Nature (1982–…): Season 40, Episode 13 - Portugal: Wild Land on the Edge - full transcript

From coastal cliffs

battered by the world's
biggest waves...

to ancient forests
where wild horses roam...

Portugal possesses
a vast array of landscapes...

and creatures.

It's a bounty
of natural treasures.

But we have encroached
on these wild places

and threatened its inhabitants.

While some have adapted,
others need protection...

to ensure Portugal can preserve
its wild side.

Portugal's west coast,



for centuries the last sight
of land for brave mariners

setting out on epic journeys
into the unknown.

Their spirit of adventure
and discovery

continues to define Portugal,
on the mainland,

in surrounding seas,
and on its remotest islands.

A fascination with the world
that lay beyond the horizon

drove many to conquer
their doubts and fears.

In their quest to discover
new worlds,

great explorers faced nature's
most powerful forces...

... forces that all too often
overwhelmed them.

Many a dream of conquest
was dashed

against these mighty cliffs.

Sunken cannons from the 15th
and 16th centuries

bear witness to failed attempts



to open new areas of trade
and influence.

Now they've become one
with the seabed

and provide sanctuary

for creatures
like the fangtooth moray.

Old shipwrecks create
new habitats

in places where real reefs
are rare.

The barracuda is just one
of many colonizers

of these new territories.

The ship has a new crew,

grazing on the thick layer
of algae

that settles on its steel sides

and taking up residence
in the cabins.

This giant grouper
will probably grow old here,

adapting his coloring and
patterning to his surroundings

on a 40-year static cruise.

The grouper and his fellows
are protected from the currents

that once sank these ships.

Portugal's Atlantic coast

is one of the roughest marine
environments in the world.

An undersea canyon
150 miles long

and three miles deep

runs straight towards
Portugal's west coast.

Powerful winds and currents
channel the surging water,

creating giant waves.

At Nazaré,
they reach up to 100 feet,

making them the highest waves
on Earth.

The world's best
and bravest surfers

come to ride the ocean forces.

But there is no doubt
where the power really lies.

In reality, it's no contest.

This is the coast of a country
forever defined

by the vast contrasts
of its natural habitats.

Portugal has
just one national park,

and it seems to want to conceal
itself in mist and clouds.

When the clouds part,
most often in spring,

they reveal the rugged majesty
of the Peneda-Geres mountains

on the northern border
with Spain.

This spectacular landscape

is one of Portugal's
lesser-known natural jewels.

The stars of the national park
are no newcomers...

Wild Garrano horses.

They have lived among
these peaks for 20,000 years.

The craggy landscape
at 5,000 feet

has made them stocky,
strong climbers

and trusted companions
for Portuguese seafarers.

Small and surefooted,

they were suited to life
on the ocean waves.

Garranos rarely grow to more
than five feet tall.

Springtime is foaling time,

time for the young
to get to know one another,

to relax, and above all,
to explore their boundaries.

To escape the summer storms,
Garranos seek shelter

in one of Portugal's
last ancient mountain forests.

Only a few hundred
purebred Garranos remain.

Protecting and maintaining
this ancient species

is the task of both the national
park and private breeders.

But they too must respect
the forces of nature

and its innate transience.

Wild horses sometimes fall
victim to rare Geres wolves.

Although the predators
are rarely seen,

there's no mistaking the tracks
they leave behind.

Living with wolves means
the Garranos have never lost

their flight instinct.

The mists that can return
at any time

offer the horses a welcome cloak
of invisibility.

But invisibility isn't helping

another kind of horse

that lives at the opposite end
of Portugal, in the Algarve...

The seahorse.

These shallow coastal waters
are home

to one of the largest
seahorse colonies in the world.

They are sensitive
and vulnerable,

and their real misfortune
is their status

as good-luck charms
in much of Asia.

Their only protection
are the fields of seagrass

just beneath the surface.

But they too
are gradually disappearing.

Water and sand engage
in a never-ending dance here,

as high and low tides create
transitory artworks

in the Ria Formosa's lagoons
and bays.

No surprise that tourists
like to linger here...

