0:00:07 > 0:00:09The Indian Ocean,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12home to the world's most exotic islands,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and beautiful and rare wildlife.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23I'm travelling through 16 countries around the edge of this vast ocean,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27that stretches 6,000 miles from Africa to Australia.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34'Steeped in history, the Indian Ocean is vital to world trade.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38'It's a journey of extremes.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'From stunning islands,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'across pirate-infested seas,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'to remote villages...'
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Salama!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50GUNFIRE
0:00:50 > 0:00:52'..and war-torn lands.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:55- What was that? - MORE GUNFIRE
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This is a journey about much more than just what's under the waves.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13It's about the lives of the millions of people
0:01:13 > 0:01:18who live around this, one of our greatest oceans.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'On this leg of my journey I am exploring the tropical islands
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'of Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
0:01:28 > 0:01:34'Remote and exotic, this is the Indian Ocean of picture postcards.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:37If you're going to try and imagine paradise,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39that's it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45'But it's a region battling the threat from Somali pirates.'
0:01:45 > 0:01:46It's the 21st century
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- and you're going after pirates in the Indian Ocean.- Yeah.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'I discover the truth about Madagascar's unique wildlife.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Such a cute scene.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01'And in the beautiful Seychelles, I get a taste of paradise.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- Bat?- Yeah, bat. Vampires and all of that!
0:02:23 > 0:02:25I'm just about to land on an island
0:02:25 > 0:02:28of the south-west coast of Madagascar.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And I'm beginning another leg of my journey around the Indian Ocean.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Madagascar is the biggest island in the Indian Ocean,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38more than twice the size of Britain.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I was heading for Andambatihy,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44one of hundreds of tiny islands that pepper Madagascar's coast.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54So this is Gildas. Gildas is going to be guiding me around Madagascar.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57- Say hello, Gildas.- Hello!
0:02:57 > 0:03:03- Let's say hello to the locals as well. Salama!- Salama!
0:03:03 > 0:03:08'The island is home to a fishing community of just 20 families.'
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Who's the boss in the village?
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- There is the boss. - This is the boss, OK.- Salama.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- And what's his name? - Foringa.- Foringa.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21LAUGHTER
0:03:21 > 0:03:25My pronunciation always gets a laugh. I'm Simon.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30'The coastal people of western Madagascar are known as the Vezos.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34'They depend entirely on the Indian Ocean for their survival.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:38I'm just looking around us as we come into the little village.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And you can see all of the tools and stuff of fishing.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Obviously you've got the nets here.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Then you've got a pirogue, a sort of canoe through there.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51If you just look around here, they're drying some of their catch.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Tiny little fish.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58'But drying fish can be tricky in the rainy season.'
0:03:58 > 0:04:00A storm is just starting now,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02so everybody is pitching in
0:04:02 > 0:04:04to try and gather up some of the fish to keep them dry.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Small hands and big hands.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18I think this is going to be quite a feature of this journey.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22We're going to have to endure quite a lot of stormy weather,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25because we are in the path of the monsoon.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28This is part of life in the Indian Ocean.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32And at this point, at this time of the year,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35we're going to get a lot of rain on us.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41At least we have - we're taking shelter in this hut.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46But we have got some entertainment from the locals here.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Hello, hello!- Hello, hello!
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Hello, hello.- Hello, hello.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- Welcome...- Welcome.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03- To our...- To our. - Island.- Island.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- We could just stay here and start an English class, maybe.- Yeah.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Because there's no school here. So we'd be the first school here.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Can we ask the young lad here,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17has he got any idea what job would he like to do when he's grown up?
0:05:22 > 0:05:23He said fishing.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- It's not entirely surprising, is it? - It's not surprising.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Really, that would be the only life they know?
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Yeah. This is every day, every day.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- Big smiles.- Big smiles.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42With no schools and little healthcare,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45life on these islands is pretty basic.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51- There's no roof.- There's no roof. - No roof.- No roof.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Anyway, we've got to put one on.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58'Monsoon clouds were lurking on the horizon,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00'so putting a roof on the hut where we'd be staying
0:06:00 > 0:06:01'seemed like a good idea.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04'We used a sail from one of their boats.'
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Ah, hang on. Yay!
0:06:07 > 0:06:09There's no mucking about here.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Bish, bash.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15That's not too bad, you know.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26'By the morning the sky had cleared.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32'And with better weather,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'Foringa, the village chief, took me out fishing.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Is it just that I've got a very large arse? Why are these so narrow?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51You'd think they would make them a nice comfortable large seat.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56'The Vezos are nomadic, migrating from island to island
0:06:56 > 0:06:58'around this part of the Indian Ocean,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03'sometimes travelling hundreds of miles to find the best fishing.'
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Come on, son, put your back into it!
0:07:06 > 0:07:10'I was heading out with men who were born to fish.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12'It was going to be a struggle to keep up.'
0:07:14 > 0:07:17All right, so let's go spear fishing.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40'Holding their breath, Foringa and the other fishermen
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'can stay under for more than five minutes at a time,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46'and dive to depths below 20 metres.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'I couldn't manage half of that.'
0:07:56 > 0:07:58And they've gone down again.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02They have got lungs... lungs the size of barrage balloons.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I can't stay down for anything like as long as they can.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I'll have another go.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16'As well as using simple spears, the Vezo fishermen also use harpoons
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'made from wood and strong rubber bands.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34'It was tough going.'
0:08:34 > 0:08:38They've caught two small fish. But they're really not very big.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41They're not going to feed the family, that's for sure.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47'Finally, Foringa landed the catch of the day.'
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- Exhausting.- Exhausting?
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- But look.- But look at this. Wow!
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- How did you do to catch this? - You're a very funny guy!
0:09:00 > 0:09:06'Even with a disappointing catch, Foringa wanted to share it with us.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07'It soon became clear
0:09:07 > 0:09:11'this community has been struggling in recent years.'
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Thank you very much.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22This looks fantastic. How long have you been fishing in these waters?
