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This strategically critical, resource-rich region offers unique opportunities for tourism, mining, and scientific research, though it is currently characterized by a highly contested military landscape....
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00:08I'm traveling through the Arctic the land of the midnight Sun most amazing view for thousands of
00:16years only the hardiest hunters and herders lived in this inhospitable land but now the Arctic is
00:25warming faster than anywhere else on earth as it thaws new riches are being revealed this is what
00:34it's all about the oil all eyes are turning north for one bright summer I will live with the people
00:41of the Arctic I want to understand how their lives are changing and discover what the future holds for
00:53this great wilderness the last stage of my journey is through the far north of Europe it's autumn and
01:03the people of the Arctic are getting ready for a long harsh winter I travel to Russia to a remote
01:10village surrounded by the greatest forest on earth really get a sense that you're in something very
01:17very special I joined the Sami some of Europe's last indigenous people on their annual reindeer roundup
01:25Bruce made a very good job he knew what he was doing they're 21st century herders but does anything
01:35remain of their ancient way of life as the long night of winter draws in I travel to Svalbard to
01:44the most northerly settlement on earth and I'm hoping there's some of the questions I've had in my mind
01:50throughout the whole of my journey might finally get answered
02:15I'm in northwest Russia just south of the Arctic Circle heading deep into one of the largest ecosystems on the
02:22planet
02:23it's the boreal forest which stretches right around the northern hemisphere
02:31a third of all the trees on earth are found in the vast evergreen forest that encircles the top of
02:38our world
02:40I'm traveling to a remote part of this great forest to the village of Nukcha in European Russia and on
02:48this
02:48final leg of my arctic journey I'll be passing through northern Norway on my way to Svalbard in the high
02:55arctic
03:00this is very different to Siberia where I herded reindeer under the midsummer Sun the people here are
03:07forest people their psyche and culture are rooted in these woods but post-soviet Russia is going through
03:17many changes have traditional ways of life been affected and our attitudes towards the forest changing
03:26just been eight hours and a train and I got a few more hours to do in this vehicle and
03:31all I've seen the whole journey is forest
03:35I'm heading to a remote village far from any other settlements not the kind of place you want to break
03:41down
03:45so I really felt this tire go when it went proper pop and we skidded a little bit and it's
03:52beginning to snow love it
03:54this is the first snow I've seen for months it really feels like winter is almost here
04:02yeah this is us fantastic finally we arrive in the village of Nukcha my home for the next week cool
04:11man my lodgings are basic but surprisingly cozy perfect
04:26six hundred or so people live in Nukcha I want to find out how important the forest is to the
04:32villagers so I'm going to spend the day with Katya who knows it intimately she's known as as the person
04:39who's out walking the furthest she's always seen at the far ends of the forest out on her own just
04:45collecting stuff and it's a real treat today because she's taking me out on one of her excursions
04:51and I've no idea what we're gonna find but I know it's gonna be an adventure with winter drawing near
05:07the berries and mushrooms are almost finished but 62 year old Katya is the villagers most determined forager
05:32the forest is like a friend to her and she knows all of its secret places
05:47okay fly agaric mushrooms with their red caps and white spots are the quintessential toadstool
05:53they're found throughout northern forests and feature in the folklore of many northern cultures too
06:13fly agaric are toxic to humans so Katya never eats them so if we can't eat them why you what
06:19are you
06:19collecting it for Katya wants to make a bottle of fly agaric ointment so we scour the forest looking for
06:44the telltale flash of red against green when we've got plenty of mushrooms for Katya's remedy we head for
07:16home Katya rarely have I seen such a potent array of mushrooms in my life we're going to chop these
07:26up and
07:26put them in a bottle when they've broken down they'll form an ointment which Katya says helps cure
07:32colds and rheumatism that's a proper brew okay since the collapse of the Soviet Union
07:56Union the state no longer provides full health care and so more and more people are returning to
08:02traditional cures Katya only uses fly agaric on her skin but her sister makes them into a potion and you
08:18said that you use it on your hands and your sister was taking drops of it what was she taking
08:24drops for
