The incredible visuals of Our Planet are what make this series stand out. This “Forests” episode was a pleasure to watch. A scene that really stood out included an eagle trying to claim a place on the river for food but failing due to not being strong enough. This forced it to have to search for another place for salmon during the very harsh and freezing winter. I thought it was interesting to see how critical competition is at the heart of survival for animals. Another scene that really stood out to me was the introduction of the fact that vegetation had grown in Chernobyl despite it being declared uninhabitable for the next 20,000 years. This consequently brought along animals to this site. I find it inspiring to see how the presence of natural life draws the attention of animals. We need to support the preservation of forests and the wilderness to continue to allow nature to thrive, otherwise this could lead to extinction of many flora and fauna at an alarming rate.

The movies watched during this event made me realize things that I did not notice before and provided a sense of hope. The film was a documentary that dove into the various species that exist within a particular rainforest and how these organisms depend on their surroundings and each other for survival. There was a particular scene where a particular type of plant would depend solely on the rainfall to hit against its leaves and cause ants to fall into it, essentially serving as the plant’s food. This made me realize that with climate change becoming more severe as the years progress, the changes in climate could completely diminish this plant’s source of food. However in the second movie watched, towards the end there was a scene where the narrator explains that if we leave nature alone, it could reclaim areas that we have once taken over and polluted. This gave me hope in the sense that despite all the damage we have done to the Earth, it can still heal if we give it time.

Watching Our Planet was an excellent de-stressor from the workload of that particular week. The content was mostly animals and rainforest, which was a nice complement to the homework I’d been balancing. The movie was built up of calming tones, with gentle background music and easy narration.

It did spark some comments at the end about the importance of environmental preservation. It’s hard to watch the content of the rainforest go by without sparing a thought to what threatens it. The work I’d had that day was regarding pollinator preservation techniques, which have to get strategic to compensate for the influx of environmental dangers that are brought about by nearly every major industry on Earth. Deforestation is a key component of environmental protections, because of the communities and wildlife that rely on it the forest support. So while the content of Our Planet worked well to mitigate stress, it did help remind me that it’s important to work toward forest protections however possible.

In the episode of Our Planet titled Forests, the second to last segment is about the forests and associated wildlife on Madagascar. It talks about all of the extremely unique life that can only be found on the island and concludes with the fact that only 3% of the original dry forests on the island remain today. This I think is the biggest tragedy of all. I recently read a phrase that said “throughout the galaxy wood is rarer than diamond” which is absolutely true and not greatly appreciated here on Earth. We should be working tirelessly to preserve as many species as possible, for extinction is one of the greatest crimes of all. I also recognize that many people are dependent on the supply of lumber for building, or heating their houses, among other uses, but even if there weren’t alternative solutions, there are certainly ways of sustainably logging. In the long run, this is also beneficial to all parties involved as plants and the animals that depend on them are still able to survive, and we can come back and use newly grown trees as a renewable resource rather than simply destroying the ecosystem in one fell swoop. Many people worldwide are already up in arms regarding this, but not nearly enough are. We should all be working to protect as many species as possible, particularly those that are incredibly rare and unique such as those that only exist in a single location, like Madagascar.

Every entity in our ecosystem and this planet is very well connected. Whether we realize it or not our smallest action can cause lots of problems to many stakeholders in our ecosystem. The “Our Planet” taught me that we humans are just like other animals even though we don’t like to associate ourselves with them. This could be a reason for continuing climate change. After all our ancestors were all apes which is why I strongly believe it is our duty to respect mother nature.

I have been astonished by the creatures and data introduced alongside the nature of the visuals. The part that intrigued me the most was, where the researchers demonstrated the untamed life in Chernobyl was flourishing. In spite of viewing the Chernobyl arrangement portraying the overwhelming impacts, the two plants and creatures are flourishing in a region where people can’t. Utilizing this zone for instance, ideally natural life preservation endeavors will keep on ascending, as a lessening in human collaboration could be an answer for animal groups vanishing. After watching these amazing creatures in the film, I feel the need to support the conservation of wilderness as they are the pristine home to our little creatures.