0:09:22 > 0:09:24And how has the fishing changed over that time?
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- TRANSLATION: - I started fishing when I was 18.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Then I got married and had a family, so I had to feed them.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Back then there were lots of fish and they were easy to catch.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53But nowadays it's really hard. You have to work hard every day.
0:09:58 > 0:10:05Before, we'd only go out for two or three hours to catch a lot of fish.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06How many children do you have,
0:10:06 > 0:10:11and do you imagine that they'll become fishermen in years to come?
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Er, I...I...
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I've got...
0:10:17 > 0:10:18SHE SPEAKS
0:10:18 > 0:10:21..seven.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24So you couldn't remember how many children you've got!
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Your wife had to tell you how many children you've had.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33It's because I have too much to think about.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I couldn't remember.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38OK.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42That's completely fair, and we know you've got a lot to think about,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and you're working very, very hard for your family.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'Seven children is not a big family in this part of the world.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56'In recent years, there's been a population explosion among the Vezo
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'that has led to too many fishermen, overfishing,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01'and a decline in fish stocks.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06'I said goodbye to Foringa,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'and headed to the mainland of Madagascar,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11'where most of the Vezo live.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16'My guide Gildas works for a British conservation group, Blue Ventures.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18'They've set up a marine park
0:11:18 > 0:11:22'to try and protect the fish stocks in the area
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'and the precious coral reef they inhabit.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28'On the mainland,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30'the evidence of a booming population
0:11:30 > 0:11:31'became even more obvious.'
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Salama!
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Salama!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39There's a lot of them!
0:11:39 > 0:11:42They're pushing me and Gildas out of the way to get to the camera.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45We can't be having that, really!
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Two presenters are enough.- Yeah!
0:11:48 > 0:11:50'Blue Ventures have realised
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'they can't hope to protect the environment
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'without doing something to address the population boom.'
0:11:56 > 0:12:02- About 53% of the population is under 15 years old.- Really?
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Really.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04- So most of them are here?- Yeah.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09At the moment, we try to address the population problem
0:12:09 > 0:12:12by implementing the family planning project.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17So you started out, then, as conservationists,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19looking to protect marine areas, but then through that,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24- you've realised that that you've got to work with the people to...- Yes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28..protect them, but also introduce family planning. That's fascinating.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Yeah, yeah.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33'It's a radical move for a conservation charity.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'Blue Ventures have helped introduce a family planning programme
0:12:36 > 0:12:38'covering thousands of villages in the area,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42'handing out condoms and other forms of contraception.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47'Madagascar has one of the fastest growing populations in the world,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49'high rates of illiteracy among women,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'and lack of access to contraception are a key cause.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'Conservationists are often afraid to discuss the impact
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'of human population growth on the environment.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01'After all, rich foreigners telling poor villagers
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'to have fewer children is controversial.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09'But the staggering growth of the human population on our planet
0:13:09 > 0:13:11'is a catastrophe for the natural world.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'And here at least, Blue Ventures is bravely doing something about it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'It was time for me to head along the coast
0:13:19 > 0:13:20'and explore more of this island.'
0:13:20 > 0:13:23We're not sure what the road conditions are going to be like
0:13:23 > 0:13:26because it's been raining, it's the rainy season,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28it's going to rain again,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and there's some rivers that we may or may not be able to get across.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33The road's rubbish.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Don't know how long it's going to take,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37but hopefully, we're going to get there.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42- Shall we go?- Yeah.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44ENGINE SILENT
0:13:44 > 0:13:46'It wasn't a promising start.'
0:13:46 > 0:13:49You've got power, though?
0:13:49 > 0:13:50- Battery.- OK.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Push?- Push.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Oh, my God, this is a tank!
0:13:57 > 0:13:58ENGINE STARTS
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Oh, brilliant.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- Not too bad.- No. - I'm sure we'll have worse.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11'Southern Madagascar is stunning.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17'The Indian Ocean coastline is almost completely undeveloped.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25'The island separated from the rest of Africa millions of years ago,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'and its parallel evolution means that many plants and trees here
0:14:28 > 0:14:30'are found nowhere else.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'Travelling inland, we hit our first major obstacle.'
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- It's not looking good, is it?- Yeah. I think they took the wrong way.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46What the hell were they doing there?
0:14:46 > 0:14:50As you can see, there's a four-wheel-drive stuck in the river,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and there's lots of villagers offering to help to get them out.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58For a fee. We don't want to be in the same situation.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00It's all right now.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Well, that looks like what we should do, surely.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06We should go across the river just there.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Yeah, but you have to enter this land to be able to do that,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12you have to pay this guy.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14- I think we might have to pay the guy.- We have to pay him.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16So how much?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- He say 2,000.- 2,000.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- Is that for both cars?- Yeah, yeah.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- So that is about 70 pence.- Yeah.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- For both cars going through his field?- Yeah.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Well, that seems a very fair sum for us to pay in the circumstances.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Let's give slightly more as a little tip for his generosity.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- OK.- OK?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Thank you very much.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48- Is he happy with that?- I think he's very, very happy.- Very happy?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52There's a sort of wry smile playing across the lips.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'There's always been flooding here in the rainy season.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58'But the problem's getting worse.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'Trees help to soak up floodwaters, but there aren't many left.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06'Movies and wildlife documentaries always paint an image of Madagascar
0:16:06 > 0:16:09'as a forested paradise teeming with wildlife.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13'The reality is completely different.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17'I met up with Charlie Gardner from the conservation organisation WWF.'
0:16:17 > 0:16:22- Where are the trees? - Well, they've been cleared.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26This is land that's been deforested, used for cultivation,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30then been abandoned because it's lost its fertility.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33But it would have been a very diverse native forest,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38filled with as many as a couple of hundred different species of tree.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- A couple of hundred?- Yes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46- Just in this area?- Just in a relatively small area, absolutely.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49In Britain, we have 30-odd species of native tree.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54- In Madagascar, we have approaching 1,000.- That's incredible.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58'A staggering 90% of the forest in Madagascar
0:16:58 > 0:17:02'has already been chopped, logged or burned.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06'The trees have been cut for fuel or to clear land for crops.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11'But without trees to bind land together and store rainwater,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13'humans can pay a huge price.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17'Charlie took me to see what happens
0:17:17 > 0:17:19'when vast areas of forest are destroyed.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'The Onilahy River is one of the biggest in Madagascar.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26'As we drove along, I could see it had just burst its banks,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28'flooding farmers' fields.'
