(wildlife chattering)
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Spread out, start looking around.
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(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Sumatra, a legendary island,
a bountiful Eden once famed for its remarkable biodiversity,
home to the weird and the wonderful,
a haven for the endangered pangolin,
the elusive clouded leopard, and the most famous inhabitant
of all, the majestic Sumatran tiger.
- There's not many places like this left in the world.
I find that incredibly exciting
as a scientist and as a zoologist.
- [Narrator] As decades of logging, relentless poaching,
and slash-and-burn farming takes its toll across Indonesia.
- Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world.
And the population pressure in the land
pressure is always there.
(helicopter whirs)
- [Narrator] The island is now the epicenter
of a last ditch defense
of a rare, vital, and pristine wilderness.
A battle that is finally turning
with some new and surprising allies
joining the front lines,
the very companies who once logged this landscape.
- If my teams were to look the other direction,
there would be more land claims occurring, fires
occurring, illegal logging, entering the area.
- [Narrator] Can those who have profited
from Sumatra's resources become the guardians
of the forest for the future?
(tiger growls)
This is Frontier Sumatra.
Sumatra is one of nature's masterpieces,
a glorious interconnected tapestry where every creature,
no matter how big or how small,
how rare or how common, plays its part
in its delicate balance.
But this incredible landscape is under threat.
East Sumatra was once dominated by tropical peat forests,
rare ecosystems that occur only near the equator
and are vital for biodiversity.
Since the 1970s, land clearing and burning
has turned most of these habitats into agricultural land.
50 years later,
the largest remaining block of natural forest
lies on the Kampar Peninsula.
This area still faces many threats, but unlike the past,
this peat forest now has new guardians.
- Our job is to protect and restore the forest.
The threats that we face are forest encroachment
or land claims, illegal logging, and potentially fire.
- [Narrator] Brad Sanders is responsible
for an innovative conservation project
called rest Restorasi Ekosistem Riau, or the RER.
- I like to say that this is my office.
It's 150,000 hectares of some of the roughest,
most difficult, wet tropical rainforest
you'll ever experience.
It's 2015.
We've been able to identify over 797 species
of wildlife and plants.
We've got nine different species of hornbill.
We've got the sun bear.
- [Narrator] The Malayan sun bear
is the world's smallest bear species.
While their global population has been classed vulnerable,
it's not even the most endangered animal
sheltered by the RER.
- [Brad] We've got five different
small wildcats that are unique to Sumatra,
including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.
- [Narrator] The RER is the size of Greater London,
an irresistible natural sanctuary for Sumatra's displaced
wildlife, like the Sumatran tiger,
but with a single tiger selling
for around $100,000 U.S. Dollars,
protecting these iconic creatures from poachers
has been a challenge from day one.
- The RER security Rangers.
So they're there to protect the forest.
(helicopter blades hum)
- [Narrator] When the team do find illegal activity,
they're quick to react.
Brad is often called in to assist with these missions
along with the RER's lead ranger, Wahyudi.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Brad] It was a scary moment because we didn't know
exactly where the tiger was.
And we didn't know if it was still in the trap
or freed from the trap.
So we had to approach very cautiously.
As we approached closer and closer,
we were just inching along,
whispering and tip-toeing along the trail.
And then suddenly this huge roar erupted from the vegetation
(animal roars)
and everything began to move around us.
The branches, the trees.
- [Wahyudi] It's okay, it's okay, it's okay.
- [Brad] After just a few seconds, about 10 or 15 seconds,
we realized the tiger was still secure.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] With help from the Ministry
of Environment and Forestry, the tiger was rescued
and brought to a rehabilitation facility.
- [Brad] So in the end,
we were able to thwart the attempted poaching of a tiger.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] The RER depends on Brad's team
staying one step ahead of the poachers.
- Aerial patrol, we can see any threats
and we can focus our ground team's actions.
