0:00:36 > 0:00:42Here in the British Isles, we have some of the world's most breathtaking landscapes.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Their foundations have a history which stretches back millions of years,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56when the bedrocks of Britain were first laid down.
0:00:58 > 0:01:05The ice age carved and sculpted that bedrock, creating many of our lakes and valleys.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13And as the ice melted, the seas rose,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15shaping our beautiful coastline.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21As people prospered here, they tamed wild Britain to create
0:01:21 > 0:01:26the patchwork countryside of our green and pleasant land.
0:01:27 > 0:01:33And 200 years ago, the engines of industry stamped their own mark on the landscape,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38but even this wasn't the final chapter in our story.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45Some of the most important changes of all have happened in just the last few decades.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The Eden Project in Cornwall.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58I mean, it must be one of the most impressive recent additions to our landscape.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Some have even dubbed it the eighth wonder of the world.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05But for me, it's a symbol of the great changes
0:02:05 > 0:02:09which have swept across the British Isles in the last century.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16This was once the vast and muddy pit of an abandoned quarry,
0:02:16 > 0:02:21transformed in less than ten years into a fertile garden,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The Eden Project shows our skills in turning wasteland into wonderland,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32but it also has an important message.
0:02:32 > 0:02:38It was built to tell the story of how we depend on the natural world,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and how nature is affected by our actions.
0:02:40 > 0:02:47And it's that story, more than any other, which has shaped our homeland in the last hundred years.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Our relationship with Britain's countryside stretches back thousands of years,
0:03:03 > 0:03:09but we've never been more aware of our impact on nature than in the last century.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12As we've become a more powerful force for change,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16we've also learnt to value and care for what we have,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20a journey of discovery which began in the woodland
0:03:20 > 0:03:23that once cloaked the British Isles.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Even today, Britain's woodlands are special places. I love them,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33especially in spring, when the flora erupts with a sea of bluebells,
0:03:33 > 0:03:40and the sunlight glints through the fresh green leaves with all the magic of a stained-glass window.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47I reckon this natural beauty is among the best in the world.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54A walk in the woods is something we all take for granted.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58But at the beginning of the 20th century, British woodlands were in crisis.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04There was less forest in 1900 than there had been for 10,000 years.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Another 500,000 acres fell during World War One,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19devastating what little forest was left.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31But as soon as the war was over, we began to try and redress the balance.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Tree planting began on a massive scale,
0:04:37 > 0:04:44transforming huge areas of open moorland and heath, in the great reforestation of Britain.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Our forests have more than doubled in size since the beginning of the century.
0:04:57 > 0:05:04Love them or loath them, we now have some of the largest planted forests anywhere in Europe.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But most of this is not native oak or beech,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15but foreign, quick-growing species of pine and spruce.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21While these plantations boosted the quantity of woodland across Britain,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25they did nothing for the quality of forest habitat.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29This canopy is so dense that it cuts out all the light.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34The roots of these trees are so vigorous they suck out all the moisture and nutrition.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Virtually nothing can survive on the forest floor.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41These trees were grown for timber, not nature...
0:05:41 > 0:05:43But up in the treetops at least,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46there can be a surprising amount of wildlife.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Goshawks are only one of around 50 different birds which live in these plantations.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05There's one more creature that thrives in these pine forests.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's one of our most attractive and best-loved animals.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14The trouble is, it's fairly shy. Perhaps a few of these will tempt one of them down.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It's a red squirrel, in full winter coat with those wonderful long, furry ears.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I've caught glimpses of them on the Isle of Wight,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33but the closest I ever came
0:06:33 > 0:06:35was Beatrix Potter's Tale Of Squirrel Nutkin
0:06:35 > 0:06:38when my mum read it to me as a nipper.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42A few nuts on a tree stump there,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and here they are, within six feet of me. It's amazing!
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Look at that tiny little hand!
0:06:57 > 0:07:03There are only a few places in Britain you can get this close to a red squirrel.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Sadly, these beautiful animals have vanished from many woodlands,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24driven out by the introduced grey squirrel.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Only in conifer forests do the reds seem to win out.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So while these plantations might not be the prettiest places,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42they're a real godsend to some of our wildlife.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43HE CHUCKLES
0:07:49 > 0:07:54But it wasn't just forests that sprang up after World War One.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Britain itself was being rebuilt,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06making a land fit for the returning heroes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11These new and more spacious homes
0:08:11 > 0:08:13would be affordable to everyone.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18It was the birth of Britain's suburbs.