08:34by taking fly agaric in this way Katya claims her sister cured herself of cancer this may seem hard to
08:42believe but one thing is for sure fly agaric is a potent fungi and there was a time when we
08:49in Britain may have been
08:50just as familiar with its healing properties I sometimes wonder what our ancient ancestral knowledge is of such strong
09:01plants and fungi but we'll never know because anyone that had knowledge such as as this was pretty much burnt
09:11at
09:11the stake or drowned on ducking stalls at the advent of Christianity
09:26Russians have long believed forests like this to be places of magic as well as a spiritual significance
09:33Katya and many other villages depend on it for their survival but the forest is under threat in recent
09:41years summers have been very dry then very wet and warmer winters have led to an increase in pests and
09:49diseases millions of trees are dying every year throughout the northern forest trying to keep this woodland
10:03healthy is forest warden alexia ivanovich
10:24I'm going to help Alexi and his team clear an area of dead trees so I've been kitted out Russian
10:30lumberjack style
10:31look at that gloves and everything thank you so much I feel the part now check this out
10:39what we just don't believe it's gonna go on but if you're not about to be right now
10:43опасness развитia различных but it's the way it's up to play it rather believe it in a more trust
10:53the easiest way to remove dead trees is to get the villagers to take them away as firewood the team
11:05star it's a net and dearie but which any claim or the way okay yet and yet so say they're
11:12here to
11:22like almost all forests in Russia this woodland is state-owned if the villagers take more than their
11:28quota they face stiff penalties there's a very strict regulations here yeah yeah thank you
11:51very strict regulations here if you if you get caught chopping a tree that's not allowed you get
12:01three to five years imprisonment after paying a fee a villager will come and cut these marked trees
12:08for firewood but Alexei wants to clear all the dead wood before winter so we're going to make a start
12:14today the branches must be burned as they're infested with the spruce bark beetle a parasite that's
12:27killing trees from Alaska to Siberia in the past spruce bark beetles were kept in check by harsh winters a
12:42few
12:42days below minus 40 were enough to kill them off but one mild winter and the parasites survive and multiply
12:56the temperature is falling every day and the first frosts are beginning to bite the villagers are preparing
13:06for a long winter and Katia wants to insulate her bathroom with moss she's gathered from the forest
13:20one thing I've noticed that everyone's really good out here is insulating with just a few logs in a in
13:30a
13:30wood-burning stove they keep their house warm all night and when I say warm I mean really warm I've
13:37just
13:37used a sheet most nights and it's been just about freezing outside and when you consider what the
13:44insulation is it's really quite an amazing feat we're all along here in just a few weeks temperatures
13:58here will plummet and will stay below freezing for up to six months so a good supply of firewood is
14:05essential for survival what are the winters like here how cold does it get you say that the winters
14:23might be getting warmer is this something that is this a good thing you reckon or does it make little
14:31difference to you tell me you have to pay for your firewood is it expensive even though it's so close
14:54with more than a third of her income going on firewood Katia is left with around three pounds fifty
15:01a day to live on her skill as a gatherer means she can just about get by but she says
15:07things are much
15:08harder now than they were in the past раньше do you do which is not a lesson you could do
15:14it
15:14more and that's if it would be really happy and be more beautiful for a month when a途
15:23water is left and hovered by use the invoice because if there is a capcoming because if
15:26there is a caprice where does it come escape from two percent of zero people here
15:35might be reco 90 wild
15:45Russia is now a market economy, and everyone has to fend for themselves.
15:51Gathering in the forest is now more about competition than collaboration.
15:55But for some of the older generation, the communist ideals live on, and are worthy of
16:00celebration.
16:12This is a festival to pay homage to the old people of the village, and to say thank
16:17you for their sacrifices over the years.
16:46Katya says she's got nothing fine to wear, so has decided not to do it.
16:49To join the festivities.
17:02This being Russia, a celebration wouldn't be complete without vodka.
17:20It's ten in the morning, and this very sprightly lady opposite me is pouring out
17:28vodka for all of us.
17:29I can see the way the day is going to go.
17:38Most of these people's lives were spent under the Soviet regime, and many believe things
17:43were better back then.
18:06And now what are most people doing here?