Okay, we probably wanna circle on the left, Jeff.
- [Narrator] Something suspicious
has caught Brad's attention.
- We're looking at a new camp that could be poaching.
They could be collecting birds or other animals illegally.
So we'll have to send our team up here.
- [Narrator] RER Rangers are strategically placed
along the forest boundary.
One of those areas is the main highway
into the RER, the Serkap River.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Brad's aerial patrol has identified
several potential poaching sites that need checking out.
- Rain is coming.
- [Narrator] But patrolling a tropical peat swamp
is never easy.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] One problem is some groups
have turned to illegally poaching songbirds,
but Head Ranger Wahyudi also has to try
to maintain the peace with the 400-odd people
that live around the RER.
(speaking foreign language)
(boat motor stops)
- [Narrator] Illegal bird poachers
are coming up with ever more devious ways
of capturing birds from the forest.
So Wahyudi must rely on his experience
as lead ranger to find their traps.
(speaking foreign language)
(bird chirping)
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] But this sound is not coming from any bird.
It's a recording used by poachers as a lure.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] This is what the team
have been searching for.
Agus volunteers to climb up and dismantle the trap.
(speaking foreign language)
(crowd applauds)
- [Narrator] And this is what drives
the poaching of 20 million songbirds each year.
(man bird calls)
Indonesia's songbird competitions,
where winners can earn big prize money, and a champion bird
can sell for as much as $50,000 U.S. Dollars.
(crowd shouting)
Fortunately, the rangers have managed to find this trap
before any birds were caught.
(speaking foreign language)
(boat motor whirs)
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] While Head Ranger Wahyudi
commands the protection of the river,
he sent his deputy deep into the forest
to search for other signs of trouble.
(suspenseful music) (birds chatter)
The boundary of the RER might be dense vegetation,
but that won't stop determined poachers
and loggers from encroaching.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] With patrols sometimes lasting over a week,
the team must find their own food and water.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Hendrizel comes from a long line
of illegal loggers,
but he is one of many in this generation who are now
working to protect rather than destroy.
These efforts aren't in vain.
Sumatran tigers are retreating to the protection
of this forest.
With less than 400 left in the world,
the RER is vital, as it can house up to 50 tigers,
but for some, they are still an irresistible bounty.
(speaking foreign language)
(dramatic music)
- [Narrator] One more tiger has been saved
from a grizzly fate,
(helicopter blades whir)
but while Brad and his team must stay vigilant
to the poachers,
they're far from the only threat to the RER.
(microphone chatter)
Topping the list of most destructive
is something that comes each year without fail.
(flames crackle)
(distant siren wails)
In 2015, a massive 26,000 square kilometers
of land was incinerated in just four months.
Fueled in part by Sumatra's flammable carbon-rich peatland,
with the Kampar Peninsula now deep into the dry season,
it's all hands on deck to keep these peat forests safe.
- One thing people must understand is these fires
aren't like other fires.
In Indonesia, trees will actually burn into their core.
The grass will burn longer.
And then of course, peat, peat burns forever.
- [Narrator] Ian Wevell is the fire manager for APRIL Group,
the pulp and paper company
responsible for plantations across the Kampar Peninsula.
Ian's job is tracking and containing
the many land-clearing fires
before they threaten APRIL's forests, including the RER.
- Okay, we are fires right now.
- This what.
- [Narrator] Fighting fire in Sumatra
is a never-ending battle.
So Ian's team is always on watch.
- Today there's 1,520 hot spots in Indonesia.
Of those 210 are in Sumatra.
So, we've got one at Bugtong.
That's a big fire, and we've got another one (indistinct).
We've got another one off Dumai.
Of those 210, we are investigating 80 of them
to make sure that we don't actually have fire
on the hotspots.
- [Narrator] Not all hotspots turn out to be fires,
but with so many to check,
there's only one way to cover that kind of ground.
(helicopter blades whir)
(tense music)
- You start to see a lot of the haze.