0:17:30 > 0:17:35So we're just going in search of a farmer who's got fields in this area
0:17:35 > 0:17:39that we think might be down where the river has broken its banks.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- Salama!- Salama.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47THEY SPEAK IN DIALECT
0:17:49 > 0:17:54It turned out this farmer had lost all his crops to flooding.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55Is this problem getting worse?
0:17:58 > 0:18:02TRANSLATION: Yes, it's getting worse and worse.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Once the Onilahy floods, it destroys everything,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08the manioc, the cassava, the rice.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10There's no food.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15You just have to try and fill your stomach with air,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20and close your mouth, because there's nothing to eat.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25I can just see people walking across the flooded area now.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27You can see how deep it is.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Look, they're up to their necks. They're having to swim, almost.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32I'm just going to go back and try and see if we can meet the villagers
0:18:32 > 0:18:35who have just swum across these flooded fields.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42They're just coming out of the water now.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Salama, salama, salama.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Can we ask the guys, where have you come from?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57You're actually coming here,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01you're swimming here to look for somewhere to stay, then, presumably?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10This is really just another consequence of the deforestation,
0:19:10 > 0:19:11I think, isn't it?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Yes.- This is part of the problem.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Flooding is very linked to deforestation.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Most of Madagascar used to be forested.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21So when it was forested, and when it rained,
0:19:21 > 0:19:26the vegetation in the roots helped the water infiltrate into the soil,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28so the forest acts like a sponge, really,
0:19:28 > 0:19:33and then the water drains really slowly into the rivers over time.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Whereas once you clear those forest, when the rain falls...
0:19:36 > 0:19:37As has happened?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yes, as has happened,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42then when the rain falls, it comes off these slopes in sheets.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44There's nothing to retain it,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and when it's coming down in sheets like that,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48it's bringing soil with it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'The loss of the fertile topsoil has devastating long-term consequences
0:19:54 > 0:19:58'for the environment, and for millions of subsistence farmers.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03'Gildas and I travelled on,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06'across Madagascar to a place called Berenty,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08'in the south-east corner of the island.'
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Of course, it's not just the trees that are being destroyed.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I think we need to go and find out a little bit more
0:20:17 > 0:20:20about the wildlife that's being lost when the forests are chopped.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'There's a wildlife reserve in this area
0:20:24 > 0:20:29'that's featured in countless nature documentaries in recent decades.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40'The reserve was established in the 1930s by a French plantation owner.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44'It's become synonymous with Madagascar's most iconic animals.'
0:20:44 > 0:20:48We've come to one of the most famous wildlife reserves on the island,
0:20:48 > 0:20:53and we're looking while we're creeping through the bushes,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56looking for Madagascar's lemurs.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59WHISTLES
0:21:01 > 0:21:03'But spotting lemurs here is not so easy,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07'and it was more than an hour before we saw anything.'
0:21:09 > 0:21:12(They're just on the trees over here.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14(Can you just see them up there?)
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'Here in Berenty, you can see sifaka lemurs,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'and the most famous, ringtail lemurs.'
0:21:19 > 0:21:22(Such a cute scene.)
0:21:25 > 0:21:28'Lemurs are unique to Madagascar.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31'Scientists believe they're descendants of primates
0:21:31 > 0:21:34'that travelled across the Indian Ocean from the mainland
0:21:34 > 0:21:37'millions of years ago, on logs or rafts of matted vegetation.'
0:21:38 > 0:21:44This place is beautiful, but, and it's a huge but,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47this reserve contains a large chunk
0:21:47 > 0:21:51of the only remaining forests of its kind in Madagascar,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and this place is actually tiny.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57It's not much bigger than some London parks,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02and this on an island that's the fourth largest on the planet!
0:22:02 > 0:22:06The lemurs have really got nothing left.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08'After hours of searching for lemurs in the forest,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11'it was time to go back to the visitors' lodge.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13'We were greeted by an amazing display.'
0:22:39 > 0:22:45Are you all right? Are you lost? No, hopefully not.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51Chances are, if you've seen lemurs filmed in Madagascar,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56it was shot here, and it turns out, we're reliably informed,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00that almost all of the shots are generally filmed
0:23:00 > 0:23:04in an area around these buildings, bungalows,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08with the cameramen straining to keep the buildings out of shot.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10We're not going to do that,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14because I think you should see the reality here.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16I think if you take the buildings out of the shot,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19this place generally might give the impression
0:23:19 > 0:23:25that there's a lot of wilderness of wild paradise left in Madagascar,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and that is not the case.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34'Completely surrounding the nature reserve
0:23:34 > 0:23:36'is an endless expanse of agricultural land.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:39So, look.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Ooh! This is what's outside!
0:23:44 > 0:23:51Vast, vast plantations of sisal.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53My goodness!
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Far as the eye can see.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Thousands and thousands of acres of it.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01In some instances,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06it's used for making environmentally friendly packaging for Europe.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11'The founders of Berenty cleared huge areas of forest,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14'and left just a token sanctuary that now provides habitat
0:24:14 > 0:24:16'for a small number of lemurs.'
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It's ironic, really,
0:24:19 > 0:24:24because the reserve is now seen by conservationists as a huge success,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29but if anyone had said back when this place first started up,
0:24:29 > 0:24:35I think in the 1930s, that what the owners were going to do
0:24:35 > 0:24:41was going to cut down thousands and thousands of acres
0:24:41 > 0:24:42of pristine forest,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and replace it with millions and millions of sisal plants,
0:24:46 > 0:24:52and leave one tiny little area of forest for the lemurs,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56I think the conservationists would have been absolutely up in arms!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Well, that's what's happened.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'The environment here has taken a hammering,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09'but Madagascar's still poor,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13'plagued by bad roads and a chronic lack of infrastructure.
