绿色星球（2022）

increasingly efficiently...
这种合作关系向专一化发展
..and the partnerships became more exclusive.
我们针对选中的少数物种投入越来越高
We started doing more and more for a small number of chosen species.
为选中的少数物种消灭竞争对手
These few persuaded us to eliminate their competitors,
治愈它们的疾病
cure their diseases,
毒死它们的天敌
poison their enemies,
并供应充足的水源
and keep them well-watered,
哪怕其它植物面临着干旱
even when other species faced drought.
现在越来越少的农作物物种
Fewer and fewer plant species,
像大豆、小麦和水稻
like soy, wheat and rice,
占据了越来越多的土地
now occupy more and more land.
于是 现在放眼望去到处是
And so now whole landscapes are dominated
单一的植物物种
by a single species of plant.
这就是单一作物栽培
A monoculture.
在美国加利福尼亚州的中♥央♥谷地
This is the Central Valley of California,
有一座全球规模最大的果园
the biggest orchard in the world.
40万公顷的土地上只生长着一种果树
A million acres of just one type of tree,
扁桃树
almonds.
每朵扁桃花 如果能由来自不同的
Each flower, if it's fertilised by pollen
扁桃树的花粉授粉
from a different almond tree,
就会生长一颗扁桃仁
will produce an almond nut.
扁桃花通过演化从形状和气味上引来昆虫
The flowers, patterns and scent have evolved to attract insects
诱骗它们为其传粉
and bribe them to do that job for them.
花粉无需传播很远
The pollen doesn't have to move far,
只需要到达相邻近的扁桃树就行了
it just needs to reach a neighbouring tree.
每棵扁桃树上大约有2万朵花
There are about 20,000 flowers on each tree...
树木总数多达1.4亿棵
..and 140 million trees.
数不胜数的扁桃花 同时发出召唤
That is billions of flowers all calling out at once.
但在这里 盛开的花朵也是福祸相依
But here, the beauty of the blossom is wasted.
为了腾出空间种植扁桃树
To make way for these almond trees,
这片土地被清理得干干净净
the land was, in effect, wiped clean.
无数野生动植物不见踪影
Countless wild species of plants and animals were removed,
包括至关重要的传粉动物
including, critically, pollinators.
所以现在扁桃花急需帮助而且规模非同一般
So now the flowers need help, and lots of it.
400亿只蜜蜂...
40 billion honeybees...
被从美国各地用卡车运至果园
..trucked in from all over the United States.
果园的扁桃花只能开放几周
The orchard is only in bloom for a few weeks,
蜜蜂必须立即开始工作才能得到扁桃仁
so the almonds need the bees to get to work immediately.
每只蜜蜂每天可以造访数千朵花
Each bee can visit thousands of blossoms a day.
虽然它们会把收集到的大部分花粉带回巢穴
And while they take most of the pollen they collect back
但它们每到一处也会掉落一些花粉
to the hive, they also drop some pollen at each stop.
所以 幸运的是
And, so, with luck,
花朵最终都完成授粉了
the flowers are all eventually fertilised.
日复一日 这个过程不断重复
Day after day, the process is repeated.
一朵又一朵的扁桃花
Flower after flower.
一棵又一棵的扁桃树
Tree after tree.
等到花瓣飘落时
By the time the petals fall,
2.5万亿朵扁桃花已成功授粉
2.5 trillion flowers have been successfully pollinated
现在将产出2.5万亿颗扁桃仁
and will now grow in to 2.5 trillion almonds.
这种集约化 流水线式的农业
This type of intensive, streamlined agriculture
取得了惊人的产量
produces amazingly high yields.
但是 单一作物栽培是脆弱的
But monocultures are fragile.
虽然它在条件保持稳定的情况下可以有效运作
While they can function effectively when conditions remain stable,
但仅仅一个小小的变化就可能酿成灾难
it only takes a small change to create catastrophe.
扭叶松
Lodgepole pine,
是一种非常有价值的木材树种 广泛栽种在加拿大西部
a very valuable timber tree grown extensively in western Canada.
无边无际的土地上
Millions of acres of the same species,
种植着树龄相同高度相近的同一树种
all the same age and the same size.
几个世纪以来 这片扭叶松林一直与它们的天敌
For centuries, lodgepole forests have lived in a natural balance
保持着生态平衡
with their enemies,
例如这只
including this one,
山松甲虫
the mountain pine beetle.
夏季 雌性甲虫开始寻找合适的扭叶松
In summer, female beetles start hunting for a suitable nursery
在其中产卵
in which to lay their eggs.
成年的扭叶松树皮较厚
The ideal site is a mature lodgepole pine
厚到足以喂养雌性甲虫的后代
with bark thick enough to feed a female's brood
到了冬天 还能保护幼虫免受严寒的侵袭
and, critically, to protect them from the bitter cold
是理想的产卵地
of the coming winter.
一旦钻入树皮内部 它就会朝着树干上方钻洞
Once under the bark, she tunnels upwards...
沿途产下虫卵
..laying her eggs as she goes.
