ABC News and Global Conservation
Launch Groundbreaking Film Series - Last Lands
Click here to watch Episode 1's first 9-minute clip.
Last Lands takes viewers on a high-stakes journey to five countries across Asia, Africa, and South America, where conservationists, indigenous communities, and park rangers confront environmental destruction head-on. From cartel-driven illegal gold mining in Ecuador’s Amazon to the battle against ivory poaching in Africa’s forests, the series captures the courageous efforts of those risking their lives to save endangered landscapes and species.
Jeff Morgan, Executive Director of Global Conservation, said, “Last Lands brings the stories of frontline conservationists to a global audience, showing the vital work needed to protect the world's most endangered national parks and indigenous territories from the Amazon to the Congo. Protecting our last intact tropical forests in endangered national parks and indigenous lands is crucial not just for biodiversity, but for the future survival of the human race.”
The Congo and the Amazon, both featured in Last Lands, are the lungs of the Earth, and losing these critical tropical forests and wildlife habitats will stop progress in the most cost-effective way to solve the Climate Crisis.
Trailer
Episodes Out Now
on ABC News
Global Conservation, the only international non-profit organization focused on the direct protection of endangered national parks and indigenous territories in developing countries, is partnering with ABC News to present Last Lands, a compelling new series spotlighting the global fight to protect our planet's most threatened ecosystems.
Hosted by acclaimed journalist Bob Woodruff, the series will premiere on September 16 on ABC News LIVE and Disney+/Hulu showcasing the vital work being done by Global Conservation, national goverments and local communities to protect the world's last intact tropical forests and sanctuaries for critically endangered wildlife.
Episode Highlights
Ecuador: The Amazon rainforest now faces devastation from illegal gold mining controlled by powerful cartels and thousands of illegal miners destroying national parks and indigenous territories and polluting the rivers with cyanide and mercury. Bob Woodruff joins indigenous patrols and government forces as they fight to reclaim their indigenous territories and national parks from environmental ruin.
Click here to learn more about the efforts to protect Ecuador’s Amazon and the work of Global Conservation.
Indonesia: In the Coral Triangle’s Derawan Archipelago, illegal bomb fishing and turtle egg poaching are destroying centuries-old coral reefs and an idyllic tourism destination. This episode documents the battle to protect the area’s pristine marine life as Woodruff embeds with maritime police to expose the lawlessness in these waters.
Click here to learn more about Global Conservation’s efforts in Indonesia.
Cambodia: Cambodia’s rapid deforestation, which has left 30% of its forests destroyed in just two decades, takes center stage in this episode. Woodruff joins the government rangers and international special forces who protect one of the last intact national parks, tackling illegal logging, land clearing and wildlife poaching.
Click here to learn more about Global Conservation’s work in Cambodia.
Cameroon & Gabon: Woodruff goes in search of the last remaining forest elephants of Africa, over two-thirds which have been killed in the last twenty years. This episode follows the dangerous journey to uncover the networks behind the poaching crisis and the efforts to save these majestic animals across Cameroon and Gabon.
BEHIND THE PRODUCTION