0:08:22 > 0:08:28This is the Becontree estate, built between 1921 and 1934
0:08:28 > 0:08:30to house soldiers returning from war
0:08:30 > 0:08:34and families from the over-crowded slum areas of East London.
0:08:36 > 0:08:3997 of theses houses went up every week
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and suddenly people had space,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45not just indoors, but outdoors too.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46They had these -
0:08:46 > 0:08:48back gardens!
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Britain began to bloom.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15It wasn't just flowers either. During the '40s,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20an amazing 10% of all the food produced in Britain was home-grown
0:09:20 > 0:09:23in gardens and on allotments.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30And it was among the leafy rows of an allotment that my affair with gardening began.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37I haven't stood on this patch of earth for over 50 years,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41but this is exactly where my granddad had his allotment.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47I remember him leading me through rows of peas and sweet peas
0:09:47 > 0:09:50from which dangled silvery lids
0:09:50 > 0:09:54of Cadbury's cocoa to frighten off the sparrows.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57It's almost as though time has stood still.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But this is where I learnt the thrill of growing things.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It's also where I found my first caterpillars,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10munching through the cabbages.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Look carefully, and there's masses of wildlife in these little urban oases.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28In fact, these green spaces
0:10:28 > 0:10:32make up the biggest nature reserve in Britain.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Added together, they cover a bigger area
0:10:38 > 0:10:40than all our national parks combined.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And we can all help nature out,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49by digging a pond, for example, or putting up a bird feeder.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Little things can make a big difference.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And this is going to be my contribution
0:10:55 > 0:10:59to helping out one of the garden's most important residents.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05The timid little bumblebee is in trouble.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Populations have crashed, three species have become extinct,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and another nine are critically endangered.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It'd be heartbreaking to lose the buzz of the bumblebee
0:11:17 > 0:11:19from our gardens and from the countryside,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22but with one of these, you can help them out.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27It's a bumblebee nesting box. There's even a transparent lid so you can see what's going on.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Put the lid on, pop it underneath a shrub to offer it shelter
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and let the bees get on with it.
0:11:45 > 0:11:51The Second World War marked the beginning of the next great wave of change in our countryside.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53AIR-RAID SIREN
0:11:53 > 0:11:57This time, the battle came much closer to home.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04The bombing blitz of 1940 lasted for almost two months.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14But as our boys fought bravely back,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17they weren't just defending the people of Britain.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Because World War Two
0:12:19 > 0:12:23also made the military into the custodians of the countryside.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30The MOD requisitioned huge areas of land for defence,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and by 1945, they controlled a fifth of Great Britain.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Some of our wildest corners came under military control,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and off-limits to most of us, many have stayed wild.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51These areas are full of surprises.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Nature thrives alongside the privates on patrol.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15These days, the military own a more modest slice of Britain.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19But even some of the land they've given back is helping wildlife.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26This massive structure is one of six shelters
0:13:26 > 0:13:28built to house cruise missiles
0:13:28 > 0:13:31during the Cold War here at Greenham Common.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Underneath my feet, two metres of concrete, three metres of sand
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and tonnes of topsoil, all put together
0:13:39 > 0:13:43with the specific intention of resisting a nuclear attack.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50But the Cold War has ended, and the cruise missiles left more than ten years ago.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55So how do you turn a bleak old army base into a more natural landscape?
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Well, nature doesn't need much encouragement to reclaim what was once hers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Concrete and steel are no match for Mother Nature's adaptability.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Even a barn owl has moved in.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You can see evidence of his occupancy,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38not just from the droppings, but also from these -
0:14:38 > 0:14:40pellets.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Those parts of a bird's diet that it can't digest, it regurgitates
0:14:45 > 0:14:47and expels through its beak.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51If you pick these apart, you can see what it's been feeding on.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Small mammal bones, quite a lot of fur,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58all of it indigestible.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00When I was a kid,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04we used to water these under a tap and tease them apart
0:15:04 > 0:15:09and then lay out all the little tiny bones we'd find.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Morbid little school boys.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18It's not just barn owls who make use of these old buildings.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Phew!
0:15:21 > 0:15:24This might not be an ideal home as far as you or I are concerned,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but it's been specially adapted to be hospitable
0:15:27 > 0:15:30to one particular group of visitors.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33That's why these rafters are here and lumps of fabric
0:15:33 > 0:15:37and pieces of timber fixed to the wall with gaps between them.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42There we are...