0:25:13 > 0:25:19'I headed on, travelling just 50 miles in six bone-crunching hours.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:24So that was the bus to Tana, the capital of Madagascar,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29from Fort Dauphin, a city in the south that we're heading for now.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33It's amazing, really, to think this is the main road,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36the main thoroughfare in this part of the country.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Bloody awful!
0:25:38 > 0:25:42'This is one of the poorest countries in the Indian Ocean,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'with high unemployment and more than two thirds
0:25:44 > 0:25:46'of its people living on less than £1 a day.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52'Madagascar does have valuable natural resources,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'but is there a way of providing people with jobs and salary
0:25:55 > 0:25:59'while protecting what's left of the natural world?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02'Just outside Fort Dauphin,
0:26:02 > 0:26:07'there's a controversial project that some think offers a solution.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'The road to it was certainly an improvement.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15'The road services a mine
0:26:15 > 0:26:19'which is owned by the multinational conglomerate Rio Tinto.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'The mine provides jobs for several hundred local people,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26'extracting hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year
0:26:26 > 0:26:28'of an obscure mineral called ilmenite.'
0:26:28 > 0:26:30This is a giant floating platform.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It's like a big vacuum cleaner, really.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37It receives a lot of the dirt,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40the sand, and it's sucked up by a dredger over there,
0:26:40 > 0:26:47and it processes it to take out the black stuff in the sand here.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53That's then turned into ilmenite, which I was not familiar with,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56but turns out it's the principle whitening agent
0:26:56 > 0:27:02used in everything from white paint to toothpaste to white plastics
0:27:02 > 0:27:04to white computer keyboards.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Basically, the stuff of life, the stuff of everyday life.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12And it comes from places like this.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17'The mine was bitterly opposed by conservationists,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21'because creating it involved clearing an area of rainforest.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24'The company claimed the forest would have been logged anyway,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28'with few long-term benefits for locals.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31'International pressure did force the mining giant to establish
0:27:31 > 0:27:34'a conservation project including a plant nursery.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38'Rio Tinto have promised to replant some of the forest
0:27:38 > 0:27:40'after they've finished mining.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42'So the mine could provide jobs
0:27:42 > 0:27:45'while minimising damage to Madagascar.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49'Johnny is a botanist working for the mining company.'
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Johnny, where are you taking us to now?
0:27:52 > 0:27:59TRANSLATION: This is where we prepare the seeds.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04We're working in partnership with Kew Gardens
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and the Millennium Seed Bank in England.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14You can see here a sample of the biodiversity from 600 species
0:28:14 > 0:28:17growing in the forest.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23This is a treasure for future generations
0:28:23 > 0:28:25and for mankind.
0:28:25 > 0:28:32Madagascar is such a desperately, desperately poor country.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Maybe, just maybe this could be part of the solution.
0:28:35 > 0:28:41Concentrated development in a small area employing lots of people
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and respecting the environment.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49It might just work, so long as they do actually replant the forest.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58'It was time for me to leave Madagascar
0:28:58 > 0:29:02'for another island treasure of the Indian Ocean.'
0:29:04 > 0:29:06So, here we go.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09From one of the poorest countries in the Indian Ocean
0:29:09 > 0:29:10to one of the richest.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17'I headed east to Mauritius.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21'Although Mauritius is 250 times smaller than Madagascar,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23'it's more than 15 times richer.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'It's also one of the world's premier tourist destinations,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34'with fabulous beaches.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43'The luxury on offer here seemed a million miles from the poverty
0:29:43 > 0:29:46'I encountered in Madagascar.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55'Local oceanographer Vassen was going to show me around.'
0:29:59 > 0:30:04Vassen? Hello, Vassen. Simon Reeve, BBC. Hello.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07- Thank you very much for coming to meet us here.- Pleasure, pleasure.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11- You're looking as though you're about to go in the water.- Yeah.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15You're going to do the same thing, so I hope you have your bathing suit.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- I've got some swimming trunks. Swimming shorts, I should say.- OK.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20- You should be OK.- All right.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- Vassen, this is a nice boat. - Thank you.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27'As part of his work, as a conservationist,
0:30:27 > 0:30:31'Vassen studies the coral reefs around Mauritius.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34'He took me to see a reef on the south-west of the island.'
0:30:35 > 0:30:40Now, this is more like it. This is the Indian Ocean.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02'Coral reefs are among the most fragile
0:31:02 > 0:31:05'and precious environments on Earth.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09'Vassen took me down to see beautiful coral,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11'and rare and exotic fish.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18'There was a red lionfish with its poisonous spines.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19'And butterfly fish,
0:31:19 > 0:31:23'which lived with the same mate until the end of their lives.'
0:31:33 > 0:31:36This is one of the most extraordinary
0:31:36 > 0:31:40and beautiful environments I can ever remember being in.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Such a special place.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51'You'd expect to see beautiful beaches
0:31:51 > 0:31:53'and coral reefs in Mauritius,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56'but what I didn't know was that the capital, Port Louis,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58'was an industrial hub.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01'It's home to one of the biggest container ports in the Indian Ocean,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05'and a multi-million pound tuna fishing industry.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'There's two huge canning factories here,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15'and Mauritius is the biggest exporter of tinned tuna to the UK.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19'To learn more about that side of life in Mauritius,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21'we've been given permission to film in the port.'
0:32:21 > 0:32:25- And this is the head of the Mauritius ports authority.- Passport here.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28- And you need the letter? - Yeah, the letter, please.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31'The port had already granted us access,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34'so getting our entry pass should have been just a formality.'
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Oh!
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Well, very interesting.