18:22Market forces have shifted jobs elsewhere, and the young have followed them, leaving
18:27the old behind.
18:32This may be the twilight of their years, but the villagers still know how to have a good
18:37time.
18:38I've got such big boots on, I do apologize.
18:41I'm stepping on toes left, right, and center, I'm so sorry.
18:47I've been drinking the water just for 20 minutes.
18:51I'm putting on your bed and I'm falling, eh?
18:56I've got a little day to bed.
18:58I've not sleeping, it's a f**k.
19:02I've had to sit on my bed a day, and I'm coming home with you, you're a friend,
19:04how'd I eat?
19:13I'm enjoying my time in Yukcha, but there's a melancholy feeling here.
19:18Up to a third of the houses are abandoned, and every year there are fewer children in the school.
19:24The situation here is typical of the Russian countryside, where the old outnumber the young.
19:30Thousands of villages, the soul and heart of Russia, are slowly but surely fading away.
19:50As villagers leave the countryside, loggers are moving in.
19:55Forest warden Alexei leases plots to private timber companies.
20:00Once the trees have been cut, Alexei ensures that the company replants the area.
20:05At the moment, he says only a small number of plots are cleared each year, so the forest has plenty
20:11of time to regenerate.
20:14I know in some parts of Russia there's lots of illegal logging. Do you think that's a problem in your
20:19province?
20:43It's estimated that around a quarter of the wood harvested in northwest Russia is illegal.
20:52At the same time, thousands of forest inspectors like Alexei have been laid off, leaving huge areas open to abuse.
21:02But for now, Alexei's supervision and these poor roads might just be enough to protect it.
21:10This area was logged and replanted 20 years ago.
21:14Alexei made sure his favourite tree, the Siberian cedar, was sown amongst the birch and the pine.
21:29Alexei doesn't just love cedar trees, he confides in them.
21:41Alexei doesn't just love cedar trees, he confides in them.
21:52You're like the policeman for the forest, Alexei. What do people think when you say that you talk to trees?
21:59Maybe they think what they want to think. I don't have to be aware of what they're talking to them.
22:06It's our secret.
22:12When we stop off on the way home to cook some food, Alexei opens up about his past and explains
22:19why he has such an unusual relationship with this forest.
22:23Most people that I've met in the community haven't travelled very far, but you, you've been many places. Tell me
22:31about where you've been.
22:33Vietnam.
22:34Vietnam?
22:36Cambodia.
22:37Cambodia, Cambodia, really?
22:39Yes, yes, yes.
22:40I received a letter, I was a military. I did it.
22:45Wow.
22:46In his youth, Alexei was drafted into the Russian intelligence service, the KGB,
22:51and sought active service overseas. What he witnessed and what he did have left deep emotional scars.
23:12When he left the service, he returned home to this area and sought solace amongst the trees.
23:19And did the forest help? The forest helped you get through it?
23:22Of course.
23:23You don't even need to ask questions.
23:26Yes, I took him and took him a whole day and went there immediately.
23:29I can say, I met again with all my friends.
23:35I told him that he came to the forest, so we'll be here now.
23:55It's time for me to continue my journey through Arctic Europe. I've seen how important the forest
24:02is to the people here on so many levels. I just hope this intimate relationship is not lost
24:09as Russia continues the rapid, often lawless, exploitation of its natural resources.
24:18I'm heading north into Norway.
24:21Over the last six months, I've visited many remote communities where a close connection to nature is still a part
24:28of everyday life.
24:29But northern Norway is a very developed part of the Arctic. I want to find out if any of the
24:35old ways have survived in this most modern of landscapes.
24:39So I've come to live with the Oskal clan. They're Sami, reindeer herders, and one of Europe's last indigenous peoples.
24:47When we are working together with reindeer, we get very good connections with us.
24:54With your family?
24:54With your family and cousins.
24:56With your friends who work?
24:56Yeah, we are all three cousins.
24:58Yeah.
24:58Okay.
24:59We are like friends and working together and family.
25:04The Sami are the original inhabitants of this region. Once nomads, they followed great herds of reindeer on their seasonal
25:12migrations.
25:13But more and more people are moving into Arctic Europe. The Sami way of life is under pressure. Nowhere more
25:20so than in the mountains around the city of Tromso.
