‘Planet Earth III’ Recap: ‘Forests’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from Episode 105 of ‘Planet Earth III’ – ‘Forests’ Courtesy of BBC America.

​Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘Planet Earth III’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
 
It is definitely safe to say that the BBC America series, Planet Earth III, is accomplishing wonders. For not only is it giving us a comprehensive and powerful education about corners of our world that we don’t know enough about… but it is also opening our eyes in ways we never thought possible. Because week after week, this dynamic documentary continues to showcase how our world… is not what we think it to be. Because in reality, modern man truly thinks we are atop the food chain and where we go, we are the most important creature in the room or environment, and that nature is made to serve us and entertain us and that’s just not the case. For this documentary is making it clear, that we are part of something greater and the places we go and expect to serve a purpose for us… have their own agenda.
 
A truth that was further hammered home by last night’s episode of the show. For when we think of the ‘Forests’ of the world, we think of an environment designed to offer us calm. Yes, we know that there are birds and other creatures there, but they’re far away and we are in a place of solitude, one that gives us peace and tranquility. When in reality, we are surrounded by a thriving and functional eco-system. One that answers only to itself and where life is teeming around us. To the point where there are little bugs in motion that work with other bugs to fight off predators since they know how to perfectly benefit one another, and of course… every bit of waste is used to nourish the forest. Truly making it a functional living part of the world, fighting to survive.
 
Not to mention, the forests of the world are also teeming with tradition. For instance, there are birds out in the world, the Trumpeter hornbill, that mate for life and use the forest to court one another when mating season arrives, to enjoy each other’s company before their lives get… complicated. Since a pregnant female will encase herself within a tree to properly raise her young. Only eating when her mate sends food through a tiny portal in the tree, and this has been going on for ages really… because of how self-contained the forests are. And that containment is why there are bears that come to the rivers of the Pacific Northwest to feed upon river salmon and fish for years on end, and really, there are simply countless species that call the forest home and have passed down generations of knowledge and actions. Because of the fact that the forests are a world within our world, always in motion and always moving forward… when humanity lets that happen.
 
Because sadly, our belief that the forest is nothing more than a device designed to service us, has pushed us to transform them to do our bidding. For instance, it is not uncommon for people to tear down beautiful forests that took centuries to grow, to plant Eucalyptus trees. Which grow fast and make paper for us, but also harm the environment. For they suck the ground dry as they grow, and they displace animals en masse since they don’t provide the right level of shelter or nutrition. Giving rise to real danger for some animals. As they work to live in two worlds, the forest, and ours… to find food and shelter, and everything they need to survive. All because we cannot think of or actively search for better ways to supplant our needs so that nature can be nature and live the way it needs to, and well… that made for an eye-opening tale.
 
One that truly hammered home the reality, that the forests are not just a place to ‘get away from it all’ and ‘reconnect’, they’re thriving environments, filled to the brim with precious life, that we need to respect and cherish. Because we share this world, we don’t own it, and a round of applause is in order over the fact that this episode pointed that out. Because we need to hear this more often, and we need to see what the forest really looks like. So that perhaps we finally give it the respect it is due and learn how to live with it in harmony instead of trying to tame and control it, and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this powerful and poignant journey, it should be interesting to see what other blunt and critical lessons await us, as this journey around the globe continues along. Until next time.

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