and fibrous
wood, without real market value,
00:36:52
protect them but they are unable
to complete their reproductive cycle.
00:37:02
And so, human beings have
begun to try to take the place
00:37:06
of the vanished
seed dispersers,
00:37:08
and revive the networks
of mutual dependencies.
00:37:12
Hamill Harrison
is one of them.
00:37:16
In his nurseries, he wants to sow
the seeds of a new, hopeful future.
00:37:32
To save the forest, you have
to teach children to protect it
00:37:37
from primary
school onward.
00:37:45
You have to stamp the bag down
several times to fill it properly.
00:37:58
The 'Dry Forest' motto
is: You go faster alone.
00:38:02
You go FURTHER
together.
00:38:17
Why do we soak
baobab seeds in water?
00:38:21
So they become
moist and soft.
00:38:23
That's right.
00:38:53
We're starting
to dig now.
00:38:55
One meter deep, every
one and a half meters.
00:39:03
After you've dug, you have
to plant the tree immediately.
00:39:15
More and more people understand
that we need to protect the forest
00:39:19
and the
environment.
00:39:20
But they also need
to eat every day.
00:39:29
They're forced to destroy the
forest with slash-and-burn tactics
00:39:32
to make the soil
fertile and cultivate it.
00:39:58
Everyone has to realize
00:40:00
that preserving dry
forests brings much more
00:40:03
in the long run than
destroying them.
00:40:10
Touching this baobab
makes me happy.
00:40:14
It's like touching
future generations.
00:40:28
When you're done, come
here!
00:40:34
What do you have to do?
00:40:38
Plant, preserve,
and protect!
00:40:43
That's right! Your
parents do the same thing:
00:40:50
They bring you into the world,
raise you, and protect you.
00:40:56
Understand?
00:40:58
Yes!
00:41:16
What I wish for
Madagascar?
00:41:18
For us to create,
like nature
00:41:20
and not destroy,
like humans.