Visibility's dropped about 50 (indistinct).
- [Pilot] Yes, that's it.
- We have 20 or 30 fires in a day.
I can't focus on one.
So what I'll do is do an aerial patrol of the fire,
then make sure that the estate manager
and the fire team on the estate has got a plan,
and then also more importantly,
find out what they need from us to help them.
- [Narrator] Ian is monitoring an area
almost the size of Belgium, and with the RER
making up a sizeable portion of that territory,
many ask why a company would opt for protection over profit.
(peaceful music)
- Generally, people are very surprised
to know that a pulp and paper company is engaged
in such a large forest protection restoration project.
Companies are changing.
They're working to become if you will, greener,
because that is what is more sustainable.
It's what customers expect.
It's what society expects.
- [Narrator] Ecosystem restoration
on this scale needs serious money.
So APRIL has committed $100 million to the RER
just in its first 10 years.
It took someone with both vision and determination
to pull off something so ambitious.
- It was only an idea.
It was a crazy idea.
It was crazy because no private company like us
have actually invested so much in a model
where we can produce
and then protect sustainably from a landscape.
- [Narrator] Anderson is one of the new leaders
of his family's pulp and paper business,
offering a bold Millennial's perspective.
- Came back to the family business seven years ago.
I'm 31 this year.
I consider myself a Millennial.
I think I'm gonna live hopefully till 70 or 80,
another 40 or 50 years.
I should be the most worried about climate change,
because I'm gonna bear the brunt of climate change.
If this model works,
it really becomes an example for hopefully other companies
in our region in Indonesia and globally.
- [Narrator] So how does this model work?
- You need production areas in order to generate the income,
which is necessary to pay for the cost of protecting
and conserving a natural forest.
On the Kampar Peninsula we have a plantation ring.
The ring itself acts as a buffer zone to minimize
and mitigate potential threats that could cause damage
to the forest in the center.
- Okay, no, that's good, Kathy.
Kitty, kitty.
Okay, we have the fire, Sandy.
Yeah.
- [Narrator] Fire remains the most destructive threat
to the RER's rare creatures and plants.
- Conditions down there don't look very favorable.
- [Narrator] So Ian is always fighting
to keep the buffer zone fire-free.
- RER is well protected because of their ring concept,
which means that any fires have to start outside concession,
burn through our operational areas
before they get to the conservation.
It's like a moat around a castle.
- [Narrator] For several days, Ian's team
have been tackling a fire just outside APRIL's land.
- So the old fires already contained
and controlled, out.
There's to be some smoke,
but there's no way that it's actually gonna hit us.
- [Narrator] But during fire season,
a new inferno can break out at any moment.
- [Pilot] The new one is at 12 o'clock.
- Copy.
New one 12 o'clock, oh.
Yeah, no, that's that's a very horrible fire.
Yes.
Oh no, this is massive.
- [Pilot] Yeah, this is a massive one.
- We're looking at about 350 hectares.
This is the last flyover, then we gotta get back.
So we can talk to the guys.
- [Pilot] Yeah, yeah.
(speaking foreign language)
- Get to here, and make the boundary to here.
- We still need to monitor the boundary.
- [Ian] Still have to monitor, yeah.
- [Narrator] The fire is big
and could take several days to extinguish,
but if the team has been able to stop the fire
from spreading, they now at least have the upper hand.
- Okay.
(speaking foreign language)
There are instances where small fires start
in concession and head towards the RER conservation,
but those are stopped really quickly
because we've got access.
We've got transport to get there.
Our guys know what they need to do.
So RER is very well protected from fire at the moment.
(peaceful music)
- [Narrator] But why are peat forests like the RER
so particularly devastating when they catch fire?
Peat is just the first stages of coal.
The highest CO2 emitter of all the fossil fuels,
which means the RER is essentially a giant carbon bomb.
