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Protecting the tree of life

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Subido el 10 de agosto de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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Europe is a continent of breathtaking natural beauty and dramatic contrasts. The EU's 27 Member Satates stretch form the frozen Arctic Circle in the north to the warm Mediterranean waters in the south. From the wave-lashed Atlantic coast in Ireland to the snow-capped Carpathian mountains in Romania, the EU includes a vast range of natural habitats and a great diversity of flora and fauna. Our natural heritage includes several thousand types of habitat, 520 species of bird, 10 000 plant species and at least 100 000 species of invertebrate. Yet, in comparison with other regions in the world, these numbers are relatively modest. Europe is the most urbanized and densely populated continent in the world. It is also one of the most polluted. These factors have taken their toll on the natural environment. This detailed news report looks at the history of the EU's activities and policies within the area of nature conservation and biodiversity. Images from Hortobágy National Park in Hungary and the Millennium Seed Bank in the UK illustrate what is being done to preserve threatened and vulnerable species and habitats in Europe - the world's most urbanised continent.

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When these children were at school in Brussels in 1960, 00:00:00
Europe was a much richer place. Richer, that is, as far as nature is concerned. 00:00:05
Can you name any other species in Europe which are under threat? 00:00:09
Nearly 50 years later, at the same European school, 00:00:12
the children are growing up in a continent where more than four out of ten 00:00:16
birds and mammals are threatened with extinction. 00:00:19
Thousands of plants are in danger. But why is it so important 00:00:22
to preserve biodiversity? 00:00:26
Nature is very useful to us. 00:00:29
We use nature to eat. We use nature for 00:00:32
medicines. Because the trees produce oxygen 00:00:36
and they take away all the carbon dioxide. 00:00:40
The EU has been working since the 1970s to protect nature. 00:00:45
Under its Birds Directive, special conservation areas were established for 00:00:48
endangered species. 00:00:52
The Habitats Directive did the same for other wildlife under threat. 00:00:54
For example, pulling back creatures such as the Iberian lynx from the brink of 00:00:58
extinction. 00:01:01
But Europe is the most urbanised continent in the world. 00:01:04
A fact which, along with unsustainable farming practices and overfishing, has 00:01:07
taken a huge toll on Europe's nature. 00:01:11
The sheer scale and speed of our 00:01:15
lifestyles now mean that we're putting great pressure on nature. 00:01:18
For instance, building roads, building factories, building homes, 00:01:22
building on the floodplains, building on the edges of parks and so forth. 00:01:27
Which is why the EU decided to build up the Natura 2000 network. 00:01:33
More than 22,000 protected sites across Europe. 00:01:37
One of which, here in Hungary, the Hortobagy National Park. 00:01:41
Hortobagy is one of Europe's most beautiful natural sites. 00:01:44
80,000 hectares of grasslands and wetlands, 00:01:48
with an astounding mix of plants and wildlife. 00:01:51
In the 1950s it was another story. 00:01:54
The whole of this area was turned into rice paddies. 00:01:56
The river was dammed and canals dug. 00:01:59
But the rice failed. 00:02:01
The paddy fields abandoned. 00:02:03
But the damage to nature was done. 00:02:05
An EU life project has now helped to fill in the 500 kilometres of canals to 00:02:07
restore natural vegetation. 00:02:11
Plants which disappeared decades ago are growing again. 00:02:14
The Hortobagy river can once again flood naturally and irrigate the plain. 00:02:17
And the park is now home to around 80,000 cranes. 00:02:22
These wetlands play an important role as a vital habitat for migratory birds 00:02:29
and for different species and insects. 00:02:34
The LIFE programme helped us to preserve this rich and living habitat. 00:02:36
And now tourism is being built up here. 00:02:42
An economic asset being created out of a natural asset. 00:02:44
NATURA 2000 is not just about creating protected reserves. 00:02:47
It's about creating places where nature and sustainable economic activities 00:02:51
can go hand in hand. 00:02:55
The European Union has been a terrific force for recognising the value of nature. 00:02:57
Let's not forget that something like now 20% of the whole land area of Europe 00:03:03
has a kind of protection for nature. 00:03:09
I would have to say that I think it's at the member state level 00:03:12
that we now really have to put teeth into the laws that are already in place. 00:03:15
With big challenges still ahead, there's some reassurance for the future 00:03:22
of Europe's biodiversity hidden away here in the south of England. 00:03:26
Stored in high security, frozen in vaults 20 degrees below Celsius 00:03:30
are almost one billion seeds. 00:03:35
Collected from endangered plants around the world. 00:03:37
This is the Millennium Seed Bank. 00:03:40
The aim is to collect seeds from plants that are disappearing in the wild. 00:03:43
Now the great thing about seeds is that if you dry them and then freeze them, 00:03:48
you can keep them for many decades, probably many centuries, perhaps even millennia. 00:03:52
The EU has funded part of this project to build up a collection of Europe's endangered plant species. 00:03:58
Now seeds from 80% of the 3,500 plants at risk in Europe 00:04:04
have been collected and are safely in store. 00:04:08
And already in the greenhouses, seeds are being brought to life, 00:04:11
often for use in research projects. 00:04:14
Not least in the field of medicine, around a third of all prescription medicines 00:04:17
are based on plants such as this mandrake, 00:04:20
a species which has already died out in some parts of Europe. 00:04:23
The mandrake is kind of a source of a lot of alkaloid compounds 00:04:27
and these alkaloids have been found to be useful as anesthetics, 00:04:32
as drugs for travel sickness. 00:04:38
Many plants are in effect chemical factories producing lots of different chemicals 00:04:42
and these chemicals can be used by mankind for a whole variety of medicinal purposes. 00:04:47
The Millennium Project offers some seeds of hope for the future of nature in Europe, 00:04:54
but not grounds for complacency. 00:04:58
All life depends on healthy ecosystems, 00:05:01
for the purification of water and air, 00:05:04
for fertile soil and as a defence against the biggest challenge ahead, climate change. 00:05:06
We're all part of the Tree of Life. 00:05:12
The EU has committed itself to an action plan 00:05:16
to halt the loss of Europe's biodiversity over the next three years, 00:05:18
to preserve the Tree of Life for generations to come. 00:05:22
We're all part of the Tree of Life. 00:05:27
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
▼ Mostrar / ocultar niveles
      • Nivel Intermedio
Autor/es:
The European Union
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
643
Fecha:
10 de agosto de 2007 - 9:22
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
European Commission
Duración:
05′ 30″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
Resolución:
448x336 píxeles
Tamaño:
29.26 MBytes

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