... without realizing that they
themselves have become a threat.

This is a nature reserve
that doesn't restrict tourism.

Every dropped anchor
destroys a little more

of the seahorses' habitat.

They're left literally clutching
at straws for their survival.

Without seagrass,
there's nothing to hold on to,

nowhere to hide.

Adrift in open water,

an innocuous piece of seaweed
can be deadly.

Even if you survive,

a drifting clump of seagrass
can sweep you from home

and away from your partner.

In the Algarve, nature seems
poised between land and sea,

a source of both beauty
and conflict.

Humankind's attempts to extract
the riches of the sea

have a long history.

Salt harvesting is still mostly
a manual activity here.

Saline pools are flooded
between spring and autumn.

When the salt crystallizes, it's
skimmed off the top and dried.

The finer the grains,
the more valuable the harvest.

The local wildlife treats
this activity with discretion.

They keep their eyes open

and are always ready
for a tactical withdrawal.

Fortunately, nature offers
plenty of hiding places

and other ways of disappearing.

The Mediterranean chameleon
has a small foothold in Europe

and no great desire to draw
the attention of tourists.

That might not be easy
in such a popular region,

but the chameleon is an expert

at blending into
its surroundings.

Chromatophore cells in its skin
change color,

reacting to temperature,
light, and emotion.

And its independently swiveling
eyes can spot danger...

Or opportunity...
In any direction.

Preparation is all.

This animal isn't interested
in close combat.

It's all about assessing
the distance to the chosen prey.

The chameleon's weapon
is its sticky, darting,

slingshot tongue.

A well-aimed strike can pinion
insects up to 15 inches away.

As the tide goes out, other
fascinating creatures emerge.

Fiddler crabs.

They inhabit the sandy
and muddy intertidal zones

and pools near the shore.

They waited out the flood tide
in their underground burrows,

and now there's no time
to waste.

They're not picky where food
is concerned,

filtering algae, worms,
and shellfish remains

from the sand and silt.

Females have two claws
for searching for food,

while the males are limited
to just one.

Interruptions are
most unwelcome.

Time is short.

The tide will soon be coming in.

After food, it's time to flirt.

The males wave their big claw
in the air.

What female could resist
that powerful weapon?

Eventually, the males hope,

a female will relent
and join them in their burrow

for a little affair
between the tides.

At the height
of the tourist season,

the animals here
are rarely left alone.

But the steadily
disappearing seagrass

makes it difficult for seahorses
to find each other.

That matters

because seahorse partners form
strong, lasting bonds

and play unusually equal roles
in the relationship.

The males bring the babies
into the world.

They carry the females'
fertilized eggs

for the last 12 days.

Only 20
out of 200 tiny seahorses

will survive the first few days
of life.

From the moment of their birth,

these delicate creatures
are left to their own devices.

The Algarve's seahorses
are vulnerable

at every stage of their lives.

The elements ceaselessly shape

and reshape
Portugal's natural world...

... like sculptors, never quite
satisfied with their creation.

Contrasts hold this land
together in a creative tension.

When heat and drought relent
for a few short spring weeks,

mist and rain can take over.

Landscapes that lay parched
and dormant for months awaken.

When moisture reaches
the dry earth of Montado,

it's soon awash
in a sea of flowers.

But the clouds disperse,

and the merciless sun beats down
on southern Portugal,

draining color from the land,
baking the soil.

Hot winds whip through
the eucalyptus forests.

In the 1940s,

dictator Antonio Salazar
planted quick-growing eucalyptus

to boost the timber trade...
With unintended consequences.

Their deep roots drew moisture
out of the ground,

and the trees themselves
produced flammable oils.

Each summer,
Portugal's powder keg ignites.

Massive forest fires
regularly scar the land.

It's a good year
when no humans are injured.

Though for nature itself,
fire is a natural part of life.

Full recovery in this monochrome
world can take some time.

Almost all the anthills
have been razed.

Ants that survived
beneath the earth

must now find ways to rebuild
their colonies.

Centipedes and heat-resistant
weevils face similar challenges.