Forests the world over
are endlessly capturing and releasing carbon dioxide,
helping to regulate our climate,
but some are able to trap more carbon than they release.
Dry forests hold the majority of their carbon
above ground, stored in the trees.
But peat forests keep 90% of their carbon underground
in moist organic soils.
- In the worst case scenario,
if the carbon that's stored in this kind of peat ecosystems,
getting fire, and then released back to atmosphere,
it will make kind of the catastrophic climate change,
will be really bad, really bad.
(soft music)
- [Narrator] Over time, a peat forest's ability
to trap new carbon can wax and wane.
Now a team of scientists is on a mission to discover
if the RER is still absorbing carbon,
a study that could one day help justify the protection
of other peatlands across Sumatra.
- This forest kind of absorbing carbon dioxide,
and then lock that kind of carbon underground.
So this kind of forest play important role
for the global climate systems.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] There's something unique
about this forest that allows it to trap
so much carbon, water, and lots of it.
When plants die, they fall to the forest floor,
but with the soil waterlogged, the plant material
can't break down, trapping their carbon
beneath the forest as peat.
Our mission today is we would like
to look into the peat depth.
And then we have to take the samples
from this kind of peat, send it to laboratory.
(speaking foreign language)
If the mineral layer is 10 meters, we go deep.
But sometimes it's not a really easy job.
Sometimes we hit roots or wood
so it's very hard to get through.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] As expected much of the top layer
is completely waterlogged,
(suspenseful music)
but as they dig for deeper samples,
the team discover something unexpected.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] This peat has trapped more than just carbon.
These 5,000-year-old mangrove trees are rich in sulfur.
The key ingredient for acid rain.
So this would create an even more destructive combination
should fire ever rip through this area.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Initial estimates from these samples suggest
there are at least 2.5 gigaton of carbon stored in the RER.
That's more than all of Asia's annual transport emissions,
but measuring subterranean carbon only gives you
half the answer.
To figure out how much new carbon the ecosystem
is trapping, Sofian has to look above ground.
(delicate music)
But up here, carbon moves.
So measuring it is much more difficult.
Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis,
but it's also being released by animals as they breathe.
So the only way for Sofian to see
if the RER is adding more carbon than it's losing
is to get his instruments above the canopy.
- [Sofian] The height of the greenhouse gas tower
in RER is 48 meters.
At the top of the tower,
we install some sensors to measure
kind of the carbon dioxide, methane,
and many other weather variables.
- [Narrator] This is the boundary
between the forest and the sky.
The only place where Sofian can get a clearer reading
on how much carbon comes and goes from the RER.
(speaking foreign language)
It's a painstaking study that can take months or even years
to collect accurate results.
(speaking foreign language)
In other parts of the world,
a football field-sized area of peatland can absorb
about one ton of carbon each year.
If the team discovers that the RER's tropical peat
is still absorbing carbon,
then it makes an even stronger case to protect Sumatra's
remaining peat forests.
- For me, it's kind of challenging,
working on the peat forest,
because it's kind of difficult ecosystem, so. (laughs)
It's a lack of knowledge, meaning that's more challenge,
but those challenges create big opportunities.
(soft music)
- [Narrator] While our knowledge of peat
continues to evolve, one thing goes undisputed.
Peat soil is the foundation
of a powerfully interconnected web of plants and animals.
But to protect these delicate ecosystems, first,
you have to understand the creatures contained within them.
No easy task.
When the RER's biodiversity
is not just hard to reach, it's elusive.
- We've got 797 species that we've detected to date.
A lot of these are listed as threatened, vulnerable.
We also have critically endangered species.
We have Sunda pangolin.
We have Sumatran tiger and many others.
So it's actually a really important area for biodiversity.
There's not many places like this left in the world.
- [Narrator] The more you know about an ecosystem,
the better you can protect it.
So Chela and her team are pushing their search
for new species deeper into the forest.