25:23I've come here to take part in the Oskal family's Autumn Reindeer Roundup.
25:28I've just caught a glimpse of a couple of deer on the horizon, but it's going to be so interesting
25:34to be right in and amongst them and see the differences in the methods of herding.
25:42Johan Isik's ancestors have lived here for as long as 10,000 years. But in his modern clothes, he looks
25:48like any other Norwegian. What's life like for a 21st century Sami?
25:54The plan today is to have the reindeer over there. We want to get the reindeer over there?
25:59Over there.
26:00Okay.
26:01And where are they now? Just around the corner?
26:02They are in this place.
26:04Okay, a bit foggy.
26:05Foggy.
26:06Okay.
26:07The Sami tend their herd all year round, but Autumn is the busiest season. It's a race against time to
26:14move the reindeer to their winter pastures.
26:20After a brisk hike to the top of the hill, we glimpse a small herd of 100 deer through the
26:25mist.
26:27That's it. My first spotting of reindeer for a few months. I've kind of missed them. They're so pretty.
26:54I've got to try and get them to go that way. Beautiful as they are, they're willful creatures too. And
27:03they need a little bit of persuasion.
27:13The job is done, and the reindeer have been moved downslope towards the family's corral. This is just one of
27:20many small herds that must be gathered before the migration, so we have a busy week ahead of us.
27:28These mountains are full of danger for the reindeer.
27:32What do you think got these? Is this one or two?
27:35Two.
27:35Two is two.
27:36Yeah, okay. That's another head, yeah?
27:38Yeah.
27:39I think it's difficult to say. But when it was so close, I think this could be a predator work.
27:47Because there's two animals together?
27:49Two animals, yeah.
27:49Sure. And which predator do you think it might be?
27:52I think it's hard to say, but maybe lynx.
27:57The Sami sell reindeer for meat at this time of year, so predators can seriously affect their livelihood.
28:05And do you mind if I ask how much money a grown deer represents?
28:10It's hard to say, but maybe 10,000 kroner.
28:1510,000 kroner?
28:17Yes.
28:181,000 pounds sterling?
28:20It could be more than just 1,000 pounds. If this was a young female getting 10 calves, so it
28:28could be more.
28:291,000 pounds.
28:31Though reindeer herding is now also a business, these hills are wild and untamed.
28:36And Johann Isaac faces the same natural pressures his ancestors did.
28:42Snow blows in off the Arctic Ocean, shrouding the mountains with mist.
28:47Good visibility is essential to find reindeer, so for now, herding is on hold.
28:53But there's plenty of work to do getting the corral ready.
28:56Oh, you're a strong man.
28:57I was just a bit over-eager. I didn't realize you could do one at a time.
29:05I'm working with Darnell, one of Johann Isaac's many cousins.
29:14Sami reindeer are almost wild and are wary of humans and their structures.
29:18To get them into this fenced area, the family have a secret weapon,
29:23a nine-year-old stag with an illustrious name.
29:26Elvis is so tame.
29:28Almost like family.
29:31You see, it's a bell on this reindeer.
29:34When we are gathering the herd, it's a little tricky to get the reindeer coming down here and into the
29:41fence.
29:42But if the herd hears the bell, they see like, ah, there is Elvis, Elvis, so they also go.
29:53Oh, Elvis, you serve such an important job, man.
29:56Yeah.
29:56He's very cool.
29:58Elvis is the reindeer equivalent of the pied piper, leading the herd into this most unnatural of environments.
30:05The Oskal clan have about 2,500 reindeer spread out over a huge area.
30:11That's too many to gather on foot, but the snow means they can now switch to their favorite form of
30:16transport.
30:26This is what we're here for is out in the snow looking for reindeer.
30:32We've got two days to get them all together.
30:36It's really exciting.
30:39Darnell and his cousins are skillful and fearless on their snow machines.
30:45Some e-boys start riding them as young as 10 years old when they're considered strong enough to get themselves
30:51out of trouble.
30:55He's quite a driver.
30:57He's got balls of steel.
30:59It's a pretty good engine.
31:01We're having a very nice day.
