Norway: How Islanders Protect Eider Ducks in the Vega Archipelago | Paradise Preserved (4/5)

In the Vega Archipelago, way up in the north of Norway at the Arctic Circle, nature is austere. For centuries, the people here lived from fishing and farming. And from a unique partnership they formed with wild eider ducks. The more than 6,000 islands of the Vega Archipelago are the realm of the eider ducks. They come here every year to find food in the shallow waters and to mate. But on the bare islands their eggs and chicks are also constantly exposed to the weather and to predators like seagulls and eagles. The islanders provide the ducks with a unique form of protection: for hundreds of years they have built countless boxes from driftwood, small shelters from stone and nesting sites below their own homes – places where the birds can incubate their eggs and raise the chicks. In return, after the breeding season, the islanders harvest the costly eiderdown, with which the ducks line their nests. The feathers have an extremely high insulating capacity and durability, which make them a much sought-after raw material. It takes the down from 60 to 70 nests to fill just one duvet, which will then be sold for several thousand euros. This way of life, which has also shaped the islands, is under threat. Because life in the Archipelago is lonely and tough. In recent decades most of the inhabitants have left the islands. There are only a few left, who look after the ducks in summer. But there is hope: because of its unique symbiosis of humans and animals, the Vega Archipelago has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2004 - and a new generation of young Norwegians is getting involved. ------- Chapters ▷ 00:00 - Introduction ▷ 02:26 - Eider Ducks & Tradition ▷ 12:19 - Duck Guardians ▷ 18:30 - Dwindling Fish Stocks ▷ 28:44 - Paradise for Seabirds ▷ 34:14 - Ducklings ▷ 35:53 - Down Harvest ▷ 51:33 - Credits #documentary #animals #wildlife #norway #eiderducks #ducks #conversation #wildlifeconversation #unesco #unescoworldheritage #animalplanet ------- Watch the whole series: https://bit.ly/paradise_preserved Subscribe to wocomoWILDLIFE: https://goo.gl/L5puvQ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wocomo ------- The 5-part series “Paradise Preserved” transports us into five fantastically beautiful regions, where unusual concepts of nature conservation are being practised: with people rather than against them. Instead of banning local residents, companies or tourists from these species-rich regions of nature, they become part of a new strategy. Through responsible, sustainable use of the natural resources they are helping to preserve these natural paradises — with extraordinary results. Nature and human beings can not only co-exist, but ideally can benefit from each other. This is happening in different ways in the five regions portrayed. In some cases, shepherds, collectors and farmers are protecting unique ecosystems by returning to old traditions and living and working in harmony with nature. In other cases, scientists, entrepreneurs and foresters are using modern expertise to look for concepts which secure an income for the inhabitants of these regions and at the same time conserve habitats under threat. Exploitation for the sake of protection: that’s how these natural paradises are being made fit for the future. In the Congolese rainforest, in Norway’s Vega Archipelago, in the Alpine meadows of Switzerland, in the cultivated landscape around Lake Constance and in the Ecuadorian cloud forests nature conservation and people’s lives are being reconciled. The individual episodes are self-contained and document fascinating projects that are dependent on vision, inventiveness and a long-term approach. Lavishly filmed drone and underwater footage, rare wildlife shots and moving stories make the “Paradise Preserved” series an unforgettable experience - mentally, visually and emotionally. Original title: Norway: Return to the Duck Islands | Paradise Preserved (4/5) A film by Daniel Münter © 2019, Licensed by Albatross ------- Videos about animals, aquatic life and nature: wocomoWILDLIFE offers high-quality entertainment. The films on our channel are produced by leading production companies. Check out our other channels to watch high quality documentaries: ▷ wocomoHUMANITY: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoHUMANITY ▷ wocomoDOCS: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomodocs ▷ wocomoHISTORY: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoHISTORY ▷ wocomoTRAVEL: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoTRAVEL ▷ wocomoCOOK: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomocook WocomoWILDLIFE is part of the Wocomo channel network by NIKITA VENTURES. Wocomo - wonderful content in motion.