In the heart of the RER is an area called PT Gan.
Difficult access, dense vegetation,
and unknown risks have made previous missions too dangerous.
But after months of preparation,
a small expedition party has now been cleared to go in.
- We'll start with some remote camera trappings.
- RER Restoration Manager, Dr. Chela Powell and her team
will be the first to uncover the area's wildlife.
- There's a lot of different species that we're expecting
to find, hopefully new to science.
We're not sure.
- [Narrator] Chela is responsible
for keeping the team safe and on target for the mission.
If things don't go to plan,
they will have to rethink their approach
to surveying this difficult terrain.
(helicopter blades whir)
- [Chela] It's gonna be a long couple of days,
but I expect to find some really good results
from this unexplored area.
- We are one and a half minutes to the (indistinct).
- [Chela] Copy that.
- [Narrator] But there's a problem.
The peat soil at this remote site is too soft to land on.
- [Pilot] Okay, door open, okay.
Door open.
- [Narrator] This far from base,
the pilot can't take any chances.
So the team have to jump.
- Peat swamp forests are quite hard
to get into for humans.
You're often wet and hot and sweaty,
and your feet are sinking within the peat,
but there's also being absolutely in awe of this beautiful,
pristine forest and the unique group of animals that have
adapted to quite harsh conditions.
- [Narrator] While base camp is set up,
the rest of the team break off to begin their assignments.
One team must trek deeper into the forest to set up a series
of remote camera traps,
a tactic used for capturing biodiversity
in other areas of the RER.
(speaking foreign language)
- To find footprints is incredibly encouraging.
It means that the animals are there.
That means that they're using the forest.
So we're really, really excited to find that paw print.
- [Narrator] Finding an apex predator here
likely means there is plenty of food.
A sign the area's biodiversity is in good condition.
While the PT Gan team continue their mission,
Brad is exploring other ways to protect the RER.
(boat motor hums)
- The forest is incredible biodiversity.
It's very unique, very sensitive.
So the number one goal is to protect plants
and animals that live there.
- [Narrator] These 50 meter-high
(indistinct) trees are a key part of this forest,
providing food and shelter for many forest creatures,
like the Malayan sun bear.
It may come as no surprise that these towering trees
are also prized by illegal loggers.
But one group of locals is helping
to protect this particular piece of forest.
These Malayu people have found something more valuable
in these trees than timber.
For generations they have been harvesting honey
from the bees that call this tree home.
- There's about three different groups
that live near the RER boundary,
local people who actively collect honey on a seasonal basis.
We are working with all of these groups to help protect
the forest around their honey trees.
- [Narrator] The Malayu have spent years
mastering the art of honey gathering
and risked life and limb in the process.
The last thing they want is illegal loggers
to destroy their way of life.
- These guys are highly skilled.
They're courageous.
The honey bees develop their hives
30 to 40 meters above the ground,
and they harvest this honey at night.
They do it at night in order to avoid
getting stung by the bees.
(people chatter excitedly)
The type of bee that produces the honey
is called the Apis dorsata.
It's the largest honey-producing bee in the world.
- [Narrator] These bees might pack a painful sting,
but this sweet reward still makes these trees
worth protecting from illegal loggers.
- [Brad] By working with the local honey harvesters,
we're helping to preserve the local traditions and culture
and working together to protect the forest.
- [Narrator] Back in the remote research site
of PT Gan, nightfall reveals a new cast
of creatures to discover.
Two teams brave the darkness to carry out their mission.
- See there.
- [Narrator] This opportunity is rare.
So one of the RER's longtime partners,
Fauna and Flora International,
has joined the team to assist in exploring
PT Gan's nocturnal wildlife.
(speaking foreign language)
Not far from camp, they found a good place
to set up their specialized bat trap.
(speaking foreign language)
Bats play a vital role in any ecosystem from controlling
insect numbers to pollinating plants.