31:18We found a fair few deer at last.
31:21There's a couple of hundred down there and a couple of hundred more over there probably.
31:26The plan is to get the reindeer all in the big group.
31:30We cannot fail.
31:33We're hopeful.
31:34We are hopeful.
31:35We are hopeful.
31:38Johan Isaacs is the most positive person I've ever met in my life.
31:42It's brilliant.
31:44Reindeer herding is ruled by the ever-changing seasons and the Sami have developed a philosophical, laid-back approach to
31:52life.
31:53They just seem to shrug off stress.
32:02We push the reindeer downhill, moving them closer to the corral where the whole herd will be gathered before the
32:09migration.
32:19With many streams to cross, it's hard going on men and machine.
32:34The weather's turning now and the night's coming so we're going to head back down the
32:38mountain and hopefully have another day like today tomorrow.
32:49The next morning the weather's worse than ever so no one can go up into the mountains.
32:57I'm invited to meet Berit Oskal, the oldest member of the family and grandmother to Johan
33:02Isaac and his cousins.
33:04She lives in a typically Norwegian house but her attire is distinctly Sami.
33:10How do you see the reindeer herding now with your people compared to when you were younger?
33:38Because they now have snow machines and other vehicles, the Sami no longer have to live
33:43so close to their herds.
33:45But though they've settled in modern houses, their culture is still very much alive.
33:52We head back to the corral to wait for the weather to improve.
33:56Another important member of the Oskal clan needs to be kept in good condition for his big day.
34:02Look, here you go.
34:04Here's that stuff you love.
34:11Having lost a day to bad weather, the Oskal men are behind schedule.
34:16Marshaling operations is Darnell's older brother, Johan Anders.
34:21We have to hope for better weather.
34:26You see, it's heavy weather, snow.
34:30We have to cross our fingers.
34:35Finally, the weather starts to clear.
34:37The pressure is on and everyone is expected to help out.
34:45We've got to get all of the deer together.
34:48So much so that they've given me a machine and I'm involved as well.
34:52So it's all to play for today.
34:55It's so important.
35:01It's tough going at this time of year when the fresh snow is uncompacted
35:06and I take many a tumble.
35:13Look at my binoculars.
35:15Do you think maybe I've had a crash?
35:18Now I know why you don't say anything.
35:20Yeah, exactly.
35:21I can't follow the deer and we know why.
35:23I'm always bloody crashing.
35:33For the next few hours we push small groups of reindeer down the valley
35:37until they form one big herd many hundreds strong on the ridge overlooking the corral.
36:07I am knackered.
36:09My arms are pumped.
36:10It just goes to show the skill that these guys have got.
36:15I thought it was tough enough just sitting on the back these last few days.
36:18But doing it yourself is so, so much harder.
36:25When the reindeer are gathered, it's Elvis' big moment.
36:29Johann Isaac leads him to where the herd can see him.
36:33But Elvis doesn't have to do all of the work.
36:35The Oskar clan has discovered a very modern way of moving the reindeer.
37:04He had to get back below.
37:09It would end up when he's discussing his flying power in Samsung.
37:10A flying accepción神 as a human race.
37:19This is the most incongruous thing I've ever seen in my life, all these wild animals essentially
37:26being herded by this noisy, leaping helicopter, and we've got to get them down off this hill
37:33into where there's houses and streetlights and crossing a busy road, a main road, and
37:38then into the pen. It's almost an impossible task. That's why it means like the helicopter
37:44are being brought into play.
37:53There's no way we could drive a snow machine down this steep forested slope, so the best
37:58way to herd is from the air and on foot.
38:25Unbelievable! After all this time, finally! We've got them in. They're cold, they got them
38:31We got them in, a lot of work, a big team, family effort.
38:36Bloody, noisy helicopter, but the deer are in the pens.
38:40Oh, what a relief.
38:45Bruce made a very good job.
38:48I liked the job he did.
38:49And it was like he knew what he was doing.
38:54It was good to get them into pens.
38:57It was a leaf.
38:59Yeah.
39:01And they crossed the road more easily than I thought.
39:04Yeah, you know with the Elvis, it goes very well.