The blaze has briefly banished
the birds and the lizards

that hunt them,

giving them time to navigate
the charcoal landscape.

Moisture-storing moss
is the first new vegetation.

Like a wild wood in miniature,

it offers protection
and nutrition for survivors

and for new life.

On the well-watered banks
of brooks and rivers,

the young plants grow fastest.

Within a few weeks,

the hardy eucalyptus
have begun to recover.

The trees that caused
the inferno

that tore through large parts
of the landscape

are among the first to produce
new shoots.

But one tree seems to meet
every natural disaster

with equanimity.

Whatever goes on around it,
the cork oak survives.

Its bark is fireproof.

Ten percent
of Portugal's surface

is covered in cork forests.

Individual trees live
up to 200 years...

Or 400 if their cork
isn't harvested.

Each oak can shed its cork
mantle every eight years,

at the height of summer
when the bark has dried out.

The cork ends up
in many products,

most famously at the end
of wine bottles.

A cork oak must grow
for 30 years

before its bark
can be harvested,

so cork farming needs planning
across the generations.

Storks seem to do the same,

settling on a single tree
year after year.

Experts believe the storks know

about cork's
fire-resistant qualities.

Several stork families
will share one tree...

As many as the tree
will support,

seeing as a single nest
can weigh hundreds of pounds.

Portugal's white storks clearly
have a liking for exclusive

and eccentric homesites.

The western coastline
of Cabo Sardao.

Together, the crashing waves
and steep cliffs

create an almost impenetrable
protection against any threat

from any direction.

And yet the white storks
of Cabo Sardao

are the only storks known
to nest on cliffs.

They take advantage
of the challenging conditions,

allowing the coastal updrafts
to carry them to their nests.

Storks are creatures of habit

and remain faithful to
a single place for long periods.

On their return
from African winter quarters

at the beginning of March,

they start on the repairs
to their nests,

ravaged by winter storms.

Renovations can be
time-consuming,

and some storks prefer
to cut corners.

Rather than collect supplies
on land,

many birds help themselves
to building materials

from their neighbors' nests.

Whether the materials
are collected or stolen,

the nests are completed
within a few days.

Now it's time
for the crucial rendezvous.

Storks are loyal partners,
returning to the same nest

and the same mate
year after year.

Female storks lay between two
and five eggs

and incubate them
for approximately one month.

- Then, life in the nest becomes 
really  - challenging.

The exclusive sea-view location
may be spectacular,

but it comes at a price.

Food is difficult to find,

and the parents have to make
several trips a day

to keep their young satisfied.

Abandoned rice paddies
near the coast

are the preferred destination.

These are home to worms,
beetles, and frogs

the storks swallow whole before
carrying them back to the nest.

The delivery is eagerly awaited.

The greedy chicks
are never satisfied...

... and little is left over
for their hardworking parents.

From here,
the world is within reach.

And it's the ideal
starting point

for a flight of exploration,

to a part of Portugal
far beyond the ocean horizon.

The Madeira archipelago

is some 300 miles
from the African coast.

Most people only know
of the main island, Madeira.

Desertas Grande, to the south,
is less well known.

The so-called "Great Desert"

lies like a ghost ship,
surrounded by the Atlantic...

... or like a remote planet
in a distant galaxy.

Storms, searing heat,
and heavy rainfall

have created a landscape
that looks a bit like Mars...

inhospitable and yet attractive.

And this island
has become a sanctuary

for two of the planet's
rarest life-forms.

Its upper elevations are home
to Europe's largest wolf spider,

with a span
of up to five and a half inches.

Far below,

one of the world's
most endangered mammals

fights for survival...
The Mediterranean monk seal.

Evolution has created
two vastly different animals.

But Desertas Grande has brought
them together as neighbors

in a fascinating,
protected environment.

The Mediterranean
and the coastal waters

of North Africa and
western Europe were once home

to hundreds of thousands
of Mediterranean monk seals.

These days,
just 300 or so remain.

Over centuries,
they have been hunted

to the brink of extinction.

A small colony enjoys
the protection

of the Desertas Grande
conservation area.

Mealtimes are followed
by a quick power nap.