Their presence can be an excellent indicator
for a forest's health.
- Bats can fly anywhere.
So you have to pick next to the trees,
actually quite dense vegetation.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] This is called a harp trap.
These delicate threads gently catch the bats in flight
and deposit them in the canvas sack below.
To minimize the stress to the bats,
the team will have to wake up early to record and release
anything they've caught.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp,
Chela is preparing to set up
an entirely different kind of trap.
- We'll have a look around here.
We need two trees, yeah.
So perhaps this one and this one,
this looks like a good spot.
This part of the Kampar Peninsula has never been surveyed
comprehensively for invertebrates.
In PT Gan we set up a light trap.
So that means setting up a large area with a white sheet,
in fact, and just some light behind
and the insects are drawn to it.
Likely to be some species that are new for the province,
new for Sumatra, new for Indonesia,
and also even new to science, so it's incredibly exciting.
- [Narrator] Insects are the foundation
of the RER's food chain.
More diversity at the bottom means a stronger ecosystem
for the big animals at the top.
- [Chela] Okay, but we illuminate it as much as possible.
So part of the reason we're looking for insects here
is they're actually the most diverse group of animals.
And they're also really important in ecosystem functioning,
nutrient cycling, pollination.
- [Narrator] But as luck would have it,
the light trap also lures something wholly unexpected.
- [Chela] We heard this very loud, buzzing sound.
It sounded a bit like a bird coming past.
- [Narrator] Out here, there's really only one insect
big enough to sound like a bird, but in the darkness,
it's hard for the team to make it out clearly.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Chela] Oh yes, it is!
(speaking foreign language)
- One of our guys who had a headlamp on
or a torch on his head had to drop it to the ground
'cause it was crawling over his face.
His theory is that it can actually sting you within 12 times
within one second and can actually make you unconscious.
- [Narrator] The team manages to capture
what they believe is an Asian giant hornet,
the largest Hornet species on Earth,
with a venom that can kill humans.
These massive hornets can slaughter
the RER's honeybee populations.
So the team may have to monitor the situation carefully.
- [Chela] I think that's enough for tonight.
We've got plenty.
Let's go.
(birds singing)
- [Narrator] The next morning,
Donny's team is awake early to check their bat trap.
- Ah.
(speaking foreign language)
- It's a very small one.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] These highly trained bat experts
have struck gold, a small wooly bat.
One of the smallest bat species in the world.
Little is known about this species except that its numbers
are dropping due to deforestation.
The FFI team are practiced and prepared to handle bats,
which allows them to move quickly
and carefully to record their discovery.
- [Scientist] It's a male.
- [Narrator] These bats can eat their own body weight
in mosquitoes each night,
acting as the forest's pest control.
So while the RER may be a last refuge for this tiny bat,
it's also helping to keep the ecosystem healthy.
(cheery music)
Many more discoveries lie in wait
in this unexplored peat forest.
But for now the PT Gan mission has come to an end.
(helicopter blades whir)
The team prepares to head back to analyze their findings,
hoping to come up with new ways
to preserve the RER's biodiversity.
- You know, the protection and restoration
of this area is not only important for us.
It's important for Indonesia and for the global community.
So that's really one of the main reasons why
I'm particularly passionate about conserving this landscape.
- [Narrator] The RER's ecosystem
is remarkably diverse and adaptive,
but the truth is there is one species living in the RER
that is more disruptive than any other in nature, humans.
The spread of mankind into natural spaces is inevitable.
However, with the right knowledge,
it may be possible for us to develop
without destroying nature.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Bahtiar is a master fisherman.
Today he's preparing to gather
fresh bait for his fish traps.
The larvae hidden deep inside this giant honey beehive
are perfect for attracting
the river's prized (indistinct) fish.
But over time,
he's also learned ways of coexisting with the forest.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Taking just a piece of a hive
will allow it to regenerate,
but mastering that task is often easier said than done.