39:07I've become fond of Elvis, feeding him this last week.
39:10Elvis is a good reindeer.
39:13Yeah, he's got a big part to play, I think.
39:16Tomorrow, the reindeer will be counted and marked
39:19before being moved to their winter pastures.
39:31Each individual reindeer is owned by a certain member of the Oskal family.
39:37The new calves that have made it through the summer need to be given their owner's special earmark.
39:42But first, we've got to catch them.
39:49The hardest thing is identifying them, and the second hardest thing is identifying them in time
39:54to be able to position yourself to get a shot.
39:56But good fun trying.
40:23So the first lesson in lassoing is try and get the right one.
40:27And if you miss the right one, try not to get a big, strong one.
40:39The whole clan is here to help out, even the youngest members.
40:44Reindeer herding is all about the family, and bonds are reinforced on days like today.
41:00You like it?
41:01I loved it.
41:02Yeah, it's really, it's really exhilarating.
41:05Fantastic.
41:06Thank you, my friend.
41:07I hate it.
41:08First one.
41:09I'll try again.
41:20There's been a lot of stresses and potential stresses in my time here this last week.
41:27And every one of them, they've just, whatever comes their way, they deal with it in an amazingly
41:31calm, stress-free way.
41:34Still, at the moment, at least, that old cultural style of dealing with it in a laid-back, philosophical
41:41way is strong.
41:48Once caught, easily identifiable patterns are quickly and skillfully cut into the calf's
41:53ear.
41:55Now it's time for the Sami to decide what to do with their animals.
42:00Should they keep them as breeding stock, or should they sell them for meat?
42:04They need to know their animals intimately to make the right call.
42:08We just check now first.
42:09See what is this?
42:11Female?
42:12Female.
42:13This is a female, but this is so, it's not so good, the calf.
42:17I don't think it will survive in the winter, so I take it to the slaughterhouse.
42:21Okay.
42:21Yeah.
42:22And the slaughter reindeer here.
42:24Oh, in there?
42:25Yeah.
42:26And this is one of yours?
42:27This is one of mine.
42:30This calf was small.
42:32Yeah.
42:32I think it can have problems in the hard winter.
42:35Sure.
42:35So I sell this.
42:36Okay.
42:38The cash Johann Isaac will get from his slaughtered
42:41reindeer as his main income for the year.
42:43But the Sami are by no means wealthy.
42:46Money is always tight.
42:48And rising fuel prices and other costs are forcing many herders to give up altogether.
42:53The Oskal clan has the added pressure of being so close to Tromsø.
42:58The city is expanding fast and the family is being forced to move its corral to make way
43:03for new developments.
43:04They are now making like an, what do you call, harbor in this area, big harbor.
43:10And they want us to move to a new area, farther north, away from the town.
43:19If it continues to be that you're pushed and squeezed more and more, what's at stake?
43:24You know, the reindeer have to have lots of space, lots of space to find the food.
43:32And I'm very anxious for the future.
43:38The Sami are in a continuous battle for their land and for their rights.
43:42But they have had many victories in the past, winning political autonomy and protection of
43:48their language.
43:49The source of their strength is their herding way of life.
43:52If this goes, they will lose the cornerstone of their culture.
44:03It's late into the night now.
44:06Hopefully, there's just one more lot to bring in and then that will be this day's work done.
44:19The reindeer that are not going to slaughter must now be moved to the winter
44:22pastures.
44:23These are in a more sheltered area 40 miles or so to the south.
44:28In the past, the reindeer would have migrated over land.
44:31But this way is now blocked by houses and roads.
44:34And the Oskar family has been forced to use an alternative form of transport.
44:39This all worked out just perfectly.
44:42And now is the beginning of the winter season for these guys.
44:46They load up the boat and off to new pastures.
44:57Okay, this is it.
44:58Last little push.
45:00Try and persuade these deer to get them the most unlikely of things.
45:04A big metal boat.
45:06The only way we're going to do it is usher them with this.
45:09Let's go!
45:12Let's go!
45:16Let's go!
45:34Let's go!
45:42Hey!
45:47Hey!
45:49Hey!
45:51Hey!
45:53Hey!
45:54Hey!