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Look at that.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47It's a noctule bat.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It's one of our largest.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Quite sleek. Blunt snout, little rounded ears.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56You can see why they're sometimes called flittermice.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58It's like a mouse with wings.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Bats like this have moved in all over Greenham.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I'll just let him go back to sleep.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21But the biggest change here is outside, peeling back the runway
0:16:21 > 0:16:23to help one particular plant.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Large areas have been seeded with heather,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and you can see the young plants springing up everywhere.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It will take some time before these are mature,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36but eventually this whole area will become heathland.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42And when it does, it'll look like this.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Britain has some of the finest heathland in Europe,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49but over the last 200 years, we've lost more than 80% of it.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54So, projects like this one at Greenham are of real value.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58And it's already attracting typical heathland wildlife.
0:17:01 > 0:17:08The pools created when the runway was removed are perfect for little ringed plovers.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Only a squadron of damselflies are stationed at Greenham today.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20But there is one resident of the heath
0:17:20 > 0:17:23who still has a lethal weapon.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27They're often hiding under old pieces of tin like this.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35But in this case, they're not.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39Nope!
0:17:44 > 0:17:46An adder.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Isn't he great?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56A wonderful black zigzag right down his back.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It's our only venomous snake,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03but they're generally fairly timid and just slither away.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06This one's sitting there at the moment.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08They feed on lizards and frogs.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I've just disturbed its afternoon nap.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19I'd better give him his hiding place back.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24From beginnings as an air base in WWII
0:18:24 > 0:18:28to a flourishing heathland in a generation,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Greenham is a real success story.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35But the war also had more devastating effects on Britain.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Many shortages were caused by the disruption to shipping,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43some of them disastrous!
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Queues were the norm, and even many basic goods were being rationed.
0:18:48 > 0:18:55We simply needed to grow more food, and that put huge pressure on rural Britain.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Traditional farming gradually gave way
0:19:00 > 0:19:02to more modern methods.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Tractors replaced the working horse on our farms,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15and with these new machines and chemical fertilisers,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17even poor soils could be farmed.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Many wild areas were ploughed up to make new fields.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Modern farming is on an industrial scale.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I can't think of anything more striking
0:19:48 > 0:19:52to show just how much farming has changed
0:19:52 > 0:19:55than these prairie-like fields -
0:19:55 > 0:19:59vast monocultures with little room for nature.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05But things ARE getting better.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Farming organically is one example of this.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14You can see the benefits in a field like this, at Vinehouse Farm in Lincolnshire.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Instead of being doused with weedkiller,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20these rows of organic wheat are sown slightly further apart
0:20:20 > 0:20:23to allow mechanical weed control with a hoe.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It's not so efficient as herbicide -
0:20:25 > 0:20:29you still get field poppy and mayweed creeping up -
0:20:29 > 0:20:32but not enough of them to compete with the crop,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35but sufficient to produce seeds and support insects
0:20:35 > 0:20:39that in turn provide a rich larder for countryside birds.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51But organic farming isn't the only way to help.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Setting aside field edges
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and other wild corners makes a surprisingly big difference.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02Wild flowers and long grass attract bugs and butterflies,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and provide food and shelter for small mammals,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14And replanting hedgerows dug up in the past
0:21:14 > 0:21:18provides homes for many more plants and animals.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Some farmers are even growing crops just for the birds.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34This glorious display may be short-lived,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38but come winter, it'll provide food when there's not much else around.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48In fact, the sunflowers drew so many birds
0:21:48 > 0:21:52that the farmer here decided to start up a new business.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Four years ago,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59this farm was producing 15 tonnes of this bird food a year.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Now it's producing that much a week.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05It's an important part of the farm's income
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and proves you CAN farm to profit both people and wildlife.
0:22:09 > 0:22:16But wildlife-friendly farming isn't the only way that Britain's agricultural landscape is changing.
0:22:20 > 0:22:28Our lonely moorlands might seem untouched by human hands, but we've brought our animals even here.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31At Kielder in Northumberland,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35the wildlife had to make way as farming spread in the post-war years.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Subsidies encouraged people to dig drainage ditches,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47or burn off the heather to provide better grazing for sheep.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But drying out the moorland like this
0:22:50 > 0:22:53was bad news for the birds who came here to breed.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57They depended on the boggy ground and small pools
0:22:57 > 0:23:00to provide them and their chicks with food.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08As the moors have dried out, bird numbers have plummeted.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15But all is not lost. Over the last few years, the landowners here
0:23:15 > 0:23:19have been busy turning Kielder back into a haven for wildlife.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22The ditches have been allowed to fill in,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27the sheep have been moved off and the pools recreated...
