亚洲（2024）

亚洲
珠穆朗玛峰
Mount Everest.
在尼泊尔 它被称为萨迦玛塔
It's known in Nepal as Sagarmatha,
意为「天空女神」
or "Goddess of the Sky".
它高达近9000米
It rises to a height of almost 9,000 metres.
成功登顶之人只能在顶峰停留片刻
Those who succeed in climbing it spend only moments at the top.
生命无法在珠峰之顶长存
Nothing can live for long on its summit.
但在亚洲的许多山峰上
But on many of Asia's peaks
一些特化的动植物以惊人的方式
some specialised animals and plants
生存繁衍着
flourish in remarkable ways.
云端之上
亚洲是地球上山脉最繁多的大洲
Asia is the most mountainous continent on Earth.
喜马拉雅山脉的顶峰
The peaks in the Himalaya
或许是最引人注目的
may be the most dramatic of them...
但在东南亚
..but in Southeast Asia
生机勃勃的群山屹立于此
there are mountains full of life.
这里热带雨林遍布
Tropical forests grow here in abundance.
这里是泰国北部的丹老山脉
This is the Daen Lao range in northern Thailand.
此处有着一个令人惊叹的聚集地
And here, there is an astonishing gathering.
这是世界上最大的雨燕群
This is the largest flock of swifts to be found anywhere in the world.
大雨使得土地被茂密的森林覆盖
The heavy rains have cloaked the land with dense forest
并将岩石雕刻成巨大的洞穴
and carved the rocks into great caves.
Tham Nam Lod洞穴大到足够容纳一座16层高楼
The Tham Nam Lod Cave is big enough to accommodate a 16-storey building...
洞穴的墙壁为超过25万只雨燕提供了家园
..and its walls provide a home for over a quarter of a million swifts.
如今是筑巢季节
It's the nesting season.
几乎每一处缝隙都被占据了
Almost every available ledge and crevice is occupied.
为数不多的空地往往引发争执
Disputes for the few vacant sites are frequent.
常常会使得对手掉进河里
And rivals only too often end up in the river.
湿漉漉的羽毛使它们很难飞回空中
Wet feathers make it difficult to get back into the air.
而这里还潜藏着危险
And there are hidden dangers here.
保持静止是避免被发现的方法之一
Keeping still is one way of avoiding detection.
然而起飞的欲望十分强烈
Yet, the urge to fly is strong.
潜伏在水下的巨型鲤鱼和鲶鱼
The giant carp and catfish that lurk beneath the surface
早已饥肠辘辘
are always hungry.
一对雨燕落水
A pair crash-land.
其中一只被拽到水下
One bird is pulled under...
但有些雨燕不会轻易屈服
..but some birds won't go down without a fight.
还没结束
A second chance.
它的疯狂扑腾吸引了更多的鱼
Its frantic splashing has already attracted more hungry fish.
奇迹般的死里逃生
A near-miraculous escape.
它依靠翅膀的强大力量得以自救
It was saved by the sheer strength of its wings.
洞穴的庇护带来的好处
The shelter of the cave
显然值得冒险
is clearly worth the risks it brings.
每一只被捕的雨燕背后
For every swift that is caught by a fish,
都有成千上万只成功繁殖
countless thousands breed successfully.
每当夜幕降临
And each evening, in the dwindling light,
天空中便会布满成年雨燕
the sky fills with adult birds.
在东南亚 覆盖着森林的山峰
The forest-clad peaks of Southeast Asia
绵延数千里
stretch for thousands of miles.
但在泰国以南
But south of Thailand...
大地分♥裂♥成了岛屿
..the land fragments into islands.
在婆罗洲 有一座孤立的大山
In Borneo, one great mountain stands alone.
京那巴鲁山
Mount Kinabalu.
高达4000多米
Over 4,000 metres high,
它是在数百万年前
it was pushed up by forces
被地壳深处的力量推升起来的
deep in the Earth's crust several million years ago.
山坡上 住着一种好奇心重的小生物
Its slopes are home to a particularly inquisitive little creature...
山地树鼩
..the mountain tree shrew.
这里生长着一种奇特的植物
A strange plant grows here,
有着水壶状的叶子
with leaves shaped like little jugs.
猪笼草
A pitcher plant.
树鼩被猪笼草分泌的甜液吸引
The shrew is enticed by the sweet liquid the pitchers produce.
但这其实是陷阱
But they are traps.
昆虫也被这种甜味吸引
Insects are also attracted by their sweetness.
然而 这里的表面非常滑
However, the surfaces are slippery
昆虫很容易失足掉落
and the insects can easily lose their footing.
最终溺死在里面
And there, they drown.