45:55Hey!
45:56Hey!
45:57Hey!
45:57Hey!
45:57Hey!
45:57Hey!
45:58Hey!
45:59Hey!
45:59Hey!
46:00With all the reindeer safely on board, it's time to set off on this most unnatural of migrations.
46:08The boat is heavily subsidized by the Norwegian government in recognition of the encroachment on the family's overland route.
46:17In order for these animals to get to where they need to be for the winter, which is essential for
46:22their safety,
46:23for them to be able to survive the winter, they now have to be transported.
46:27And the Sami would rather do this than give up their tradition of herding reindeer.
46:32So it's a necessary evil in the life cycle of these deer.
46:38In the past, the reindeer would have set the pace for the migration, moving only when they were ready.
46:44But the boat's departure date is fixed.
46:47So now the Sami have to deal with that most modern of things, a deadline, and all the pressures that
46:54it brings.
46:58It's not long before we're approaching the family's winter lands.
47:03These are further from the coast than the summer pastures, and more protected from the worst of the Arctic winter.
47:10How are you feeling now you know the deer are about to leave?
47:13I feel good.
47:14All safe?
47:14Yeah.
47:15All safe.
47:17And I hope it will be a good winter this year.
47:32What a wonderful sight.
47:35So nice to see them off again free, no pens, back into the wild.
47:44The Oskal clan is having to adapt to the challenges of the modern world.
47:49But their sense of identity is strong, and the way they have blended the old with the new is inspiring.
47:57But they still have many struggles ahead of them.
48:25It's heartening that the Sami are able to maintain their herding lifestyle in the future.
48:30In such a crowded part of the Arctic.
48:32But my final destination is much more wild and remote.
48:40I'm heading 400 miles north of the mainland to Svalbard.
48:44This archipelago is a Norwegian protectorate.
48:47But hardly anyone lives here, with polar bears outnumbering humans by two to one.
48:56My final destination is a day's boat ride away, up into the wilderness.
49:02This is the furthest north that I've ever been, and the furthest north that I'll be going on my Arctic
49:08odyssey.
49:10As concerns have grown about our impact on the Arctic, science has become one of the main activities in these
49:16islands.
49:18I'm heading to Nii Olsund, the nerve center of polar research in Europe.
49:23The people that I'm going to go and live with next are a very special breed.
49:29And I'm hoping that some of the questions I've had in my mind throughout the whole of my journey might
49:35finally get answered.
49:39Over the last six months, I've lived with people who are trying to adjust to a warmer Arctic.
49:46The scientists working here are scrutinizing such environmental change.
49:51I hope I'm finally going to get an overview on what's happening to the Arctic and its people.
50:00Nii Olsund is the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth.
50:05Ten different countries have state-of-the-art facilities here.
50:08And much of their research is focused on climate change.
50:16The air here should be some of the cleanest in the world.
50:20But Dr Katrin Lundmere from NILU, the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, tells me otherwise.
50:27That's quite spectacular.
50:29Yes.
50:29It's very spectacular.
50:31Is it as pristine as it looks?
50:33It's not as pristine as it looks, actually.
50:35If you really look at the details, it's not.
50:38So there's hardly a village in hundreds of miles, but still humans are having quite a large impact.
50:44Yes, actually.
50:44And if we look at these things here, this is the inlet for the climate gases.
50:49How important is this little structure for our understanding of global climate?
50:55It has a crucial position in determining global and northern hemispheric changes.
51:00In recent years, air sampled here has shown a significant increase in methane, a potent greenhouse gas that's given off
51:10as organic matter breaks down.
51:12As the Arctic warms, there are concerns that the permafrost, the layer of soil that should be frozen all year
51:19round, is thawing, releasing huge quantities of methane and further accelerating global warming.
51:27Even small increases in temperature can have a considerable effect on this frozen world.
51:33Studying a glacier on the edge of town is a French team led by Dr. Madeleine Griselain.
51:39So what have we got here?
51:40Here is an anemometer and pluvium meter station.
51:43Anemometer is for the wind?
51:45Yes.
51:45And the pluie is for rain?
51:47Rain gauge, yes.
51:48Okay.