一只雌性甲虫在繁殖期里可以产大约100颗卵
A single female beetle can lay 100 eggs in a season.
当幼虫孵化时
When the larvae hatch,
它们啃食树皮内部 逐渐长大
they grow by feeding on the inside of the bark.
在这一过程中 扭叶松根部与针叶之间的通道遭到破坏
As they do, they damage the channels that transport water and nutrients
阻碍了水分和营养物质的运输
between the roots and needles.
几个世纪以来 北方冬季的严寒
For centuries, the freezing northern winters
能够冻死大部分的幼虫
killed the majority of larvae,
因此扭叶松和这种天敌保持着生态平衡
so tree and beetle remained in balance.
但是现在 由于气候变化 不够寒冷的冬季
But now, with the climate changing, the winters aren't cold enough
难以抵♥制♥甲虫的数量
to control the beetle numbers.
这棵扭叶松针头变红了 这意味着它正在死亡
Needles turning red are a sure sign that the trees are dying.
这片单一品种栽培的土地满是易受侵害的同种树木
The beetle plague spreads like wildfire across a landscape
因此虫灾像野火一样地蔓延开来
covered by a monoculture of similarly vulnerable trees.
自从40年前虫灾第一次大规模爆发以来
Since the first mass outbreak 40 years ago,
北美地区已有数万亿棵树木死于
trillions of trees in North America have been killed
山松甲虫的啃食
by the mountain pine beetle.
植物多样性的丧失使任何栖息地都
Loss of plant diversity makes any habitat more vulnerable
更容易受到环境变化的影响
to changing conditions.
现在 全球气候快速变化
Now, with climate changing so fast,
然而就在我们最需要它们的时刻 植物多样性却在急转直下
we are losing plant diversity just when we need it the most.
五分之二的植物现在就面临灭绝的危险
Two out of five plants are now facing extinction.
当然 任何物种灭绝本身都是一场悲剧
Of course, the loss of any one species is in itself a tragedy,
但更重要的是 这会破坏整个生态系统的稳定性
but such a loss erodes the stability of a whole ecosystem,
我们每个人都不能对此掉以轻心
and that should be of great concern for all of us.
我们需要一项保险措施 防止植物走向灭绝
We need an insurance policy, a hedge against extinction.
这里是邱园的千年种子库
This is Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.
一包包的种子从世界各地运到这里
Packets of seeds arrive here from all over the world.
这些来自一种与丝兰属关系较近的植物
These are from a relative of the yucca plant,
仅生长在墨西哥中部的火山山坡
which grows in central Mexico on the slopes of volcanoes,
其它地方都没有
and nowhere else.
大多数种子都来自生存受威胁的植物
Most of the seeds are from plants that are threatened.
有些植物在种子送达这里后就已经灭绝了
Some indeed, have gone extinct since their seeds arrived here.
但至少在这里 这些种子是安全的
But here, at least, those seeds are safe.
它们被送到这里后 会被加工处理
When they arrive, they're processed
并封装在密封罐中
and sealed in to airtight jars.
然后种子被带到地下 储存在类似这样的库房♥中
Seeds are then brought underground to be stored in a vault,
温度会保持在零下20摄氏度
like this one, at -20C.
自种子库成立以来
Since the bank was founded,
这里已经储存了来自4万个不同物种
two billion seeds from 40,000 different species
的20亿颗种子
have been brought and stored here.
种子里包含着新植物萌发所需的一切
Because a seed contains everything it needs to start a new plant,
所以每一颗种子都寄托着一份小小的希望
each and every one of them represents a little grain of hope...
希望有一天 这些珍稀植物的种子
..hope that one day we will make it possible for the seeds
可以在我们的帮助下再次在野外绽放生机
of these rarities to grow in the wild once again.
当某个物种数量下降甚至灭绝的时候
The seed bank certainly gives us options when a species becomes rare
种子库无疑提供了一条出路
or even extinct.
但在世界各地 人们仍在尝试各种方法
But around the world, people are trying ways to keep
保持天然植物种群的健康 坚守它们原本的
natural plant populations healthy where they should be,
野外家园
in the wild.
夏威夷
Hawaii.
这里90%的植物物种
90% of the plant species here
在世界其他任何地方都找不到
are found nowhere else in the world.
而一种名为绢木的入侵植物造成了巨大威胁
Many are threatened by a plant invader called Miconia.
在20世纪70年代它作为观赏植物被引入毛伊岛
It was brought to the island of Maui in the '70s as an ornamental plant.
在原产地墨西哥
In its native Mexico,
绢木的生长受到各类捕食者竞争者和疾病的制约
it grows in balance with a rich variety of predators,
相对均衡
competitors and diseases.
但在夏威夷 它高度胜过了多数本土植物
It grows taller than most native Hawaiian vegetation,
叶片下方的植物难以生存
and little can grow beneath it.
在毛伊岛 绢木的生长不受任何因素制约
On the island of Maui, with nothing to keep it in check,
逐渐独霸野外 肆虐成灾