昆虫的身体溶解后被植物吸收
Their bodies dissolve and are absorbed by the plant.
植物吸收的昆虫越多
The more insects the plant consumes,
生成的壶状叶子就越大
the bigger the pitchers it produces.
吸引的猎物也就越大
And the bigger the prey they attract.
然而 树鼩体型庞大且有力
But the shrew, of course, is far too big and powerful
不会像小昆虫那样被困住
to be caught like a small insect.
它抓得很牢
And it has a firm grip.
事实上 这是一笔互利互惠的交易
In fact, the shrew gives the plant a reward for its meal.
树鼩的排泄物
Its droppings.
对于植物来说
They, for the plant,
这些富有营养的排泄物非常有价值
are well worth having, for they're very nutritious.
树鼩定期来访
The shrew pays regular visits
收集植物提供的甜液
to collect the plant's sugary offerings.
而它的排泄物帮助植物茁壮成长
And its droppings help keep the plant growing strongly.
这样的关系对于双方是一种双赢
It's an excellent arrangement, from which both plant and animal can flourish.
婆罗洲以西 横跨孟加拉湾
To the west of Borneo, across the Bay of Bengal,
矗立着南印度富饶的山峰
stand the fertile peaks of southern India.
西高止山脉
The mountains of the Western Ghats.
它沿海岸线延伸超过1000英里
They extend for over 1,000 miles along the coast.
孕育着全亚洲最大的陆地动物
And they're home to the largest of all Asia's land animals.
亚洲象
The Asian elephant.
这群象正在迁徙 寻找新的觅食地
This herd is on a journey to find new feeding grounds.
带领它们的是一头年长的雌象
They're led by an old female -
它是象群的首领
the matriarch.
整个家族都依赖于它的经验和智慧
The whole family relies on her experience and knowledge.
然而 在过去的150年里
Yet, over the last 150 years,
它们的家园发生了巨大的变化
their home has radically changed.
受到地势和季风的影响
The altitude and monsoon rains
西高止山脉成了种植茶叶的绝佳场所
make the Western Ghats an excellent place for growing tea.
全球茶叶日消耗量高达20亿杯
Human beings, globally, drink two billion cups of it every day.
短短两代大象的时间里
In just two elephant lifetimes,
树林遭到砍伐 为茶园腾出空间
the forest has been felled to make space for tea.
尽管如此 亚洲象似乎仍然
Nonetheless, it seems that the elephants
沿着祖先走过的道路前行
follow the same paths as were used by their ancestors.
但如今 这些道路会经过宝贵的茶园
But now, these paths run through fields of this very valuable crop.
不过 大象的每一步都走得非常小心
The elephants, however, place every step with great care.
一头成年象每天能吃掉超过100公斤的食物
A single adult can eat over 100 kilos every day.
但它们一片茶叶也不会吃
And yet they don't take a single leaf of tea.
因为大象不喜欢茶叶的苦味
They don't like its bitter taste.
不过它们非常喜欢这里生长的野生植物
But they do relish the wild plants that grow here.
对于人类来说
So as far as the humans are concerned,
大象似乎在清理杂草
the elephants are clearing away weeds.
看起来似乎是一种和谐共存
It may seem to be a harmonious existence.
但此处的山脉人口稠密
But these mountains are densely populated.
仅采茶工人便超过5万人
Over 50,000 people work as tea pickers alone.
因此 人象共存并不容易
So living side by side can be difficult.
然而 人们学会了给大象留出空间
Yet the people have learnt to give the elephants space,
而象群也具备适应能力
and the herds are adaptable.
然而 一些象群首领
Some matriarchs, however,
正在率领前往少有大象涉足的地方
are now going where few elephants have ever been seen before.
它们开始攀登山峰
They have become mountaineers.
至于为什么大象会选择攀登这些山峰
Why elephants should choose to climb to these summits,
人们尚未完全明白
no-one fully understands.
也许是被新鲜的青草吸引
It may be that they're attracted by the fresh grass.
或是想要逃离喧嚣的世界
Or perhaps they are simply trying to escape from the busy world below.
无论如何 茶叶的种植
Either way, planting tea here
本可能会对这些象群造成灾难
could have been a disaster for these herds.
但事实并非如此
But not so.
现在有四分之一的亚洲象都生活在西高止山脉
A quarter of all Asian elephants now live here in the Western Ghats,
使这里成为地球上最大的象群聚集地
making it home to the biggest population on Earth.
在印度以西1000多英里
Over 1,000 miles to the west of India,
亚洲与非洲交汇之处
where Asia meets Africa,
矗立着大♥陆♥上最热最干燥的山峰
stand the continent's hottest and driest peaks.
阿♥拉♥伯半岛的山脉
Those of the Arabian Peninsula.