51:52They've got ten or so different types of measuring apparatus from thermometers to collecting precipitation, photography, all sorts of different
52:01things.
52:02This glacier is pretty well covered.
52:04I'm so excited about this.
52:06Madeleine needs to erect a support for a weather station.
52:09This giant kettle will help her melt a hole in the ice, but it also has another very important news.
52:15We can cook sausage on the top.
52:31Are you ready for a sausage?
52:33For a sausage?
52:34You bet.
52:35Wow.
52:35My dear.
52:39There you have it.
52:44The northernmost steamed sausage ever, probably.
52:49Measuring stakes are spread out all over the glacier.
52:52In recent years, they've recorded significant melting.
52:55In three years, the ice was like that.
53:01So in three years, you've lost 40 meters.
53:03Yes.
53:03Just here.
53:06The temperature here has risen by two degrees centigrade in the last 40 years, with dramatic impacts.
53:13The rest of the world may be debating climate change.
53:17Some deny it's even happening at all.
53:19But up here, it's all too real.
53:24Before I leave Svalbard, I've arranged to meet Dr. Kim Holmaine, who coordinates research at the Norwegian Polar Institute.
53:32He's a world expert on change in the Arctic.
53:35If anyone can give me an overview on what's happening here, it's him.
53:41Isn't what we're experiencing just a natural warming of the climate?
53:45Part of the signal is natural, but part of it is undoubtedly human induced.
53:51I would argue that some of the changes we see are much more rapid than anything we find in the
53:57historic records.
53:59But just as a fellow human, what are your concerns for the future here?
54:04The change in the Arctic is not only for the polar bears, not only for the people that live in
54:10the Arctic, but it is also important for much of the rest of the world.
54:16Farming in China will be influenced.
54:19There is flooding in other parts of the world that is likely coupled to these large-scale circulation changes that
54:28ice-free Arctic will create.
54:32If the region continues to warm at the current rate, Kim and his colleagues predict that the Arctic Ocean may
54:39be ice-free in the summer within a few decades.
54:43The impacts of this would be felt across the world, and our weather will be very different to what we
54:49know today.
54:51Are you worried? Are you optimistic? How do you see this ever-changing world?
54:57I do believe that when more people understand, more people see what is happening, that we can make a serious
55:07impression.
55:08I certainly wish to spread knowledge in society, because that's the key to changing attitudes and behaviour for all of
55:17us.
55:32It's my last night in Nielsund, but the Arctic still has a few surprises in store.
55:39A laser beam studying the atmosphere lights up the sky.
55:44It's a crisp, clear, cold night, and the moon is full and as bright as I've ever seen it.
55:52There's a laser beam shooting to the stars over there.
55:56And finally, to cap it all, the magical northern lights have come out to play.
56:10Through the darkness of winter, the aurora borealis dance and pulse like a technicolour crown around the top of our
56:18world,
56:19uniting the polar communities with one of nature's most beautiful spectacles.
56:25It's a magical end to an emotional journey.
56:31It's time for me to leave the high Arctic.
56:34As I look back upon my six months here, it's the warmth of the people I've met that will stay
56:40with me the most.
56:52I've lived with hunters and witnessed them struggling to keep their traditions alive.
57:02And I've seen how vital a close connection to the land is for people's health and happiness.
57:11The race for the riches of the north is on.
57:15The starting gun has been fired.
57:19Fortunes will be made.
57:21But at what cost?
57:24Many fear the impacts the scramble for the Arctic will have on this fragile land and all who live here.
57:33We're in danger of losing a unique way of perceiving our world and of living in harmony with nature.
57:42The future of the Arctic is in our hands.
57:45We need to treat it wisely.
57:49Because what happens here will affect us all.
57:55One of the biggest things I've learned is that this isn't some pristine isolated ecosystem at the top of the
58:03world.
58:03This place is absolutely part of the whole.
58:09And what we're doing in the south is having absolutely an effect, often quite negative, here in this ecosystem.
58:18And so whatever we do in the future, we have to look at our planet as one.
58:40Catch up with all the action from Holby City here on BBC HD this evening at midnight after Human Planet
58:47next.
58:57We'll see you next.