ARTE Distribution

Dominating the Romanian Carpathians, Bran Castle stands guard over a land of legends. Associated with the most famous of vampires, Dracula, it attracts crowds in search of artificial thrills. But in the dark woods surrounding the fortress, other wild creatures lurk, far more real than the old count... Bears, lynx and wolves have made these ancient forests their main refuge in Europe. In the shadow of the castle, between flourishing tourism and the need for preservation, a new cohabitation between humans and beasts is taking shape.

In a garrigue bathed in sunshine, the Gardon shapes a wild landscape where life adapts to its whims. 2,000 years ago, the Romans defied this indomitable river by building the Pont du Gard, a veritable masterpiece of engineering. A symbol of human mastery over nature, the edifice has nevertheless blended into its surroundings over time. Little by little, plants and animals have colonized its stones, transforming this ancient monument into an incredible refuge for Mediterranean biodiversity.

Perched on the heights of Alsace since the XIIᵉ century, Haut-Koenigsbourg castle has witnessed the power struggles that have shaped the region. But its history is not limited to human rivalries: by modifying the landscape, its builders also transformed the surrounding flora and fauna. Forests, meadows and rivers have evolved, impacting emblematic species such as the white stork, the wildcat and the European hamster. Today, visited by thousands of tourists, the château stands helplessly by, witnessing the growing rift between man and his environment...

Majestic and timeless, Mont Blanc is much more than just a summit. The cradle of mountaineering, it first saw science guide the first ascents, before becoming the Mecca of high-altitude sports. But Mont Blanc is first and foremost a living, natural heritage, concentrating all the biodiversity of the Alpine massifs. Today, global warming is jeopardizing the snows that were once thought to be eternal, and with them the harmony between man and mountain.

In the heart of the Isle of Mull, battered by winds and sea spray, Duart Castle dominates a wild landscape. Witness to clan conflicts and Scottish destinies, the proud Highland stronghold now seems eclipsed by another history: that of the beasts. Eagles, otters and deer now attract visitors who come to capture the image of unspoilt nature. This fascination with the wild is gradually redrawing the fragile balance between human and animal heritage. Can the Isle of Mull preserve this cohabitation without one taking precedence over the other?

In the American West, the Grand Canyon, carved out by the waters of the Colorado River over 445 kilometers, is one of the most impressive natural sites on the planet. Protected by a national park since 1919, it is home to an astonishing biodiversity living in a mineral environment with inhospitable conditions.

An underwater jewel stretches along northeast Australia. The Great Barrier Reef. Nestled within a maze of mangroves, islands and reefs, it houses some of the planet’s richest and most diverse forms of marine life. Each creature plays its part while sharks, saltwater crocodiles, snakes and jellyfish keep watch.  They are the silent guardians of a balance which is as beautiful as it is fragile. From the top of the food chain these predators conduct the orchestra of life.  But their power can’t protect them in a faltering world. An insidious threat rumbles; the climate compass is going off course. Wild lands are crumbling, gradually succumbing to human attacks. Boundaries blur, and the two worlds collide… and sometimes clash. The rules are being rewritten to the rhythm of this new disorder. But researchers know that ecosystems are unstable without their predators. So how can we coexist with them? How can we create a shared life, where everyone still has their place?

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is home to some of the most breathtaking life forms on the planet. Ravaged by the effects of climate change, some believe all hope is lost. Yet others, driven by courage and determination, are working tirelessly to find ingenious and practical solutions. This is the case for marine biologist Richard Fitzpatrick and his teams, who are dedicated to saving the Great Barrier Reef by implementing innovative scientific protocols to restore damaged coral. Stepping out of their labs, these field scientists show what imagination, science, and action can achieve.

In the shimmering waters of the Great Barrier Reef, the tiger shark reigns supreme. A legendary predator and essential to the balance of the reefs, it fascinates as much as it frightens. Australian scientists decipher its behavior, its migrations, and the complex interactions that bind it to humans. Thanks to new technologies and an unprecedented approach to cohabitation, this film unveils the mysteries of a giant of the seas, the silent guardian of a fragile world.

Why have humans felt the need to wear masks for thousands of years? What is liberated when we leave our everyday identity behind? To understand this, anthropologist Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke will attend two festivals in which anonymity, made possible by costumes, plays a central role: the Diablada de Pillaro (Ecuador), during which men, despite being devout Catholics, transform themselves into devils, and the masked ball of the Cayenne Carnival (French Guiana), dominated by a mysterious figure... the “Touloulou.”

The benefits of reef sharks to coral are immense and still largely unknown to the public. In fact, sharks protect coral reefs by hunting mid-level predators like groupers and barracudas (not the small fish that clean algae or help coral spread). By controlling these predators, they indirectly safeguard the grazers that keep coral healthy. Thus, sharks act as protectors of coral’s essential cleaners so much so that, when threatened, these small fish emit distress calls to summon sharks for help.
 
Yet today, some shark species have never been observed alive, and for others, we know nothing about their prey or hunting methods. Without this knowledge, it’s impossible to grasp the critical role they play in reef ecosystems.
 
This "Shark Mission" has two clear objectives:
 
- Uncover the importance of completely unknown shark species to reef health.
 
- Field-test simple, scalable coastal protection systems that can be easily adapted to other coral barriers worldwide — ensuring shark populations remain large enough to curb the unchecked proliferation of mid-level predators, which, if left unchecked, will gradually destroy the reefs.

From the mangroves of Queensland to the lagoons of the Great Barrier Reef, saltwater crocodiles reign over an empire of water and mud. Survivors from the age of the dinosaurs, these giant predators live between land and ocean, guardians of a fragile balance. Scientists track their movements and decipher the secrets of a fascinating animal, as feared as it is essential to the health of the coastline.