0:23:27 > 0:23:30using this. Gelignite.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33If you want to make holes in the ground, this is the stuff.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37It's quick, effective, cheap and, to be perfectly honest,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40extremely good fun!
0:24:37 > 0:24:40All it needs is a bit of finishing off
0:24:40 > 0:24:43with my trusty spade. When the autumn rains come,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47it'll fill up, be colonised by moisture-loving plants and insects
0:24:47 > 0:24:52and become, where it once was a bit of a desert, an oasis of life.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56From uplands to lowlands,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00things are improving for wildlife in many of our farming landscapes.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05But back in the '50s, another problem was looming large.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Pollution.
0:25:10 > 0:25:17Industry, sewage and agriculture all added to a noxious cocktail of nasties.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23In 1952, the London smog was so bad
0:25:23 > 0:25:27that it killed around 4,000 people.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30And many of our rivers were also sickened by this pollution.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36In 1957, the Thames was declared dead.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Happily, things are much improved these days.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49New stricter laws have forced everyone to clean up their act
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and the Thames is now among the cleanest rivers in Europe.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Nature has moved back in.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01And all over the British Isles,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05our rivers are the cleanest they've been for decades.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08We've spent billions of pounds
0:26:08 > 0:26:12on restoring them to their natural best.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And one of the animals to have benefited the most is the otter.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26By the late '50s,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29the otter was fast approaching extinction in Britain,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but with the clean-up of our waterways,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35their numbers have increased five-fold in just 25 years.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46And the work on our rivers goes on.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Many were once straightened and dredged
0:26:49 > 0:26:52but are now having their natural curves restored.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59These volunteers are creating a new bank.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05In the narrowed channel,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09the faster flow helps clean the gravels on the river floor.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13That can help many of the river's smaller inhabitants.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20It sets the stage for a magical event.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29Adult mayfly only emerge on a few days each year.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Their graceful ballet lasts little more than 24 hours.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59The flies provide a bonanza for many hungry hunters.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Only in clean and unpolluted waters do so many small insects thrive.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50Back in 1953, it wasn't just the quality of the water
0:28:50 > 0:28:52that gave cause for concern.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59On January 31st, strong winds and bad weather
0:28:59 > 0:29:03combined to create a high tide three metres above normal,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06and the sea swamped much of eastern England.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12More than 300 people lost their lives,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and many more were left homeless,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18struggling to deal with the chaos left by the flood.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26It was the greatest peacetime disaster in our history.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31To make sure such a catastrophe could never happen again,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35we built mile after mile of new sea defences.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42Barriers like this protect great lengths of our coastline from the sea,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44reassuring local residents
0:29:44 > 0:29:47and allowing the land inside them to be farmed.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49But their is a downside to all this.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00It may look like a slippery mud pit to you and me,
0:30:00 > 0:30:05but this salt marsh is paradise for some of our wildlife.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Every handful of this gloop
0:30:08 > 0:30:13contains masses of tiny snails, worms and shellfish
0:30:13 > 0:30:15that make wonderful bird food.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20The creeks that crisscross the marsh are great breeding grounds for fish.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24The trouble is, sea walls are bad news for salt marsh.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35By cutting off the land from the sea,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40these man-made barriers are killing off the marsh.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45But the solution to this problem is surprisingly simple!