A Mediterranean monk seal
can spend up to 15 minutes

beneath the surface before
it has to come up for air.

After a few deep breaths,
the seal dives down again

to continue
its afternoon siesta.

The only humans to visit
Desertas Grande

are the researchers
who come once a year.

The team works quickly
as the tide rises.

Cameras that can broadcast
for 10 months are installed

before the start
of the mating season

The monk seals have always been
independent creatures.

Their justified fear of humans

has made them even more shy
and careful,

and they are now rarely seen
along beaches or coastlines,

preferring the safety of caves.

The cameras are there to observe
the seals' mating behavior

and to capture
a possible population increase

without in any way disturbing
their subjects.

The Desertas wolf spiders
are equally shy creatures

and the undisputed kings
of this sparse landscape.

They have no real competition
here.

But try telling that
to the lizards.

The lizards know
not to get too close.

The spiders' eight eyes
see everything,

and a moment's carelessness
can mean a vicious punishment.

That was a narrow escape.

Thanks to their dominance
in this habitat,

the wolf spiders can reproduce
in large numbers.

The female wolf spider carries
her cocoon-shaped egg

for around 40 days.

More than 100 small spiders grow
within the egg.

After they hatch,

they spend a few days
riding on their mother's back

before they are eventually
shaken off

to fend for themselves.

Those that survive strengthen
the Desertas Grande population,

now numbering 5,000.

By contrast, the colony
of Mediterranean monk seals,

totaling just 30,
is under pressure.

The challenge
facing conservationists...

Raising awareness
of the seals' plight

while ensuring humans
keep their distance.

Farther away, 1,000 miles
from the European mainland,

lies Portugal's westernmost
archipelago, the Azores.

The largest animals
that have ever lived

stop here twice a year
on their marathon journeys

between the northern
and southern hemispheres.

One hundred feet long
and 200 tons in weight,

they truly are the gentle giants
of the seas.

In early summer,
blue whales can be found

in the waters
off these volcanic islands.

Rising some 7,500 feet,

the dormant volcano Pico
is Portugal's highest mountain

and the peak of a giant
submarine ridge,

the result of over 300 million
years of volcanic activity.

Here, three great tectonic
plates were torn apart

200 million years ago,

when the supercontinent Pangaea
split,

creating Eurasia, Africa,
and North America.

Benefiting from nutrients
from the Gulf Stream,

these waters are rich in krill
and fish.

They attract marine mammals
with large appetites.

A blue whale filters more than
a ton of plankton from the sea

in a single day.

The explorers and seafarers
of the past

used the Azores
as an essential stopover

on their way
to the overseas colonies.

The islands serve this purpose
for today's cetaceans.

Some, like the sperm whales,
stay here all year 'round

because of the abundance
of food.

Thousands of dolphins hunt here
in superpods.

Wherever dolphins patrol
around the Azores,

Cory's shearwaters
are never far away.

This is a close cooperation.

If a school of sardines appears,

the attack immediately begins
from every direction.

The fish form a defensive
bait ball for safety in numbers,

but the merciless shearwaters

dive to capture their share
of the prey.

The Cory's shearwaters
are also drawn

to another Portuguese island...
Selvagem Grande.

This inhospitable island is
Portugal's southernmost point.

Here, almost every rock crevice
contains a shearwater nest.

Cory's shearwaters
are among the birds

with the longest life span,
some living up to 50 years.

But many never reach
such an advanced age.

Some won't survive the perilous
hunting expeditions.

Others die in agony from
the plastic they swallow at sea.

Selvagem is also home

to thousands
of Madeira wall lizards.

They're always on the lookout
for food,

especially a nutritious
unhatched egg.

Sometimes teamwork is needed
to guarantee success.

After the first,
hesitant approaches,

the lizards descend
on the broken egg.

Before long, it's a free-for-all

where the weak are left behind.

Soon only the empty shell
remains...

... and the lizards swarm out
on their quest

to ensure their survival
in Portugal's southern extremes.

To travelers returning
from the high seas,

the appearance
of this lighthouse

meant far more
than just the presence of land.