0:32:44 > 0:32:50So, basically, we've being refused the chance,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55we've been refused permission to film any fishing inside the port.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00They've banned us, effectively. Very strange situation.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03They say that you would be allowed to film ALL commercial activities
0:33:03 > 0:33:06happening in the port area, and now, suddenly,
0:33:06 > 0:33:07the situation has changed
0:33:07 > 0:33:10and you are not allowed to film any fishing activities,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13so I do suspect that some private operators
0:33:13 > 0:33:18may have made some pressure on the authorities to reverse the decision.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23'The international fishing fleets had stopped us from filming,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26'but then we spotted a huge European fishing trawler,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28'offloading a massive catch of frozen tuna.
0:33:34 > 0:33:35'In recent decades,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39'commercial fishing fleets have plundered the Pacific and Atlantic.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'Many species are facing extinction.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46'Now, with fish stocks wiped out elsewhere,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48'the fishing fleets are turning their attention
0:33:48 > 0:33:50to the Indian Ocean.'
0:33:51 > 0:33:54So this fish is being discharged, it's being stowed in cold rooms
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and then it goes to the processing factory, the canning factories,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01and that's the fish you are eating in the UK in your cans.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Why are they being so secretive about this?
0:34:03 > 0:34:06They care about their customers because this is their business.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09One-third of all the fish swimming in the oceans
0:34:09 > 0:34:12have disappeared because of over-fishing.
0:34:12 > 0:34:1550% of the stocks are fished up to their limits
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and they're starting to collapse.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Maybe in 10, 15 years, we won't see any fish any more in the oceans,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22and that's a worry of many people.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Now the consumers start to be aware of this.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27So they're worried that people will start to realise
0:34:27 > 0:34:29we're fishing our oceans to death?
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Exactly. I think it is a clear conclusion.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34We are fishing our oceans to death.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40It's a frightening thought but not far-fetched.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42According to a UN report,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46there could be no wild fish left by 2050.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It's not just the fishing fleets that are expanding
0:34:54 > 0:34:55their reach into the Indian Ocean.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00For centuries, the great powers have competed for control of Mauritius,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02which has a key strategic location.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04Now the new superpowers
0:35:04 > 0:35:06have their eye on this little chunk of paradise.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Vassen took me to a new Chinese development called Jinfei,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15a free trade zone for Chinese businesses.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21So this is all part of the Chinese zone?
0:35:21 > 0:35:25I think it's the main road in the middle of a Chinese zone.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28The size of it!
0:35:28 > 0:35:30This is incredible.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38One of the first businesses to arrive in Jinfei
0:35:38 > 0:35:40is a Chinese restaurant.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42While the site is under construction,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45meals are served in tents called yurts.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49The owner has huge plans for this site.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54So you're going to build the hotel, the recreation centre...
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Casino, karaoke, massage.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Wow. This is just the beginning of your vast project here.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11You are a very rich lady?
0:36:11 > 0:36:13SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE
0:36:13 > 0:36:14She says, "Little, little."
0:36:14 > 0:36:16You're going to need more than a little
0:36:16 > 0:36:18to build all this, aren't you?
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- Thank you, Mrs Rich Lady. - You're welcome.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27- So this is just one huge plot of land?- Yeah.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30It's a small China in Mauritius
0:36:30 > 0:36:36where they're going to have around 40,000 people, 40,000 Chinese,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40and they're going to live here, sleep here, work here...
0:36:40 > 0:36:41and maybe give birth here.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43BOTH LAUGH
0:36:43 > 0:36:45So it's going to be like a Chinese colony?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Yeah, like a Chinese colony in Mauritius.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53'Jinfei is a huge commercial enterprise,
0:36:53 > 0:36:57'but it represents just one small part of Chinese plans
0:36:57 > 0:37:01'for expansion in many countries around the Indian Ocean.'
0:37:06 > 0:37:10We're in a sort of Mongolian yurt, part of a Chinese restaurant,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13in Mauritius, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Yeah, you're not in Mauritius any more.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- This is quite an unusual place.- Mmm.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Are you going to try one of these?
0:37:23 > 0:37:25- I'm sort of tempted. But I do like the hats.- Yeah.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- Don't look, don't look.- Aw!
0:37:27 > 0:37:30I'm not trying to suggest in any way
0:37:30 > 0:37:32that you're not an entirely serious guy.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35HE LAUGHS
0:37:36 > 0:37:39- OK.- You don't look very serious, Simon.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42No, well, I'm not a very serious person, quite frankly.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48But the Chinese are not the only ones
0:37:48 > 0:37:51trying to stretch their influence in the region.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Indians have travelled across the Indian Ocean
0:37:53 > 0:37:56for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01Two-thirds of the population of Mauritius are of Indian descent,
0:38:01 > 0:38:03and Hinduism is the biggest faith here.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10The Indian government and military are piqued at the Chinese incursion
0:38:10 > 0:38:13into what they see as their backyard.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17An Indian construction company is now building a rival commercial city
0:38:17 > 0:38:22at the cost of 1 billion, which will compete with the Chinese.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's not just the influence of India and China
0:38:26 > 0:38:28that's felt here in Mauritius.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32America is still the dominant military superpower
0:38:32 > 0:38:34in the Indian Ocean
0:38:34 > 0:38:37and America has an island airbase to the north east of here
0:38:37 > 0:38:42called Diego Garcia that's like an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Diego Garcia is the most important American military installation
0:38:48 > 0:38:51outside the US.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54It sits on the Chagos Islands which are a British overseas territory
0:38:54 > 0:38:58leased by the British government to the Americans in the 1960s.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02'When Britain gave away their island,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05'the local Chagossians were forcibly evicted.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07'Families were uprooted from their homes,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10'their pet dogs were rounded up and killed.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13'Many of the Chagossian people ended up here,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15'living in the slums of Mauritius.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23'Rita was living in the Chagos when Britain forced out the locals.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25'She is now 85.'
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- Bonzour.- Bonzour.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- Bonzour.- Bonzour.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31How did you come to leave the island?
0:39:31 > 0:39:34What brought you here to Mauritius?