0:30:49 > 0:30:54In a few carefully-selected locations, we're knocking holes in the sea wall,
0:30:54 > 0:31:00allowing the sea back in, and sacrificing farmland to recreate marshland.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06And you can see here that it's already beginning to work.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Last year, this was a barley field.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11You can see the remains of the stubble.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13But in just 12 short months,
0:31:13 > 0:31:18it's already begun to be colonised by pioneer salt marsh plants
0:31:18 > 0:31:22like this marsh samphire, which ironically is edible,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24just like the barley.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27But the big surprise is that knocking down the sea wall
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and allowing the salt marsh to regenerate
0:31:29 > 0:31:33might just be another way of controlling flooding.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38If there's a dangerously high tide,
0:31:38 > 0:31:42these marshes should act like a sponge,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46absorbing some of the floodwater that might otherwise threaten towns and villages.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50It's a way of working with Mother Nature,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53giving the sea room to breathe.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06So, everyone should be a winner -
0:32:06 > 0:32:09less threat from flooding, more salt marsh
0:32:09 > 0:32:12and more wildlife for us all to enjoy.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21In fact, coastal landscapes like these
0:32:21 > 0:32:23are of worldwide importance for birds.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Our salt marshes, sands and mud flats
0:32:35 > 0:32:38provide vital winter feeding grounds
0:32:38 > 0:32:42for more than six million wildfowl and waders.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53It's one of our most magnificent wildlife spectacles.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Britain has many places of world-beating beauty,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38and the '50s marked a milestone in their protection.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50It was in 1951 that we began to recognise the importance
0:33:50 > 0:33:55of our best-loved landscapes by making them National Parks.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The very first of these was the Peak District,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04and it's now one of the most visited national parks in the world.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13From the mountains of Snowdonia
0:34:13 > 0:34:16to the romance of the Lake District and beyond,
0:34:16 > 0:34:20these parks are a celebration of our countryside.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Who needs to go abroad when there's all this
0:34:28 > 0:34:31right on your doorstep?
0:34:37 > 0:34:41But however wild these landscapes look,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44people play a vital role in looking after them,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and perhaps nowhere more so than in the Norfolk Broads.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57If you like spending time on the water, this is the place to be.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02There are over 115 miles of navigable channels here
0:35:02 > 0:35:05and more than 40 lakes.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08It's the perfect place for messing around in boats.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13But if it wasn't for people,
0:35:13 > 0:35:18many of these waterways would gradually be taken over by the reeds and sedges,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and the broads would begin to dry out.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29For centuries, these fenlands have been harvested for roofing,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33and the regular cutting has helped keep the plants in check.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40But since the '50s, this has become something of a dying art.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43So what's the modern alternative?
0:35:46 > 0:35:49A giant mowing machine!
0:35:51 > 0:35:55It might not have the romance of the old-fashioned method,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57but it certainly does the trick!
0:35:59 > 0:36:02I don't much like emptying the grassbox on the mower at home.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04It must be tedious emptying this one!
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It's specially designed for the fens, with rubber tracks
0:36:09 > 0:36:12that don't sink into the damp earth.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17With regular cutting, the fens are kept under control
0:36:17 > 0:36:20which also helps some of the broadland wildlife.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Milk parsley, for instance,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27can't survive in dense fenland where it struggles for light.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32But where the reed has been cut down and grows back less densely,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35then it thrives. I'm rather pleased about that.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39It's the food plant of one of my favourite British creatures.
0:36:39 > 0:36:45This tiny weeny little black caterpillar
0:36:45 > 0:36:48grows up into something
0:36:48 > 0:36:50altogether more spectacular.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04The swallowtail.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The largest British butterfly,
0:37:07 > 0:37:08and one of the rarest.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10It's a first sighting for me.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13It's an absolute thrill.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Just look at that! I've wanted to see one of these since I was a lad.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29But they've become increasingly rare.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33It only survives in this part of Britain
0:37:33 > 0:37:38and its future's dependent on man's continued intervention in the broads.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Without management, all this wetland would turn into woodland
0:37:42 > 0:37:47and the swallowtail, along with many other unique fenland species, would simply disappear.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57All across Britain, we've learnt a great deal about caring for the countryside.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02But we've made plenty of mistakes too. Even quite recently.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05In Scotland's remote Western Isles, we've discovered
0:38:05 > 0:38:09how even a seemingly innocent action can have devastating effects.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14This is one of the rarest habitats in all Europe,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17and today it's one of the windiest!
0:38:17 > 0:38:19It only occurs in the Gaelic nations,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23on the west coast of Ireland and north-west Scotland.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27It's known by it's Gaelic name - the machair.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33On the Hebridean island of Uist, this unique coastal grassland
0:38:33 > 0:38:36has been farmed for centuries.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41But never intensively. That's resulted in a scene
0:38:41 > 0:38:43to make any botanist drool.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And for hundreds of years, many ground-nesting birds
0:38:50 > 0:38:53have come to the machair to breed, like the rare corncrake...
0:38:59 > 0:39:01..along with many wading birds.
