We start in the bat caves of Northern Laos to show how human encroachment and the exploitation of nature have become a threat not only to wild animals, but to people around the world.

We follow the trade in bats and other wild animals through Laos and Myanmar to investigate how poverty, corruption, unregulated borders and conflict are fueling the illegal wildlife trade globally and substantially increasing the risk of the next pandemic.

We will examine the history of the wildlife trade, the superstitions that underlie it and the cultural beliefs that perpetuate it. We reveal the vast profits made from trafficking animals, because of the relatively low risks and the convergence of wildlife crime with other forms of organized crime.

We chronicle the story of how an American archaeologist discovered the world’s first zoo in Southern Egypt dating back 5,000 years and what it tells us about humans’ early fascination with wild animals.

We look at the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the killing of rhinos, tigers and pangolins and how the combination of new synthetic and herbal tonics together with changing attitudes provide hope for some of the world’s most endangered species.

Twenty years after visiting the illegal bear farms in Vietnam, we describe the bear bile trade and investigate what progress has been made in closing them down.

We examine the pet trade in the United States and Europe and the devastating impact it has on animals in the wild.

We document the war on wildlife in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and examine the links between terrorism and the wildlife trade in other parts of Africa. We describe the battle to infiltrate and dismantle wildlife trafficking syndicates and look at some of the recent successes.

We visit Tanzania’s Nyerere National Park to detail the story of the ivory trade and how stronger law enforcement has forced criminal networks to change their operations.

We visit Zanzibar which was a major hub both for ivory and for the slave trade and highlight its important historical context.

We follow the wildlife smuggling routes from Africa to Asia, to highlight who is involved in this multi-billion-dollar trade and how criminal syndicates collude with a corrupt network of traders, government institutions and customs officials to stay one step ahead of enforcement officials.

We profile Yang Fenglan known as the ‘Ivory Queen’ who is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for wildlife trafficking in Tanzania. We look at China’s historic trading links with countries around the world and examine the crucial role Chinese syndicates play in wildlife trafficking in Africa and across the planet. And we investigate how China’s ambitious multi-billion dollar ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure project threatens wildlife and ecosystems in some of the most remote corners of the earth.

We visit the London Natural History Museum to examine species loss and extinction and to show why it matters by documenting how in one generation we have wiped out 70% of wildlife populations on earth.

Twenty years after visiting Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Northeast India, we report on how the park has reduced poaching through community programs and examine whether this could become a model for other sanctuaries with acute human wildlife conflict issues.

In 2010, the Global Tiger Summit set a target of doubling the worldwide population of tigers by 2022. We will evaluate the success of this program 12 years on and look at the key lessons.

We investigate human-elephant conflict in Thailand with a particular focus on a herd of 150 elephants in the heavily populated eastern economic zone. This is a powerful metaphor for the ever diminishing interface between humans and the wild.

We report on the battle to save the pangolin, the world’s most trafficked mammal.

We look at the fate of the Snow Leopard, threatened by poaching, climate change and loss of habitat. Focussing on conservation efforts in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia.

We describe the importance of oceans to global biodiversity with a particular focus on conserving sharks.

We visit the bird markets of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia to document how local and international demand for songbirds is driving many species towards imminent extinction.

We visit Australia to highlight the recent catastrophic bushfires and floods which wiped out more than 3 billion animals. Climate change, environmental destruction and extinction aren’t something that may happen a few decades from now. They are happening right now before our eyes. Is this the future for humanity?

We profile Dr Jane Goodall, her indomitable journey and her message of hope.

We travel to the Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Congo to show how this Chimpanzee rescue centre has given these remarkable animals a second chance at life.

We look at how indigenous communities in many parts of the world play a critical role in conserving wildlife and helping to address the diminishing space between humans and nature.

We meet the conservationist biologists who scour the planet for new animal species and describe why they are important to our understanding of the interconnected web of life.

We meet the conservationist biologists who scour the planet for new animal species and describe why they are important to our understanding of the interconnected web of life.

Nearly two decades after the high profile initiative to clone the Tasmanian tiger was abandoned, scientists are making another attempt to clone the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth. We discuss what this really means for conservation or whether funds would be better spent conserving wild habitat and stopping the war on nature.

We look at efforts by governments and international agencies to address the wildlife and biodiversity crisis with a focus on the recent international biodiversity conference held in Cali, Colombia. We describe how despite widespread gloom we have come a long way in recent years – and where we need to go from here to repair our broken relationship with nature. 

We describe rewilding projects in Australia, England and Brazil and highlight their vital importance in restoring the natural habitat that we have destroyed over the centuries.

We examine how technology is transforming conservation with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence. Without the human traits of greed and power, can AI direct us to a sustainable future?

We feature Burma’s indigenous women wildlife protection units, Asia’s first all-women’s wildlife intelligence unit and how this is providing an inspiring model for conservation success and why female empowerment and conservation are inextricably linked.

We outline a plan of action from leading conservationists, scientists and ecologists and describe bold new policy initiatives from governments and international bodies to put an end to commercial wildlife trade and trafficking, to halt deforestation and the expansion of industrial meat production, promote health, education and development and chart a viable and sustainable course for the world.