Earth: A New Wild

Earth: A New Wild is an epic journey around the globe that reveals how animals along with humans, their ally, the environment co-exist to make earth a sustainable home for all living beings. This captivating PBS series from 2015 hosted by Dr. M. Sanjayan, a conservation scientist, takes viewers into the heart of the wilderness, revealing a fresh perspective about how different species share habitats.

The series features a fascinating combination of wildlife footage with insightful commentary, designed to raise awareness of the bonds between people, animals, and the environment. The show adopts a balanced approach, focusing not only on the challenges but also on solutions. Rather than staring at the face of crisis, it looks at triumphs in the collaboration between humanity, nature and wild animals.

The journey happens trough the five main terrains of the planet: Home, Plains, Forests, Oceans, and Water. In each terrain, an exploration of interactions of humans and animals as respective inhabitants is engaged. The eye-opening narrative examines the steps to exist with nature, rather than against it.

"Home" sheds light on how life evolved atop an active volcano in the Pacific Ocean, how human settlements in the Amazon interact with wild jaguars to help sustain each other’s population and how the urban population of wild leopards in Mumbai can live peacefully with its human counterparts. This episode emphasizes that humans are not separate from the wild but an integral part of it.

The "Plains" episode takes the viewer across American prairies, the Mongolian step and African savannahs. It explores how cowboys in Montana help wolves to coexist with their livestock, the journey of a thousand-strong Mongolian gazelle herd through the steppe lands and reveals the surprising benefits of grazing done right, which can help keep ecosystems vibrant and diverse.

The "Forests" episode takes you to the depths of the Amazon’s “Intangible Zone”, home to unseen creatures and plants. The episode focuses on the indigenous people who have vital roles in preserving the Amazon, their ancestral home. In the Asian rain forests, the merging of humans and elephants in countries like India creates a changing dynamic for both species.

"Oceans" takes you under the sea, going from coral reefs to the deep seas, to discover the sinking islands of the Pacific and the impact of the shinning Arctic ice. This episode throws light on how humpback whales help combat climate change and how fish communicate with sounds.

The "Water" episode explores the diverse connection of water with all forms of life. Dr. Sanjayan dives into a giant school of one billion sardine fish to demonstrate the concept of ‘biomass upswelling’. The episode also features Bangladesh, focusing on the local’s humanmade floating schools and farms that illustrate adaptation and resilience amidst the rising sea levels.

The ambitious series comes with breathtaking videography and a humanized narrative that gives a new perspective of the planet. It's narrated by Dr. Sanjayan in a style that's accessible, educative, and still engaging for an audience of all ages. He doesn’t shy away from asking the challenging questions, coming up with surprising answers and solutions.

The principles and values showcased in the series inspire solutions for repairing and nurturing the balance of nature. It insightfully demonstrates that the population growth and resource consumption must not result in the eradication of the wild. Instead, it can act as an opportunity for a harmonious co-existence.

Earth: A New Wild goes beyond the traditional wildlife documentary script of presenting the wild as a separate entity or humans as intruders. It paints the stunning picture of humans interacting with nature, not as spoilers but as part of it. It's a compelling display of how the survival of humans is inevitably interlinked with the survival of nature.

Each episode of Earth: A New Wild serves as a reminder of the inseparable bonds between human beings, the wild, and the environment at large. The show functions as a powerful tool to foster awareness and effect positive change, thus arguably making an indispensable contribution to the conversation about conservation and coexistence. It's not just a TV show, but a wake-up call that underscores the urgency of environmental sustainability for the survival of life on planet earth.