After watching the forest episode in the Our Planet series, I was impressed with nature’s resiliency. When footage of the extreme wildfires throughout the forests were shown, I was initially very upset and concerned. I assumed that these wildfires would have a very negative impact on the forest environment for an extended period of time. However, despite the initial destruction, these wildfires actually allowed for new life. They cleared tall trees that blocked sunlight from reaching the ground and allowed new plants to grow. The after effects of the Chernobyl catastrophe were also extremely impressive. After having watched part of the HBO Chernobyl series, it became very clear to me how horrific the aftermath of the explosion was. I would have expected that area to remain uninhabited by any living creature for thousands of years due to the radiation. However, this Our Planet episode proved my expectations wrong. Chernobyl has become a thriving forest environment with many animals specifically because of the lack of humans inhabiting the area. This episode showed me a new perspective on catastrophic events. Although they may have detrimental initial effects, positive things may come of them in the future,

Watching the Forest episode in the Our Planet series made me fall in love and appreciate what mother nature has to offer. Having watched the Coastal Seas episode in the series and really enjoyed it, I was looking forward to looking the Forest episodes one. More specifically, I was really impressed and in awed with the beautiful scenes in the Coastal Seas episode and was really happy the scenes in this Forest episode also did not disappoint. This episode only reminded me how each living organism has an important contribution to the ecosystem. I was amazed by how intertwine the animals in the forest allow the forest to grow beautifully. Towards the end of the episode, I really liked how the Chernobyl disaster was brought up, as someone who has also been watching the Chernobyl miniseries. It was sad to see that despite the growing plants that seem to have overtaken some of the abandoned parts of the city, there is still a lot of radiation concentrated in the area that makes the area still unsafe, even for forest animals. Seeing how vibrant the forest can be makes me want to preserve its beauty and hope that the world places more emphasis and concern on climate change.

We watched the Forest episode of Our Planet and I thought it was really interesting. It didn’t spend a lot of time on each section/area but there were a lot of cool animals shown. My favorite part was the clip about the Madagascar leaf bugs and the lemurs. First of all, they just looked really unique, with the white tendrils coming out of them. I thought it was really funny how the lemur’s food source is just the honeydew produced by the bugs. Other than that, I also found it funny when, during the birds(hornbills?)-fighting-in-midair scene, the narrator kinda just said “yeah we’re still not really sure why they do that…”

One of the later sections also focused on Chernobyl and how animals are still able to live in the zones where humans aren’t allowed in, which I thought was an interesting and unexpected tie-in to the ongoing Chernobyl Friday Film series.

To be honest I am a huge fan of David Attenborough. I have seen so many of his films but every time I am so amazed by what the cameras are able to capture. I enjoyed the forest episode of Our Planet that we watched because I find it very relatable. In this area of the world, there aren’t glaciers or rainforests, but there are forests so watching the episode reminded me of the beauty that I take for granted around me because I am so used to seeing vast areas of trees. I also enjoyed the section of the film on the ability of nature to recover as they showed footage of Chernobyl today and the abundance of wildlife that has flourished in an area where humans no longer go.

Furthermore, I watched the new film A Life On Our Planet narrated by David Attenborough which focuses on the decline of the natural world over Attenborough’s life, and thus methods of conservation as well. Combining the themes I found watching these films, I was reminded of the effort needed not only to protect the most remote and pristine wildernesses but also the natural world right outside.

Watching the Our Planet episode for last week’s Friday Film, was a refreshing way to end my week. It gave me a greater understanding of the interdependency of the growth of the forest and the survival of the creatures living within it. Something that I really appreciated about the episode is the feeling of gratitude it provided me with seeing all the relationships that it emphasized. The roles of all the animals and the ability for the regeneration of the forest is something so precious, but something we all take for granted. Now that the effects of climate change are becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, as seen through the horrific fires in California, it forces me to take a step back and look at the role of humanity in destroying so much of our earth. It’s hard not to be pessimistic about the ability to reverse all the damage in order to make a significant change, but looking at the growth at the Chernobyl site they mentioned provided me with hope. While I don’t think we’d ever be able to completely give up on the structures and industries that our society so heavily depend on, I’m excited to see proposals such as the Green New Deal and the work of activists to get our Earth back on track.

This documentary really opened my eyes as to how beautiful the world really is. Oftentimes, this beauty goes unnoticed due to technological stimulation holding a greater value in modern human life than the fascinating diversity of life all around us. I particularly found the biomes of the animals particularly interesting. The vast assortment of organisms that exist shouldn’t be overlooked. The narrator, David Attenborough, added a nice touch because it sets the entire tone for the documentary. He is a major advocate for saving wildlife and preserving the planet which adds to the overall ambiance of the film. I appreciate the dedication he has for our world given that most people display arrogance and lack of concern for the health and prosperity of our planet.

This last Friday, the day before Halloween, I attended the showing of the film “Our Planet,” which documents the effects of human destruction on Earth’s nature and creatures.  The whole time, I couldn’t help but compare it to what I have been learning this semester in Introductory Oceanography with Bruce Monger, a class that I have been very much enjoying.  We are constantly learning about, even if humans were to start preventative action to climate change now, the effects have already set in.  For example, if we were to keep global warming to a 1.5 degree increase in 100 years instead of a 2.0 degree increase as projected, 70-90% of coral reefs would die anyways.  Seeing the gorgeous, stunning nature shots in “Our Planet” really reminded me what is at stake going forward with regards to the amazing creatures of the world and left me with a somber feeling at the end of the film.

