Saving paradise — Season 1, Episode 14: Japan: Yakushima — The Enchanted Forest

Episode synopsis

Off southern Japan, Yakushima Island rises from the East China Sea, its peaks nearing 2,000 meters (formed 15 million years ago when magma solidified beneath the ocean). Isolation and a lack of large predators fostered a rare symbiosis between endemic Japanese macaques and sika deer. The island’s highlands hold the world’s last cedar-dominated ecosystem, with some trees dating back to antiquity, surviving centuries of logging. This mystical landscape inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. After years of human exploitation, Yakushima now strives to restore its natural balance.

About Saving paradise

The breathtaking beauty of some natural sites should not obscure their role as unique ecosystems. Within them, animal species and nature live in harmony. Sadly, their wealth makes them a prime target for men’s greed. The fight to protect them is a relentless one, and the people who lead it have become true heroes of our time.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Caño Cristales — The Five-Colored River
• E2Iguazu Falls — Biodiversity Treasure
• E3Lake Kaindy, The Treasure of the Kazakh Mountains
• E4The Lost World of the Galápagos
• E5The Sanctuary of Umphang in Thailand
• E6The Wild Archipelago of the Bissagos Islands
• E7The Chocolate Hills of Bohol
• E8Yala National Park — An Eden in Sri Lanka
• E9Daintree Rainforest Australia of the Origins
• E10Pantanal — A Biosphere Reserve in Danger
• E11Torres del Paine, Jewel of Patagonia
• E12Canaima and the Venezuelan Tepuis