A team of adventurous scientists and filmmakers, aboard the Canadian sailing ship SEDNA IV document the impact of climate change in Antarctica. On the remote, windswept islands of South Georgia they encounter a spectacular gatherings of penguins, albatross and fur seals who depend on huge swarms of shrimp-like zooplankton called krill, which are the driving force of the vast Southern Ocean food web. On, Bird Island, only four hectares, researchers discover that climate changes, starting half a world away, are having a devastating impact on the krill-eating predators. Fur seals and gentoo penguins are telling us that changes to ice formation and temperatures in Antarctica are at the heart of the problem. Islands at the Edge bears witness to a changing world.

À l’extrême Sud de notre planète, la vie semble déconnectée du reste du monde. Sur les îles sub-antarctiques ou encore sur les rives du grand continent de glace, les humains ne sont que des prédateurs de passage. Là-bas, manchots, phoques, baleines et albatros sont rois. Leur adaptation au climat extrême leur permet de profiter de ces zones d’abondance, où l’Homme n’a pas encore trouvé le moyen de tout exploiter. Dernier continent vierge de la planète, l’Antarctique ne s’offre qu’à ceux et celles qui le méritent. Pendant une année, l’équipage du SEDNA IV naviguera sur les mers les plus hostiles de la planète, pour témoigner des nouvelles menaces qui guettent ce secteur méconnu de notre planète. Au rythme des saisons, nous assisterons aux grands cycles de cette vie australe, riche et spectaculaire. En se questionnant sur le fonctionnement de cet écosystème unique, nous découvrirons toute sa fragilité.

In Kamchatka, the most easterly region of Russia, a little miracle with huge implications is in the works. Considered by many to be the most dangerous animal in the world the grizzly bear, an endangered species, finds a protector and defender in Canadian conservationist, Charlie Russell. As a surrogate mother he struggles to reintroduce orphaned cubs to the wild against the backdrop of a dramatic landscape filled with lurking predators and poachers. Filmed in the course of a year, this relationship is bound to fill you with awe and sure to win your hearts and minds.

Wine growers and pest birds are at war in the Marlborough Vineyards of New Zealand. It is a losing battle, except for one possibility. Can the New Zealand Falcon save the grapes? Fledgling Expectations reveals the efforts of two young falcon sisters taking part in an unusual project.

Just weeks after its discovery, residents of Singapore quickly realized that Chek Jawa - the last remaining untouched inter-tidal area in Singapore - was doomed for urban development. One final attempt is made by a group of volunteers to preserve Chek Jawa, in their minds and in their hearts. An action leads to an unsuspecting shift in government policy, forever changing the course of Nature Conservation in Singapore.

Reclusive and ill-tempered, the Black Rhino will strike unpredictably at any moment. Long considered to be solitary animals, wildlife conservationist Saba Douglas Hamilton has been handed a secret about the black rhino that could shed new light on this feared and often misunderstood animal. In search of the mysterious rhino, Saba journey’s leads her into the Namibian desert to uncover the hidden life of the Black Rhino.

The Indian dancing bear, the sloth bear, has entertained villagers for centuries. Yet, under contemporary Indian law, the sloth bear is entitled to the same protection as the tiger. Traditions are hard to change and the bear is still used as entertainment and a source of income by bear owners from the Qalandar community of India. The Last Dance follows an undercover operation of a surrender of a dancing bear. An old way of life comes to an end but a new beginning emerges for the bears.

“If you are quiet in nature, the nature starts to reveal itself. We all die, but what is dying?” Europe’s oldest forest inspires reflection on the symbiosis of death and the nature of rebirth among four individuals deeply affected by its mysteries… Exquisitely shot, this poetic meditation on life and death introduces us to Zbigniew who takes care of the bisons, Jerzy - a passionate entomologist, Joanna an artist transformed by the solace of the forest, and Janusz who walks the forest and ruminates on the effects we humans have on nature. This is an environmental film for the ages.

On the frontlines of the world's national parks are selfless committed park rangers who face the prospect of death from poachers, wildlife and the dangerous yet beautiful environments. Filmmaker and ranger Sean Willmore follows the work of park rangers in over 6 continents and 19 countries. Among volcanoes, ascents by horseback in Chile and Argentina, a charging elephant in South Africa, drowning rivers in Costa Rica, mountain gorilla protection in volatile Virungas - Uganda, helicopter rescues in the Rockies, and dangerous anti-poaching patrols and chases in South Africa, Galapagos, Uganda and India - he exposes the exciting yet daily challenges to preserving our world . Here’s a way to learn about a career!

Co-existence seems futile between man and tiger; it looks as though the tiger’s time is almost up. Even as it dominates their history, religion and mythology, the tiger is quickly disappearing in India. The demand to accelerate economic progress and development is leaving the tiger more vulnerable than ever. Rising tensions between the tigers and human forest tribes are inevitably volatile, as both populations struggle to survive. The tiger remains a powerful symbol of the natural world to some, but a curse to others; what will become of the Indian tiger?

India’s fresh water turtles are a precious commodity in the markets of South East Asia. They are victims of an illegal, uncontrolled trade which is depleting India’s turtle population at an unprecedented pace. Turtles have played an important role in India’s eco-system but the Asian turtle crisis may change it forever.

Birds, especially migratory birds, are hitting windows all over North America and all over the world – Toronto is no exception. Meet the volunteers behind Fatal Light Awareness Program in their efforts to seek out the injured and the dead. In association with Dr. Daniel Klem, an ornithologist, they find birds stunned beside buildings, clinging to walls, frantically flying between high-rises, and lying dead on asphalt. Birds are under serious threat, as their contribution to the ecosystem through pollination and seed distribution is in serious decline. A fact finding mission which will raise awareness of fowl play in the built environment.

When ecology came and resulted in the establishment of a national park in Brazil, all sorts of conflicts came to light between the traditional and indigenous populations who lived and eked a living on these precious lands and the policy makers and environmentalists armed with noble intentions. In the global south environmental policies are being implemented through top down approaches without consultation with those whose lives are most radically affected by these decisions. This special film turns environmental questions on their head, the reconciliation of nature conservancy, social welfare and economic development. Have we thought our environmental solutions through?

In protest of their illegal, yet allegedly scientific whaling practices in Antarctic waters, Greenpeace parks a giant whale carcass outside the Japanese Embassy in Berlin for all to see. Arriving unannounced, the presence of the whale captivates the citizens of Berlin and reaches millions of viewers around the world. A testament of how an environmental tragedy can be transformed into greater public awareness.