This is one of the second times I have watched Our Planet. Both times, I have been amazed by the organisms and information presented along with the quality of the visuals. The part that fascinated me the most was the ending, where the scientists showed the wildlife in Chernobyl was thriving. Despite watching the Chernobyl series depicting the devastating effects, both plants and animals are thriving in an area where humans cannot. Using this area as an example, hopefully wildlife conservation efforts will continue to rise, as a decrease in human interaction could be a solution to species dying out.

Tuning in for an episode of “Our Planet” with the scholars was a time for me to appreciate nature while also having the benefit of an academic explanation of what I was seeing.

Here are two scenes I found especially engaging:

1) The depiction of the forest re-growing after forest fires burning ravenously provided introspection. I appreciated the come-back element, but, although this is a modern-day example, I’m not the first to be drawn to the concept of being “born from ashes”. In Greek mythology, the phoenix was a symbol of renewal and new beginnings, and many religious texts address rebirth from ashes. Perhaps some of these works drew their inspiration from observing the cyclical nature of forests perishing and being reborn during ancient times.

2) I also found the scene about the wild puppies and their big ears to be relevant. Here, the narrator explained that the play among the puppies served the important purpose of creating a bond. As a student currently in 3 group projects, I think the concept of the importance of play is also applicable — creating a bond is often an important (and fun!) part of a successful group project.

Additionally, looking beyond individual scenes, the episode as a whole emphasized the importance of protecting these natural places and wild animals — something I am concerned is getting overlooked as our society focuses on pandemic challenges and government turmoil.

Netflix’s Our Planet was visually spectacular, bringing one close to the hidden qualities of nature, all while blending in a powerful and important message about climate change. There was a certain impactful quality to the documentary that was brought about through the coupling of visually stunning aspects of nature, followed by brief, yet concise, imagery of how these wonders are already lost or nearly gone. These moments left me feeling melancholic due to the severity of the issue of climate change and excessive human destruction wrought upon the Earth, but at the same time, seeing these upsetting truths reinvigorated the urgency inside of me to take action. Seeing what we’re losing in nature every day was upsetting and motivational, and it made this documentary extremely impactful in its message and influence.

Aside from the important commentary in this documentary, the actual visuals it was composed of were stunning! All throughout the episode, the shots were so incredibly perfect, it nearly felt staged. And as I continued to reflect, I built a greater and greater respect for the entire team behind the series. The amount of time, effort, and skill required to produce what they did is mind-boggling, and I feel motivated to watch through the rest of the episodes they painstakingly produced.

Netflix’s documentary Our Planet portrays the stunning resilience of nature. As the documentary shows, forests are much more than a community of vegetation. They are ecosystems. Animals and plants interact with each other and that mutual dependence allows them to thrive together. I was very impressed by the relationship that honeydew, the secretion of insects produced as they feed on plants, are consumed by lemurs. But mutual dependence (aka. “symbiosis”) is only one part of the interactions: competitions are equally important. Not only do animals compete with predators and preys for life, they also compete with those in the same species for mating. The competition for mating can be so fierce that it results in the death of some individuals. However, competition and mutual dependence bring nature vigor and resilience, allowing the whole ecosystem to adapt and to evolve.

To me, the most impressive part of the documentary was how Chernobyl became recolonized by plants and animals after being deserted as an uninhabitable ghost town. Radiation was lethal for humans, and it would not go away for 2000 years; but the lack of human activity opens up a whole new opportunity for trees and wild life. The area was gradually covered by thick vegetation, small animals such as birds and rabbits began to appear, and eventually even top predators like wolves returned. I was glad to see nature’s incredible power of transformation, yet I also couldn’t help wondering how radiation does not seem to affect animals at all. As we appreciate the resilience of nature, it is important to note that the resilience isn’t unbounded. Once we reach a certain threshold of destruction, the damage we’ve done will be irreversible. Protecting the nature should be a continuous process, and it requires our action.

While watching Our Planet, it made me realize how much we take nature for granted. When we go to national parks and other places of natural beauty, we take it for granted and don’t realize how close we are to losing it all. The world is quickly accelerating the number of resources it uses, and if something does not change soon, many of these parks will be damaged indirectly or directly by climate change and deforestation. Unfortunately, I do not think that people will act seriously about the situation unless they themselves start being significantly affected by their own actions.

Additionally, Our Planet illustrated that there are so many different animals out there than could possibly imagine. Furthermore, they all work together in order to keep their ecosystem thriving. People need to realize that if they make one species go extinct, it could cause a total catastrophic collapse of an entire area’s ecosystem.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I think that someone needs to find a solution that helps the environment while it benefits the economy as well. This way, people can continue the path of capitalistic success while helping the environment as well. This is the only solution in my opinion to save the environment.