Naturalist, entomologist and musician Dan Bárta in a new series of Czechs save the day publishes a map of the problems of Czech nature, which are solved by outstanding natural scientists from all over the country. Dan Bárta's six-part documentary series Landscape starts today at 20:50 on ČT2.
"Dan Bárta's Landscape reveals in an engaging way the current problems in the coexistence of man and nature. He points out what is changing, what is disappearing and how to change our behaviour so that our nature and surroundings are at least a little better off. The guide Dan Bárta draws attention to connections that may seem obvious, but sometimes escape us precisely because they are in plain sight and it is good to talk about them. The programme is for everyone who likes nature and animals and is not indifferent to the current changes in the landscape." says the creative producer Martina Šantavá.
Documentary series Country of Dan Barta loosely follows the first series of the cycle Czechs save the day, in which the same authors mapped Czech projects to save critically endangered species, especially in the world. In the new series, the documentary filmmakers remain in the Czech Republic with their cameras - this time uncovering the pressing problems of our landscape, explaining the context and offering concrete solutions that have already proven themselves somewhere in the Czech Republic in cooperation with leading Czech naturalists.
"Together with the director Zdeněk Suchý and the director of the Liberec zoo David Nejedl, we thought it would be good to go home, to the Czech Republic, to Europe. To try to uncover some of the most pressing pains of our countryside and, in cooperation with experts in the field, to put them right," Says Dan Barta, who graduated in applied ecology at the University of Ostrava and works as a naturalist and guide on the show.
"I don't think we lack the will or the desire to do something, but rather some basic understanding of the relationships between organisms and between organisms and the environment. An age where any ordinary naturalist, ecologist, or conservationist is labelled a green terrorist or an irrational figurehead who hates people and hinders progress may not be conducive to this, but to debate meaningful and effective change you need to be clear about how things really work, what and how it counts, and where you find the biggest frictions." He adds.
Large ungulates and other animals from the Milovice reserve will be presented in several parts. Viewers will see footage of bison from the former military area of Milovice in the second part The landscape with the last bee. The jackals from the Milovice reserve are mentioned in the third part Country with a wolf pack. And the wild horses from the Milovice reserve, which now protect nature in Josefovské meadows near Jaroměř and Kozmické meadows near Opava, will be presented in the final part of the A country with new roads. At least for a moment, viewers can catch a glimpse of wild horses in every episode of this series. Their depiction is part of the stained glass window that Dan Bárta walks past in the opening theme song of the show. "We are glad that Dan Bárta and Zdeněk Suchý approached us for the second series. It shows, among other things, the shift that has taken place since the first season of the series. The Great Ungulates are no longer a pioneering project limited to the former military area of Milovice, but have become part of the rescue of endangered nature in many locations across the Czech Republic," He told Dalibor Dostál, director of the Czech Landscape Conservation Society, which established the Milovice reserve in 2015 in cooperation with scientists.
In the six episodes, the creators of the series deal with topical issues: invasive species of plants and animals in the Czech landscape, the return of wild animals such as the wolf and the lynx to the Czech countryside, effective yet environmentally friendly methods of landscape management, the drastic decline of insects and birds in recent decades, and the role of zoos today. "These are topics that need to be repeated over and over again. We looked at them in our own way. We are not activists or poets. If there were a more serious problem than the well-known decline of insects and birds, or the increase of invasive species of plants and animals, all we would have left to do is spin obituaries," says the director of the series Zdeněk Suchý.
The filmmakers traveled literally all over the country and visited many places with the camera where nature is being restored to its more natural functioning. Most of the footage was shot outdoors - in all kinds of weather. How did the documentarians cope with the occasional heavy rain or snow? "It would be weird if we were making a film about nature and complaining about it. It's minus nineteen degrees in the beast part and Dan's halfway through his body. In the invasive organisms segment, it's raw Sumava rain and Dan in a pink raincoat. So we handled it with grace," adds director Zdeněk Suchý.
Dan Bárta is not losing reasons for optimism either. When asked if he has a favourite area in the Czech Republic that also serves as a good example of a good relationship with nature, he says: "Those areas will appear in the series: Milovice, Kozmické Louky, Josefovské Louky and so on, in short, landscape elements that clearly enrich, diversify and heal the landscape. Today, when it comes to nature conservation, relatively little is enough, and it does not necessarily have to be expensive. It is time that is in short supply. And space. Any space that we 'give back' to nature, while not abandoning it to just fester and decay, is far more valuable today than it was, say, a quarter of a century ago. We are strong. It's good to gain that confidence and to cut back a little." He concludes.
Series Country of Dan Barta starts on Wednesday 19 February at 20:50 on CT2 and will be on screen at the same time for the next six weeks. The broadcast episodes will be available in iBroadcast.
Czech landscape/ gnews.cz - RoZ
INTRODUCTORY PHOTO - Tomáš Kresta
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