Cathy and Patrice are nature wardens. Each day, they roam the lagoons of New Caledonia to protect natural areas and the species living in them. Brut nature spent a day with these "rangers of the sea".
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TravelTranscript
00:00We are going to check the boat. Thank you for approaching.
00:10Be careful, it's a U-turn.
00:30The nature guard has three roles.
00:41A role of awareness on the environment,
00:44a role of control and a role of tracking of emblematic species.
00:49We can say that it's like a sea ranger.
00:52We are going to leave the port of Ploum,
00:56go through the southern lagoon to reach the southern islands,
01:00Coco and Moray, which we are interested in today,
01:03to see the state of the bird colonies.
01:05By the way, we are going to check all the boats we will meet,
01:09especially for the fight against poaching.
01:27There is a boat on the island of Yeroué,
01:32I have the impression that there is a camp next to it.
01:37We are going to check it out.
01:42It's quite traditional in New Denmark to camp on the islands.
01:47You have to understand that these are natural places
01:52and that we have an impact.
01:54It is important to respect certain rules
01:57so that these islands remain beautiful places
02:01where nature can develop.
02:04Hello, nature guard.
02:06Have you fished?
02:08Have you fished?
02:10We are checking the fishing.
02:12Before yesterday.
02:15There are dogs and all,
02:17you don't catch them in the southern islands with dogs.
02:23Dogs never do anything, but here they are free.
02:27If there is a dog inside with a little one in it,
02:30they will go and bite it, you won't even realize it.
02:32Another thing, I see that you made a fire.
02:35Did you use wood from the island?
02:39On the islands, it is important to leave everything that is there
02:48so that it can be renewed.
02:50Especially since we have a big period of drought.
02:52If one day we have a fire on an island,
02:54tell yourself that it's over and the firefighters won't come.
02:57It's not possible.
02:58We really have risks for everything to burn.
03:01Thank you for your understanding.
03:03If you want to put the dogs back like that,
03:06we will see that you have good intentions.
03:20Ok, there is nothing special.
03:22And for the waste?
03:27Thank you, have a good day.
03:36The island of N'Boré
03:51We arrive on the island of N'Boré.
03:54We are welcomed by a red-footed mad man.
04:01It's an island where there are storms that are raging.
04:05So we raised the mast.
04:07It allows the users to know that this island is closed
04:12and that they should not land to not disturb the birds.
04:19There are a lot of birds on the other side.
04:21We're going to check them.
04:23There are some nobodies too, I think.
04:31Throughout the season, we do regular counting.
04:34We see the evolution of the colonies,
04:36if the reproduction goes to the end.
04:46There are 25 nobodies,
04:48with about 30 small racers on the beach.
04:53And Nereus, which is a very rare bird.
04:55There are at least 50 of them.
04:58There you go.
05:01The sterns nest on the beaches.
05:04So if we land,
05:07whether by ourselves or with dogs,
05:09we make the adults fly away.
05:11And unfortunately, if we leave the egg or the juvenile
05:16for more than 10 minutes without the parent,
05:18who will regulate the temperature,
05:20well, it's over, the egg will cook
05:22and then the juvenile will be dehydrated and die.
05:28In the next episode
05:41Our friend is still here.
05:46We're arriving at the Island of the Cuckoos,
05:49the Island of the Crazy.
05:51There are birds in Caledonia that we only find on this island.
05:54There are frigates, red-legged cranes and cranes.
06:01We can see the cranes.
06:04They fly like that.
06:06They may not come to us.
06:08There.
06:09Here.
06:11This is an island where there are
06:14reproduction birds all year round.
06:16So we leave the moths permanently.
06:19It must be 5 or 6 years.
06:21We leave the moths.
06:23The population is really increasing.
06:34For 5 or 6 years, we've had a species of bird
06:37that no longer nested,
06:38that was no longer present in the South Lagoon,
06:40the crazy moth,
06:41which came back, settled down
06:43and reproduced on the island.
06:45It's a satisfaction because unfortunately
06:47we often see the opposite.
06:49A species that leaves areas,
06:51here we have a new species.
07:00See you next time, birds!
07:22There's a boat coming up to enter the channel,
07:25but apparently it saw us.
07:29Watch out, it's turning around.
07:31Ouch!
07:33The Provincial Guard,
07:34please control the boat.
07:36Thank you for approaching.
07:37I have a small camera,
07:38but I'm trying to take my photo from afar.
07:47I'm trying to do the imagery
07:49of the boat.
07:50I can't see it in the binoculars,
07:52it's complicated.
07:53We'll see where they are later,
07:55but...
07:5738...
08:01In fact, it knows that we can't
08:03pass on the deck at low tide,
08:05so it stops.
08:06Oh, we're dead.
08:07But you won't pass there, Patrice,
08:09it stops.
08:10No, I'm fine.
08:11It's a myth.
08:14So, a lack of luck there.
08:16We won't be able to...
08:17On the other hand,
08:18we have the registration,
08:19so afterwards,
08:20we can find the people
08:21to whom the boat belongs.
08:41The refusal of control,
08:42in the end,
08:43is the penalty,
08:44the punishment.
08:45It's the heaviest penalty
08:47that exists
08:48in the Environment Code.
08:50So, in fact,
08:51people who think
08:52they're being withdrawn from control,
08:54in the end,
08:55they're going to have
08:56even more trouble
08:58than if they were controlled.
09:00And in addition,
09:01in three quarters of the cases,
09:03there is no infraction.
09:04So, that's it.
09:07The lagoon is not very large.
09:09We have more and more people
09:11who fish.
09:12And so,
09:13the resources are limited.
09:14So, if everyone
09:15respects the Code,
09:16effectively,
09:17the resource
09:18will be able
09:19to be renewed.
09:20Otherwise,
09:21unfortunately,
09:22the resources
09:23will decrease
09:24and it will suffer
09:25for everyone,
09:26whether it's
09:27for the environment
09:28or for the resources
09:29of everyone.
09:30I think that humans
09:31can only survive
09:32if they manage
09:33to preserve
09:34their environment
09:35and that they are
09:36an integral part
09:37of that environment.
09:38So,
09:39when there are
09:40exceptional environments
09:41somewhere
09:42that are still
09:43in acceptable states,
09:44it's a heavy responsibility,
09:45I think,
09:46to try
09:47to preserve them
09:48in this way
09:49because it becomes
09:50still rare
09:51on our planet.