It marked the return
to civilization,

the westernmost point
of the European continent...

Cabo da Roca.

It's also the entrance
to a natural world,

much changed by human influence.

The pine trees
of the Mafra forests

spread their branches high
above the undergrowth,

as though providing protection
for the animals below.

The inhabitants
of this nature park

might not draw too much
attention elsewhere in Europe,

but in Portugal,
this fairy-tale landscape

offers a rare opportunity to see
these animals in the wild.

It was not always so.

Portugal's monarchs were hunters
who left little to chance.

Not content with erecting hides

and blinds for hunting,

they built the longest wall
in Portugal.

Ten miles long
and some 16 feet high,

the wall was designed

to provide the royals

with easy prey.

Then, it was an unequal contest.

Today the wall provides
a peaceful glimpse

of the forest's shy inhabitants.

Contests now take place
on an equal footing.

The forest inhabitants,
including fallow and roe deer,

can now emerge from hiding.

The 42,000 acres
of former hunting grounds

that once belonged
to the kings of Portugal

have been a conservation area
for decades.

Wild boars can now safely engage
in their favorite pastime...

energetically rooting
for worms and grubs.

Vultures circle in the skies
above Portugal.

Many commute across the border
to Spain for food.

There, farmers can leave animal
carcasses out in the open.

That's forbidden in Portugal.

But when a piece of carrion
is spotted

on this side of the border,

griffon, black, and bearded
vultures descend en masse.

A strict ranking system
applies at the carcass.

This threatening gait
leaves no doubt.

This griffon vulture will be
the first to the feast.

A wild boar,
victim of a snakebite,

is a rare treat for vultures

in the Montado border region
with Spain.

Some turn up
without an invitation.

As soon as the carcass
has been torn open,

the vultures descend
on the meat.

A fox considers his options.

Facing 40 ravenous vultures
would be foolhardy,

and possibly suicidal.

But the fox launches
a frontal assault.

And finally decides that hunger
is preferable to certain death.

In their nest,

young vulture chicks eagerly
await their parents' return.

They are hungry,
but the real problem is the heat

that turns the rocks
into a furnace.

Small strips of carrion
will be welcome,

but the chicks desperately need
a different kind of help.

Next to food,

shade is the greatest gift

a vulture parent
can offer its young.

In the unforgiving heat
of summer,

Portugal's greatest rivers
come into their own.

Both the Douro River
in the North

and the Tejo in the South
originate in Spain,

but reach their full glory
in Portugal.

These vital arteries
nourish the country,

seeing Portugal through even
the severest droughts.

The Tejo flows more
than 600 miles

from its source to the sea,

making it the longest river
on the Iberian Peninsula.

Its infinitely broad delta

finally reaches the Atlantic
close to Lisbon.

This estuary is one of Europe's

most significant
wetland regions,

attracting migratory birds
on their way to and from Africa.

Many more choose to winter here.

It's bustling and busy here,
as if the birds of the world

have chosen
to mimic human society.

It's mass tourism, animal-style.

The mudflats and marshes attract

well over 100,000 birds
from every part of Europe.

Black-tailed godwits arrive
from Scandinavia

and Eastern Europe
in their tens of thousands,

mounting breathtaking displays

on the fringes
of the Portuguese capital.

Most of the flamingos
have made their way

from the Camargue
in Southern France.

As temperatures in Europe rise,
more and more flamingos

are foregoing the long-haul
flight to Africa.

Over the winter months,

this is the largest flamingo
colony on the continent

and here, the birds have
the ideal environment

to maintain their startling
characteristic coloring,

as their long legs
churn up the mud

for algae, crabs,
and crustaceans.

The shellfish supply
the carotin pigment

that keeps their bills pink
and wings orange.

In the Tejo delta,

the borders of a country

constantly battling the elements

shift continuously.

Portugal is a country that has
always pushed boundaries

and has, for centuries,
provided its inhabitants

with visions of a wider world
beyond their horizons.

These thousands of pied avocets
can choose any direction

in their search for new
adventures and discoveries

in Portugal,

a wild land on the edge
of Europe, of the sea,

and of life itself.