0:39:34 > 0:39:38- TRANSLATION: - When the island was sold in 1965,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I was still living there.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43We didn't know the islands had been sold, we were like children.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45We didn't know anything.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49At that time, I had a 17-month-old daughter
0:39:49 > 0:39:51who had just started to walk.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54I was told I had to go to Mauritius to get her treated.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56But after we got here, the child died.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01I told the authorities I had to go back to my country
0:40:01 > 0:40:06because I couldn't bear the miserable life here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09I was told I couldn't go back to my native country
0:40:09 > 0:40:12because the island had been sold.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19'Rita's friends and family have been preparing
0:40:19 > 0:40:22'a traditional Chagossians meal for us.'
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I'm just pulling some glasses off a metal tray here
0:40:28 > 0:40:31that Rita's got of London.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35And she's got pictures up around the house of the Royal Family.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37One of the things that particularly upsets me
0:40:37 > 0:40:41about this situation is that the Chagossian people
0:40:41 > 0:40:43generally still feel very fond of Britain,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45and yet Britain has treated her
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and the Chagossian people appallingly.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53'The Chagossians are still campaigning
0:40:53 > 0:40:55'for the right to return to their homeland.'
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Rita, do you really want to go back to Diego Garcia
0:40:58 > 0:41:00and the Chagos, even now?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02- TRANSLATION: - They have got to decide.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Either they give us back our island
0:41:04 > 0:41:07or they give us compensation for the rest of our lives.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Those are the two things we're asking for.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15The British government say they regret the forced resettlement
0:41:15 > 0:41:19of the Chagossians, but they did offer some compensation at the time.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25We wish you the very best of luck in your campaign.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29We can only hope you'll be able to return to your island home.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Aw.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Thank you, Rita. Can I have a kiss goodbye?
0:41:37 > 0:41:38'But the American military
0:41:38 > 0:41:41'seem unlikely to give up their crucial base,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44'especially now that China and other rival powers
0:41:44 > 0:41:47'are increasing their presence in the Indian Ocean.'
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Well, that's the end of the Mauritius bit of our journey.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55It wasn't what I was expecting at all.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57But now we leave Mauritius
0:41:57 > 0:42:01and we head to the final country on this bit of the trip,
0:42:01 > 0:42:02which is the Seychelles.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12To the north of Mauritius,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15the Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands
0:42:15 > 0:42:18scattered over a vast area of the Indian Ocean.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21I was flying to the capital, Victoria.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27'At the airport, I was met by my guide,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30'a local newspaper journalist called Rita.'
0:42:30 > 0:42:34- Rita?- Yeah.- Hello, Rita.- Hiya. Nice to meet you.- Simon. Hello.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42'Even more the Mauritius,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44'the Seychelles has a reputation as paradise.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50'First off was a quick trip to see what all the fuss is about.'
0:42:50 > 0:42:54So this is what the Seychelles can offer you as a beach.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58- As a beach, just a beach. - Just a beach.- Come on, straight in.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04BOTH LAUGH
0:43:09 > 0:43:12- Ah!- Rita, it's absolutely gorgeous, what's wrong with you?
0:43:12 > 0:43:16- It's cold, it's cold, it's cold! - It's not cold.- It is too.
0:43:16 > 0:43:17I tell you what...
0:43:17 > 0:43:20it is absolutely beautiful.
0:43:20 > 0:43:25This is, I think, the clearest sea,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28or the clearest seawater, I have ever been in in my life.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43The beaches may be five-star but what about the local grub?
0:43:43 > 0:43:47It's lunchtime on Sunday, beautiful beach,
0:43:47 > 0:43:52Rita has brought us to a lovely beachside cafe for lunch.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56But what is under the plate, Rita?
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- Shall we have a look? - Yeah, why don't we?
0:44:01 > 0:44:06What is it? Oh, doesn't look too bad.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09- Fruit bat curry.- Bat?
0:44:09 > 0:44:14Yeah, bat. Related to the vampires and all of that.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18It's only got little... what is that? A leg or a wing?
0:44:18 > 0:44:22- I prefer not to know.- What do you mean you'd prefer not to know?
0:44:22 > 0:44:27- How often do you eat this? - Do you want to know something funny?
0:44:27 > 0:44:30This is my first time having bat.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36- Your words just before were, "This is a delicacy here."- I know.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38- You've never eaten fruit bat?- No.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52- It's quite bland, really. - I'm getting curry.- Yeah.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54And that's about it.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56It's not as bad as we thought it'd be, is it?
0:44:56 > 0:44:58I didn't think it would be too bad
0:44:58 > 0:45:02but I think you've been putting off this moment for your entire life.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05I feel quite privileged to be here with you
0:45:05 > 0:45:07as you finally have some fruit bat.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I'm working my way through the bat curry here.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13I tell you, chicken any day.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16I mean, this is enough to turn somebody into a veggie.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23It's hard to get a real sense of what's so extraordinary
0:45:23 > 0:45:25about the Seychelles from sea level.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37There are literally hundreds of secluded beaches,
0:45:37 > 0:45:38and with just 85,000 inhabitants,
0:45:38 > 0:45:42the Seychelles has the smallest population of any country in Africa.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48This is amazing. Just look at this place!
0:45:51 > 0:45:57If you're going to try and imagine paradise, there you go. That's it.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02Just look at the colour of the water down here.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05That is proper tropical seas.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Environmental legislation is very strict here
0:46:10 > 0:46:14and the Seychelles is a world leader in eco-friendly tourism.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Nearly half of its total landmass is under conservation.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20I tell you what's particularly nice to see
0:46:20 > 0:46:22after we were in Madagascar
0:46:22 > 0:46:24where they've chopped down all their trees,
0:46:24 > 0:46:28it's so nice to see just forested land.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31The Seychelles isn't some rocky desert island.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Look at this, look how verdant this is.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38You might not be surprised to learn
0:46:38 > 0:46:41that tourism is now the single biggest industry in the Seychelles,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43employing nearly a third of its people.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49What the Seychelles is perhaps best known for
0:46:49 > 0:46:51is its luxury high-end resorts.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Just look at this place up here.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56This is the sort of thing you see in a Bond film.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59This is how the other half live, eh?
