It can be hard these days to find hopeful stories about humans working with鈥攔ather than against鈥攏ature, but a new series set to run on CBC provides just that.
The four-part original documentary series Shared Planet premieres Thursday, Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. on CBC鈥檚 The Nature of Things.
"Never before told heartfelt stories of everyday human heroes working alongside nature for the benefit and survival of both," reads the press release for the series.
The episodes span 16 countries in 20 stories.
Emmy award-winning Vancouver-based River Road Films produced the series, which will see a new episode released each week.
"Shared Planet offers a fresh perspective on wildlife stories by showcasing what we gain by working with nature instead of against it," said executive director Jeff Turner, who is also the producer, series director, co-writer, and founder of River Road Films.
"The series tells the stories of people around the globe who are making a positive impact in the places they live."
Examples of stories featured include millions of tiny oysters being used to both clean New York Harbour and help save the city from dangerous hurricanes, flower-loving bats that are reviving Mexico's tequila and mezcal industries, and a Kolkata wildlife-rich wetland that is being used to transform the sewage of millions of people.
There is a deep 麻豆社国产connection to Episode 4: "Forests."
麻豆社国产resident travelled across the world from Guatemala to Borneo to act as one of the directors and producers on Shared Planet, and she took with her a talented Sea to Sky film crew that included , , and .
"The best crew ever. They're the most resilient, the most good humoured and easy-going crew of people, and they just get it done," Ferguson said, joking that rock climbing talk was a dominant theme in between filming.
"They're just really good people, my favourite crew鈥攎y A-Team."
The episode explores how forests are essential for all life on Earth, which is fitting for a crew from a hometown built by the forest industry.
"Even with increasing deforestation across the world, people are reaping the rewards of sharing forests with wildlife. In Borneo, efforts are underway to plant native trees within palm oil plantations, creating wildlife corridors for orangutan families," reads the episode description.
"In Guatemala, a community forestry organization sustainably harvests trees, protecting habitats like those of the highly endangered scarlet macaws. And in Spain, a landowner restores his farm, overrun with invasive pines, to support wildlife like the rare Iberian lynx and secure his family鈥檚 future."
The 麻豆社国产 got a sneak peek at the forest episode.
The beautiful and intimately shot piece includes engaging close-ups of wildlife, such as orangutans in their natural habitat, accompanied by their adorable grunts, a powerful soundtrack and captivating narration.
Residents of each area drive the stories throughout.
Ferguson, who has more than two decades in the wildlife film genre behind her, said Guatemala was one of the most fun shoots she has been a part of during her storied career.
"We had a fixer who was a National Geographic photographer in his own right, and he was just the biggest pool of energy and charisma you've ever met. He ran us around the country ... and everywhere we went, we were embraced and taken in," she said.
Ferguson said she knows viewers don't want doom and gloom that they can't see their way out of. The Shared Planet episodes are not should watch programming; they are want to watch stories.
"This is going to show you that good things are happening, and there are amazing people out there. They are literally devoting their lives to fix the problems," she said, adding that the show doesn't "greenwash" reality either.
"All these stories are legitimately 100% what is going on out there in the world, and [some] will make you cry in happiness because of how amazing it is the things that people are doing."
Episode 4, 鈥淔orests鈥� airs on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 9 p.m.