0:39:03 > 0:39:08But many of these birds are now under attack from an alien invader.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16There can be over 100 of these hungry predators in a square mile of the machair.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20They're surprisingly elusive, often lurking in disused rabbit holes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23But sooner or later, they have to come out to feed.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Hedgehogs,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48introduced to the island in the '70s.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56And they've developed a taste for eggs.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17It's no laughing matter for these birds, destroying their nests.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21The only solution is to hunt down the hedgehogs
0:40:21 > 0:40:24and either kill them, or take them back to the mainland -
0:40:24 > 0:40:27both controversial options.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36It was humans who brought hedgehogs to these islands,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39but it's the hedgehogs who'll have to pay the price.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41This little chap faces either death,
0:40:41 > 0:40:42albeit a humane one,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46or an uncertain future hundreds of miles from home.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48But one thing's certain - if the hedgehogs remain,
0:40:48 > 0:40:54then the wild birds of the machair will face continued decline.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00We have to make difficult decisions like these
0:41:00 > 0:41:03even here in the wildest corners of Britain.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07But they're even tougher where people have a greater impact.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13There she is! CHILDREN GASP
0:41:13 > 0:41:19In 1904, there had been only 8,000 cars in Britain.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23By 1950, there were two million,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and that number had doubled by the '60s.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30The fabulous Morris Minor 1000!
0:41:31 > 0:41:36With more cars, we wanted more roads, and bigger ones.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Motorways arrived in Britain.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43These giant highways
0:41:43 > 0:41:47cut great swathes of destruction through the countryside.
0:41:49 > 0:41:56The M1 was opened in 1959 and today we have 4,000 miles of motorway.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02But nature still manages to put in an appearance.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09Wild verges attract insects and small mammals -
0:42:09 > 0:42:11food for kestrels.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17They're a common sight on our main roads,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20and on the M40, they get extra special care.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Five chicks.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31These nestboxes make up for a lack of natural nesting sites.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35And they're carefully monitored to see how the birds are getting on.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Each chick gets its own identity tag,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46so researchers can follow up on these birds in later life.
0:42:56 > 0:43:02Back in the nest, the chicks are left to express their opinion of recent events...
0:43:04 > 0:43:07..and wait for mum to bring back dinner.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21As you and I whizz past, it's hard to appreciate
0:43:21 > 0:43:24just how remarkable these little birds are.
0:43:30 > 0:43:36The chicks need a constant supply of food, keeping both parents busy.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41But they almost seem to relish practising their hunting skills.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Just how do they keep their heads so still?
0:44:10 > 0:44:12It's amazing.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44One of Britain's natural wonders,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47and we drive past it every day.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Roads are the veins and arteries of our modern world,
0:44:59 > 0:45:04but the urban heart of Britain beats in our towns and cities.
0:45:05 > 0:45:10Since the turn of the century, that urban sprawl has sprawled ever further.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18We're one of the most intensely urban cultures in the world,
0:45:18 > 0:45:22with 90% of us crammed into the concrete jungle.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27London is most crowded of all -
0:45:27 > 0:45:317 million people packed into 67 square miles.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Every acre is worth more than £3 million.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41But even here there's room for wildlife.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45I'm eight miles from Euston station,
0:45:45 > 0:45:51six miles from Big Ben and right under the flight path to Heathrow.
0:45:51 > 0:45:57But I'm also slap bang in the middle of a great big nature reserve.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05The London Wetlands Centre,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08just round the corner from Hammersmith Bridge,
0:46:08 > 0:46:11shows just how much we've come to value our wildlife.
0:46:13 > 0:46:18100 years ago, this was a series of four concrete reservoirs
0:46:18 > 0:46:23supplying water to the capital. But it was abandoned in the 1980s.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27It could have become a housing estate or a factory site.
0:46:27 > 0:46:33Instead, due to a spot of enlightened thinking, it became a little patch of paradise.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03We've come a long way since 1900,
0:47:03 > 0:47:05and of that we should be proud,
0:47:05 > 0:47:11but not complacent. There's still plenty of room for improvement.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Even little things, like a new home for these sand martins,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18can reap big rewards.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23One way or another, we can all choose to play a part
0:47:23 > 0:47:25in caring for our countryside.
0:47:26 > 0:47:32The London Wetlands Centre is living proof that even in the middle of the urban jungle,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34there's still room for wildlife.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38A century ago, a place like this would have been unthinkable.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42But today, it's part of a growing trend to enrich our landscape.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45That's the sort of thing that gives us hope for the future
0:47:45 > 0:47:48of the natural history of the British Isles.