(speaking foreign language)
(bees buzz)
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Bahtiar and his cousin must be precise,
despite the maelstrom of bees.
Even though ripping out the whole hive would be faster,
it would also remove the queen, killing the colony.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Success.
Bahtiar has his bait and the hive will regrow
in a matter of weeks.
(gentle music)
(speaking foreign language)
But can a billion-dollar company take a leaf
out of Bahtiar's book, taking as little as you can
and let the forest replenish itself.
- We want to be part of that movement in the world
that companies can produce from a landscape,
but can also protect the landscape.
- [Narrator] The Kampar Peninsula is similar
to Bahtiar's beehive.
APRIL's model is designed to take what they need
from the surrounding areas,
but leave the heart of the forest intact to regenerate.
The big problem is past human activity has already caused
damage to the RER, damage that it can't heal by itself.
- [Anderson] This is not Yosemite Park in America. (laughs)
This is actually in Indonesia
where communities are living in the ground,
leaving a piece of forest alone in Indonesia for five years
doesn't mean it'll stay untouched for five years,
but that's the challenge we face.
And if we don't change the conversation
to explore different models,
then we are not giving a practical
and a viable model a fair chance.
- [Narrator] Part of that model
is finding ways to repair the damage
caused by previous human activity in the RER,
protecting its future by healing the wounds of the past.
- Some ecosystems are vulnerable.
They are fragile.
So slight disturbance can cause a big impact.
Some ecosystem actually can heal themself,
but if it's severely damaged,
then human interference and is needed.
- [Narrator] A single hectare of natural forest
can contain up to 1000 trees,
with some growing as old as 150 years.
But when a forest becomes this degraded,
it needs to be rebuilt from scratch, a process that takes
knowledge and many years of work.
But this mission is about more than just regrowing trees.
It's an opportunity to rebuild near-extinct species.
- There are three species that are critically endangered,
and I think two species found here.
One species in particular,
it hasn't been fruiting for eight years.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Finding the critically endangered
(indistinct) tree is hard enough,
but being there when it's dropping seeds
is an extremely rare occasion.
(speaking foreign language)
- The nut is still in good condition.
I'm excited that I can find some seeds
that's still okay to germinate them in our nursery.
So this is a great day.
- [Narrator] If Ikbal can get these endangered seeds
to germinate, it will be a huge step
towards repairing the ecosystem.
(soft music)
Tens of thousands of trees will be needed to heal the RER,
and nurseries like this is where they'll be born and raised.
(speaking foreign language)
A week after his exciting discovery,
Ikbal has returned to check on the progress
of his endangered seedlings.
(speaking foreign language)
It will take months for the endangered seedlings
to be strong enough for planting,
but there are plenty of others that are ready to become
part of the future forest.
(speaking foreign language)
(peaceful music)
- [Ikbal] Forest restoration is not worked off
two or three years
'cause the forest takes 1000 years to form.
So what we are doing might not change something
in a short period of time,
but hopefully this work will be continued
by the next generations.
- [Narrator] As the RER flourishes,
there is a natural harmony
that's spreading throughout the forest.
It seems that with enough work,
mankind and nature can find a way to coexist.
(speaking foreign language)
- This is the longest rest period
this forest has had in the past 20 years.
So what does the future hold
for the next 55 years of our license?
More rest period.
Let the forest grow.
Let the biodiversity thrive.
- [Narrator] Protecting nature
doesn't come cheaply or easily,
but with the world losing nearly 30 football pitches
of forest every minute, bold solutions are needed
now more than ever.
Who better to provide the will and the financial clout
than the companies who rely on this landscape
for their very existence?
Can these organizations become forest protectors,
safeguarding their business
and these rich ecosystems for the future?
Only time will tell if this groundbreaking model
can benefit industry, habitats,
and even legendary creatures
like the Sumatran tiger in the long run.
(exciting music)
(soft music)