0:47:01 > 0:47:04'Many of the islands in the Seychelles are privately owned
0:47:04 > 0:47:06'but they are not all inhabited by
0:47:06 > 0:47:09'billionaire business types or pop stars.'
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Look at this!
0:47:14 > 0:47:18This is like something from a dream.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Nobody lives here. This isn't real, surely?
0:47:21 > 0:47:23- Come on, Rita. - DOG BARKS
0:47:23 > 0:47:25I'm Simon. Simon Reeves.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29- You're Simon. And you are? - This is Craig.- Craig.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33- And who is the smashing lady? - And this young lady is Rita.- Rita.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35- Nobody neater.- Aw! SIMON LAUGHS
0:47:35 > 0:47:40'Yorkshireman Brendon Grimshaw bought Moyenne Island in 1962
0:47:40 > 0:47:43'for the princely sum of £8,000.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47'He lives alone on the island, though it's open to visitors.'
0:47:47 > 0:47:50- So this is your home? - Yeah, this is where I live.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53- Whoa!- What do you see?
0:47:53 > 0:47:55- That I was not expecting.- What?
0:47:55 > 0:47:59There's a giant tortoise on the steps to your house.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- They come in sometimes. They're welcome.- They?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- Would you like to join one for lunch? It can be arranged.- They?
0:48:05 > 0:48:09- How many have you got?- 120.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11- 120?- And they're totally free.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13They go where they like.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17'Giant tortoises are indigenous to the Seychelles
0:48:17 > 0:48:20'but have been killed off on most islands.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24'Over the years, Brendon has been gradually reintroducing them
0:48:24 > 0:48:26'to his corner of the Indian Ocean.'
0:48:26 > 0:48:32- These are one year old.- Oh, my goodness. Careful he doesn't drop.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Oh, he won't drop. Plus, it has got a hard shell, Simon.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38It's a hard shell, it's not a crash helmet.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41What I can't find is my little one.
0:48:41 > 0:48:47- Brendon, you've got another tortoise that's so small it disappears?- Yeah.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Where? In here? Where?
0:48:52 > 0:48:54THEY LAUGH
0:48:54 > 0:48:58- You've got another tortoise that's so small it's vanished?- Yes.
0:48:58 > 0:48:59Is it in there somewhere?
0:48:59 > 0:49:01I think it's...
0:49:01 > 0:49:06- How the hell did it get in there? - You found it!- Yes.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10What you doing in there, you silly thing? Huh?
0:49:10 > 0:49:11You are one of my favourites.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13How old would this one be?
0:49:13 > 0:49:17He's about two weeks. He was born in my bedroom.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22'Giant tortoises are among the world's longest living creatures.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26'They have been known to survive for more than 180 years.'
0:49:26 > 0:49:27I love this.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31"Please respect the tortoises. They are probably older than you."
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Yes, they are. But there is no tortoise older than me.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37- Really?- Mmm-hmm.- How old...?
0:49:37 > 0:49:39So they have to behave themselves when they see me around.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Brendon, do you mind if I ask, how old are you?
0:49:42 > 0:49:47I'm getting on for...86.
0:49:47 > 0:49:4886.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Do you think that because you've had such a passion
0:49:52 > 0:49:58and you've been working for so long protecting, looking after,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00creating the island in the first place...?
0:50:00 > 0:50:03I think it's knocked decades off you.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05It certainly helped me to keep alive, yes.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07It's given me something to do
0:50:07 > 0:50:10and also something that I know is worthwhile.
0:50:10 > 0:50:11Brendon's island, Moyenne,
0:50:11 > 0:50:16was recently declared a national park by the Seychelles government.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19It's thought to be the smallest national park in the world.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22There were only four trees in this area. Four!
0:50:22 > 0:50:25I brought in, altogether, 16,000 trees.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27SIMON GASPS
0:50:27 > 0:50:30We were not doing it to make a national park or anything like this.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34No, no, no. We were doing it to make the place habitable for me.
0:50:34 > 0:50:39- Look at this! - Yeah. It's rather beautiful, eh?
0:50:39 > 0:50:41You've created paradise here, Brendon.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44People say that. I wouldn't go as far as that.
0:50:44 > 0:50:49- What would you call it?- Hard work. - SIMON LAUGHS
0:50:49 > 0:50:51Brendon, would you ever sell the island?
0:50:51 > 0:50:54The only reason somebody would want to buy this island
0:50:54 > 0:50:55is to build a big hotel.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57And have you never been tempted?
0:50:57 > 0:50:59You must have been offered millions, surely?
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- I have been offered millions, yes. - And you've said no every time?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04And I've said no.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10What's been achieved here
0:51:10 > 0:51:13has happened with a huge amount of hard work
0:51:13 > 0:51:17and an extraordinary amount of planting
0:51:17 > 0:51:21while the rest of us have been busy tarmacking over our front gardens
0:51:21 > 0:51:24to turn them into car parks.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26He might be an accidental conservationist,
0:51:26 > 0:51:31but by his actions, Brendon has created a little patch of heaven.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- All the best. Thank you very much indeed.- Bye.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Bye-bye!
0:51:48 > 0:51:49In the 18th-century,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53these isolated tropical islands were a haven for pirates.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56And in the 21st-century, the problem has returned with a vengeance.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Modern-day pirates operating from their bases in war-torn Somalia
0:52:03 > 0:52:06have launched hundreds of attacks on ships and boats
0:52:06 > 0:52:07across the western Indian Ocean
0:52:07 > 0:52:10and around the waters of the Seychelles.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14'We met up with Colonel Michael Rosette,
0:52:14 > 0:52:17'the head of the Seychelles Coast Guard.'
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Those are some of the skiff
0:52:20 > 0:52:24which we have taken over when we apprehended Somali pirates.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28- So these are the pirates' boats? - Yeah, those are the pirates' boats.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Normally, they are equipped with a 40 or 60 horsepower outboard engine.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35They have enough speed to overtake any bigger boats.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40The thing that really strikes me is the idea that the Seychelles,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43which I would consider paradise islands,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46have been more affected by piracy
0:52:46 > 0:52:49than any other country after Somalia.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51There are other southern countries which are suffering
0:52:51 > 0:52:54but not as much as the Seychelles.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58We are in the centre, or the eye of the storm, as we say.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01So most of the activities have been revolving around the Seychelles.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Some of the areas where fishermen used to go fishing,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06now it's not safe for them to go fishing
0:53:06 > 0:53:10because we have seen cases where local fishermen have been hijacked
0:53:10 > 0:53:13and taken hostage by pirates.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17The pirates arrested by the Coast Guard in these boats
0:53:17 > 0:53:20were standing trial in the main court in the capital, Victoria.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Seychelles is actually one of the few countries
0:53:24 > 0:53:29to have captured pirates and to put them on trial.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34The Seychelles government estimate that as a result of piracy,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37revenue from fisheries is down 30%.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Tourism has also been hit.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42At the same time, they're having to spend an extra £2 million a year
0:53:42 > 0:53:44to combat the pirates.
0:53:47 > 0:53:52These 11 men are accused of attacking a Seychelles fishing boat
0:53:52 > 0:53:54and seizing seven fishermen.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59How do you feel when you see them up close like that?
0:53:59 > 0:54:01It's mixed, actually.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05You feel pity because you might have an idea what he's trying to escape
0:54:05 > 0:54:08but at the same time you feel angry
0:54:08 > 0:54:10cos they are taking part in criminal acts
0:54:10 > 0:54:12and we have to foot the bill
0:54:12 > 0:54:15and it's not our fault they have problems in their own country.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19We have nothing to do with that. But somehow we are paying for it as well.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24We later heard the pirates each got ten years in prison.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29The Seychelles main prison can accommodate 450,
0:54:29 > 0:54:31but as attacks continue,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34a new high-security wing is under construction
0:54:34 > 0:54:36to house dozens more pirates.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42'Somali gunmen are striking across a huge area of the Indian Ocean
0:54:42 > 0:54:44'and the Seychelles is at the centre
0:54:44 > 0:54:48'of international counter-piracy operations.'
0:54:48 > 0:54:51A NATO warship has arrived here in the Seychelles
0:54:51 > 0:54:52on anti-piracy operations
0:54:52 > 0:54:55and they are going to let us on board.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59My goodness. Thank you very much.
0:55:04 > 0:55:05It's huge.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07'The De Ruyter is a Dutch frigate,
0:55:07 > 0:55:09'part of NATO's operation Ocean Shield.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15'The task force commander is Commodore Michael Hijmans.'
0:55:15 > 0:55:18How many pirate attacks are you recording in your area per week,
0:55:18 > 0:55:22per month, per year at the moment?
0:55:22 > 0:55:28At this moment, we have dozens of attacks already.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Almost every day, there are three to four attacks.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Three to four attacks every day? What are the pirates going after?
0:55:36 > 0:55:38What sort of ships are they trying to attack?
0:55:38 > 0:55:42At this moment, the pirates are after almost every ship
0:55:42 > 0:55:43they can lay their hands on.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47They attack small dhows, small fishing vessels,
0:55:47 > 0:55:49which they also use as mother ships
0:55:49 > 0:55:52and they use the crew to be held hostage.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54And that's one of the main problems we face -
0:55:54 > 0:55:57on all these mother ships, there are hostages,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59so it's very difficult to attack them
0:55:59 > 0:56:03without harming these innocent seafarers.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07We have had reports of severe torture, of fake executions,
0:56:07 > 0:56:10of strangulation, of beatings
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and a lot of other bad things are happening to the crews.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19The De Ruyter is one of just a handful of Western warships
0:56:19 > 0:56:21that are patrolling an area of Indian ocean
0:56:21 > 0:56:24twice the size of mainland Europe.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31With pirates capturing ever bigger vessels
0:56:31 > 0:56:32and keeping hostages on board,
0:56:32 > 0:56:36NATO is deploying more sophisticated warships,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38equipped with helicopters and Marines.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43I was allowed to join them on an exercise.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48It was a joint operation with the Seychelles Coast Guard
0:56:48 > 0:56:52to practise rapid boarding of larger pirated vessels.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57It's extraordinary that this is happening now.
0:56:57 > 0:56:58It's the 21st century
0:56:58 > 0:57:01and you're going after pirates in the Indian Ocean.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09- Did you ever think this would happen when you joined up?- No.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12OK, so the plan is, we're going to approach the target vessel
0:57:12 > 0:57:15and the Marines are going to rappel down using this rope
0:57:15 > 0:57:16and take control of it.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18I imagine it's all going to happen extremely quickly.
0:57:18 > 0:57:19That's the whole idea.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33The Marines rehearsed rapid rappelling onto the ship.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42They moved quickly, because in a real assault,
0:57:42 > 0:57:46their lives and the lives of hostages would be at stake.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54While the Marines secured the target ship, I headed back to the frigate.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10They're taking the Marines off the target vessel now.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Soon they'll be back on board here
0:58:12 > 0:58:15and then this ship will be off patrolling the shipping lanes
0:58:15 > 0:58:18to keep them free from pirates.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22This is the end of this part of my journey around the Indian Ocean.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26On the next leg, I'll be heading back to the African mainland
0:58:26 > 0:58:29and travelling through the pirate-infested Horn of Africa,
0:58:29 > 0:58:31one of the most dangerous regions of the world.
0:58:39 > 0:58:43'Next time, I visit the most important river delta on
0:58:43 > 0:58:46- 'Africa's Indian Ocean coast...' - SIMON GASPS
0:58:46 > 0:58:49- You have succeeded.- Yay!
0:58:52 > 0:58:57'..and I go to the front line in the world's most dangerous city.'
0:58:58 > 0:59:00- How does he know it's out of bounds? - GUNFIRE
0:59:19 > 0:59:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd