野 性 加 拿 大
加拿大拥有世界上最独具特色的 Canada has some of the most remarkable wilderness
一些原始荒原地貌... found anywhere in the world...
还有许多特有的野生动物 And some of the planet's most iconic wildlife.
是世界上海岸线最长的国家 It has the longest coastline of any country in the world.
地球上淡水面积 It has more surface freshwater
分布最多的国家 than any other nation on Earth...
同时拥有最广袤的原始森林 And the largest intact forest left on the planet.
不过，我们如今所看到的大好风光 And yet much of this great wilderness
以及魅力无限的野生动物 and the wildlife found here today
得益于人类千百年来的锤炼 is a result of shaping by humans over thousands of years.
加拿大遍布惊人的原生地貌以及野生物种 Canada is a land filled with astounding wilderness and wildlife.
本系列节目将展示这令人惊奇的缤纷大自然 And this Series will explore this incredible natural diversity
以及孕育了它们的那些力量 and the forces that produced it.
第 一 集
永 恒 的 疆 土
一万五千年前 15,000 years ago,
加拿大被埋在厚达几千米的大陆冰川之下 Canada was buried under a kilometres-thick, continent-wide glacier.
这才是加拿大现代野生物种及自然风光 This is when the story of Canada's modern wildlife
真正的开源之地 and landscapes actually begins.
随着海平面下降 As sea levels lowered,
出现了一座联接亚洲的大陆桥 a land bridge with Asia was created,
新的物种得以沿此进入北美洲 along which new life entered North America.
史无前例地 And for the first time,
人类来到了这片新世界 humans arrived in this new world.
如前面说到的， Right from the start,
他们开始改变周围的土地和动物 they began to change the land and wildlife around them...
一切就再也回不到从前了 And nothing would ever be the same again.
一万五千年后， But 15,000 years later,
加拿大成为了世上最狂野的国家之一 Canada is considered one of the wildest countries in the world.
其中一个最壮阔的自然景观 And one of its greatest natural spectacles
每年都在大西洋海岸上演 takes place each year on its Atlantic Coast.
这里是纽芬兰省 This is the province of Newfoundland,
位于北美大陆的最东边 and it's as far east as you can go on the North American continent.
数千年来 For thousands of years,
这个地方吸引着近悦远来的游客们 this place has drawn travellers to its shores.
每年春天座头鲸都会从遥远的加勒比海来到这里 Humpback whales arrive here each spring from as far away as the Caribbean.
它们被这里的富庶所吸引 They're drawn by the abundance of this place.
这里的丰饶来自海洋 It's a richness that comes from the sea.
年复一年， Over the years,
这里的富饶吸引着众多不同的来客 this richness drew many different types of visitors.
1497年 In 1497,
约翰·卡伯特来到这里 John Cabot arrived
成为自维京时期以来第一位踏足这个新大陆 and became the first European since the Vikings
并对其宣告主权的欧洲人 to lay claim to this new-found land.
卡伯特那时在找一条通往中国的新航线 Cabot was looking for a new trade route to China,
反而意外地偶遇了自然资源极度富饶的加拿大 but instead stumbled upon the unimaginably rich natural resources of Canada.
在东部海岸线 Here on the East Coast,
财富自海底涌来 that wealth begins under the sea.
这是多春鱼 Capelin.
浅滩上数以几十亿计的这种小鱼群 Huge shoals of these small fish,numbering in the billions,
每年春季都沿着纽芬兰海岸大规模聚集 mass along the coast of Newfoundland each spring.
这些营养丰富的小鱼 These nutrient-rich fish
为此地丰富多样的生命提供了保障 support the incredible abundance of life here.
一度数量庞大的大西洋鳕鱼群 The Atlantic cod were once here in numbers so great
多到偶尔会让航船步履维艰 that boats occasionally had a hard time getting through their shoals.
如此丰富的渔场 Such rich fishing grounds
引来了第一批登岛的欧洲人 lured the first Europeans to these shores.
如今 壮观的鳕鱼群大多已然不再了 Today, the great schools of cod are mostly gone.
但这并非表示这儿的多春鱼就安全了 But that doesn't mean the capelin here are safe.
这片生机勃勃的海域 These productive seas
是世上最大规模的座头鲸聚集地 attract the largest gathering of Humpback whales in the world.
这些巨型的食肉动物 These massive predators
每年此时都不远千里 have travelled thousands of kilometres
来到这儿共享多春鱼盛宴 to be here at this time of year to feast on capelin.
数月不曾进食 牠们已饥肠辘辘 They haven't fed for months, and they're hungry.
牠们每天要消耗大量的多春鱼 They can eat up to a ton of capelin in a single day.
大口吞吐一次 In one massive gulp,
这些鲸能吞进五万升的水 these whales can take in 50,000 litres of water...
连带着多春鱼 And capelin.
多春鱼游弋于海岸线并非是为了喂食鲸鱼 The capelin aren't just hanging around the coast to feed the whales.
它们来此是为了繁殖 They are here for a reason...to breed.
多春鱼是海滩产卵的鱼类 These capelin are beach spawners,
为了繁殖 它们不得不上岸 so to reproduce, they have to get to shore.
能到达岸上的办法只有一个 And there is only one way to get there...
它们得冲浪 They have to surf.
多数时间里 Most of the time,
着实难以欣赏到海洋的丰饶富足 it's truly hard to appreciate the abundance of the sea,
因为它们通常都在视线以外 藏于海面之下 as it's often out of sight,hidden beneath the surface.
不过当多春鱼在纽芬兰产卵之时 But when the capelin spawn in Newfoundland,
这里令人惊叹的出产效率 the incredible productivity of this place
可谓是狂潮般涌上海滩... literally washes up onto shore...
这让它们轻易就暴露于一群新的天敌面前 And this puts them in easy reach of a whole new set of predators.
在骚动不安的水里 Somehow in this crazy tumult of water,
沙滩上 以及翻腾的群体中 sand, and tumbling bodies,
多春鱼得找到自己的伴侣 each capelin has to find a partner.
随后在退潮的十几秒之内 Then, in the dozen seconds that it takes for the wave
在沙滩上完成交配 回到大海 to slide back over the sand into the sea,
它们有了完美的交配条件 they have the perfect conditions for mating.
雌性多春鱼产下鱼卵 The female lays her eggs
同时雄性多春鱼在其侧面 while competing males flank her,
为取得能使鱼卵受精的位置而竞争 jostling for position to fertilize them.
多春鱼成功地避过了鳕鱼 The capelin have made it past the cod,
鲸类和海鸥 the whales, and the gulls
产下了下一代 to produce the next generation.
加拿大东海岸这等壮观场面 This incredible spectacle here on Canada's East Coast
是另一个时期的确实证明 is a testament to another time,
当时第一批欧洲人被吸引而登上这片海岸 one that drew the first Europeans to these shores.
对于如卡伯特这些早期的到访者们而言 And to these early visitors, like Cabot,
这是一片有待开拓利用的全新疆域 this was a new frontier, waiting to be exploited.
但是他们很快就意识到 It didn't take them long to realize
这片土地并非如预想那样荒无人烟 that there were already people here.
约翰.卡伯特是最早 John Cabot was one of the first
遭遇博撒克部落的人类之一 to encounter a people called the Beothuk,
他们是纽芬兰和拉布拉多的原著居民 the native inhabitants of Newfoundland and Labrador.
为显示他们的部落身份 To celebrate their tribal identity,
他们用红赭石将自己的身体 they completely covered their bodies,
衣物以及武器 clothing, and weapons
全部涂成红赭色 with red ochre.
这致使“红印度人”的称呼 This led to the name "Red Indians"
被用在这块大陆的许多原住民身上 being applied to many of the native peoples of the continent.
这是一次两个截然不同的世界的会面 This was a meeting of two very different worlds.
不过这些博撒克人 But the Beothuk
并不想与这些新面孔有什么关系 didn't want to have anything to do with these new arrivals.
卡伯特及其他早期的探险家们 Cabot and the other early explorers
很快就意识到 quickly came to realize
这个新世界已经是许多人的家园 that this new world was already home to many people.
然而令他们万万没想到的是 But what they could never have imagined
他们所发现的这块看似质朴而荒芜的疆土 was that the seemingly pristine, wild landscapes they found here
实际上已经经历了第一批居民 had been shaped by the First Nations inhabitants
数千年的探索与发掘 over thousands of years.
在卡伯特到达的时候 At the time of Cabot's arrival,
那些居住于东部森林的伊洛魁人和阿尔冈琴人 the Iroquoian and Algonquian people of the eastern forests
已经创造了一个富饶 美好的家园 had created a rich, lush homeland.
1679年 有位欧洲的到访者 In 1679, one European visitor
将这些东部栎林描述成 described these eastern oak forests
遍布广袤的草地 葡萄园 as full of "vast meadows, vineyards,
树上硕果累累 "trees bearing good fruit,
果园和森林…… "groves and forests...
格局规划得如此好 "so well disposed
人们会认为这里并非大自然的杰作 one would think nature alone could not have made it."
事实证明这确实正确 And that turned out to be very true indeed.
这一片被橡树林与草原覆盖的肥沃土地 It was a fertile patchwork of oak forests and grasslands,
是个热带草原般野生动物繁衍天堂 a savannah-like habitat where wildlife thrived.
卡伯特到达的时候 When Cabot arrived,
这块大陆孕育着数量庞大的野鹿 this continent supported huge populations of wild deer,
比起今天要多出几百万只 millions more than it does today.
几千年来 Over thousands of years,
这里的人们已经通过谨慎地使用火 the people here had engineered their very own garden of eden
规划好了属于他们自己的伊甸园 through the careful use of fire.
然而我们只是刚刚开始意识到 But we are only just beginning to realize the massive extent
他们周围的土地是何等的巨大 to which they had shaped the country around them.
北美的第一批原住民 The first human inhabitants of North America
并非是通过在小范围里火烧 weren't shaping the landscape with fire
来使这片土地成形 on just a small and local scale.
他们每年燃烧数百万公顷的森林 They were burning tens of millions of hectares each year.
火会将小树燃烧殆尽 Fire would burn away the young trees,
在森林之中创造出大面积的开阔草地 creating large grassy openings in the forest...
并为更大的树扫清障碍 And clearing the way for the larger trees,
使它们生长出更大更多的果实， protected by their thick bark,
因为那些大树的厚树皮从大火中保全了它们 to grow even bigger and produce more nuts and fruit.
凭借着有节制的燃烧， With controlled burns,
这些人创造出了 these people created
这片大陆上最为富饶和多产的景致之一 one of the most productive landscapes on the continent.
但这并没有被传承下来 But it didn't last.
尽管在今天， Although today,
现代化森林管理员正重新发现 modern forest managers are rediscovering
火对森林的积极影响 the positive effects of fire,
但在几个世纪之前 centuries ago,
火烧森林的惯例结束了 the practice of burning these forests ended...
这片橡树森林里富饶、开阔的 And the rich, open savannah habitat
草原栖息地也消失了 of the oak forests was lost.
300年后的今天 Now, after 300 years,
火正再一次“修剪”着 fire is once again shaping
加拿大东部这些剩留的黑橡树林 the remaining black oak forests of Eastern Canada.
但是只有很少的一些小地块被保留了下来 But only a few tiny patches remain...
它们被保留在类似于多伦多高地公园的地方 Protected in places like High Park in Toronto,
该公园坐落于这一度十分广袤的栖息地最高处 that was built over the top of this once extensive habitat.
没有了火烧的应用 Without the practice of burning,
加拿大现有的这些剩余硬木树林 the remaining hardwood forests of Canada
看起来与卡伯特时期的 look very different
有着很大的不同 from those that stood in Cabot's time.
虽然比不上那时的丰富多样 While not as rich and varied,
它们比那时更为多彩了 they are much more colourful
因为现在的森林里有着 because of the abundance of maple trees
一望无际的枫林 in the forest today.
枫树十分易燃 Maple are very sensitive to fire,
所以人们在火烧森林的时候保留了它们 so they were kept back by the burning of the forest.
而一旦火烧森林这一惯例的消失 But when the burning stopped,
枫树开始占据主导地位 maple trees started to take over.
加拿大最著名的自然景象之一 One of Canada's most famous natural displays
即是源于我们与森林之间 is a relatively recent creation
的新式关系而形成的相对近期的产物 arising from our new relationship with forests.
冬天，枫树宽大的树叶 In winter, the maple's broad leaves
过于平且薄以至于无法抗寒防冻 are too flat and thin to protect from freezing.
所以每到秋天 枫树通过将养分 So each fall, the tree cuts its losses
吸收回树干以减少其流失 by pulling its resources back into its trunk,
并且任树叶凋落 letting the leaves die.
这一现象呈现出了自然世界 And that leads to one of the natural world's
最眩目的回归大地景观 most stunning displays of death.
枫林北端 North of the maples,
针叶林由东至西横越整个国家 the Boreal forest stretches unbroken across the country
其跨度绵延达一万公里 nearly 10,000 kilometres long from east to west.
这片针叶林是世界上现有最大的原始森林 It's considered the largest intact forest left in the world.
每年中有六个月 雪改变着这片森林 For six months every year, snow transforms the forest.
冬季对于许多野生动物而言是艰难的季节 Winter is a difficult season for many wild animals,
但一些动物比其他物种有更好的御寒利器 but some are better equipped for it than others.
狼獾是世界上最神出鬼没的动物之一 Wolverines are one of the most elusive animals in the world.
凭借它毛茸茸的大脚 With large furry feet,
穿过厚厚的积雪就像浮游一样轻松 it almost floats across the deep snow.
它们极其难见到 They are rarely seen,
也几乎没有被摄像机拍到过 and few have ever been captured on camera.
冬季对于北部森林里的生物极具挑战性 Winter in the northern forest can be challenging to life here.
但是森林在冬季 But the forest provides a refuge
给很多各种各样的动物们提供了庇护所 for many different animals during the winter,
甚至包括了地球上 even for one of the planet's
最著名的适冷生物之一 most famous cold-adapted creatures.
牠到这里有个很好的理由 And she's here for a very good reason.
在冬季 Over the winter,
牠在树根下的窝里生育幼崽 she gave birth in this den beneath the trees.
在窝里度过五个月后 After five months inside,
到外面来的感觉一定焕然一新 it must feel good to be out.
在世界上别的地方 Nowhere else in the world
你不会看到有极地熊们在树林间嬉戏 can you see Polar bears playing among trees.
这几只幼崽 These new cubs
还有许多需要向它们的妈妈学习的东西 still have a lot to learn from their mother
并将在接下来的两年时间里跟随妈妈 and will spend the next two years with her
直到它们能够自谋生路为止 before striking out on their own.
随着春天临近 As spring approaches,
这些熊离开了树木的庇护 these bears leave the shelter of the trees
跟随融冰向北进发 to follow the retreating ice north.
但是也有很多从不离开的丛林生物 But there are many forest creatures that never leave,
有些只在晚上出来 and some that only come out at night.
松鼠是典型的丛林生物 Squirrels are the quintessential forest creature,
但这些松鼠与众不同 and these ones are special
不仅因为它们是夜行侠 because not only are they nocturnal...
它们还会飞 ? They can fly!
它们虽不像常规意义那样飞翔 While they don't fly in the true sense of the word,
但会飞的松鼠能在树木间一下子滑翔50米之遥 Flying squirrels can glide for 50 metres between trees.
它们的尾巴犹如船舵 引导它们绕过障碍 Their tails act like rudders, steering them around obstacles.
这些松鼠以长在它们居住的树上 Flying squirrels feed on the seeds in cones
所结出的球果中的种子为食 that grow on the trees in which they live,
几乎在加拿大的每一片森林里 and they inhabit all types of forests
都能找到它们的身影 right across Canada.
这些会飞的小家伙们整年都处于活跃状态 Flying squirrels stay active all year
没有冬眠 and don't hibernate.
然而还有更多的生物 But there are other creatures
生活在加拿大北部森林 living in these northern Canadian forests
这是必然的 that have to.
就在这片大森林的南部边缘 Right on the southern edge of the great forest
在马尼托巴省中部 in central Manitoba,
每年春天 从森林的土表之下 each spring, there is a magical reawakening
上演着一场神奇的复苏 from beneath the forest floor.
红边束带蛇 Red-sided garter snakes
正从长达八个月之久的冬眠中苏醒过来 are just waking up from their eight-month-long winter sleep.
它们在去年的秋天从80公里远处 They journeyed here last fall from up to 80 kilometres away
迁徙到此 to hibernate
在这些石灰岩的洞穴里冬眠 in these deep limestone sinkholes.
雄性蛇率先成千上万地从洞穴中出现 The males emerge first in their thousands.
并非只是春日的阳光引得它们出洞 It not just the spring sun that has brought them out.
这些雄性蛇还在等待着一些别的东西 There's something else these males are waiting for.
所有这些雄性红边束带蛇 All these male Red-sided garter snakes
都是在等待着雌性蛇 have been waiting for the females
从冬眠中醒来 to emerge from their hibernation.
然后慢慢地雌性蛇接二连三地开始出现了 Then, slowly, in ones and twos, the females begin to appear.
雌性放射出一种信息素 Females emit a pheromone
这令体型小得多的雄性蛇们 that drives the males, who are much smaller,
几近疯狂 into a frenzy.
几十条雄性蛇紧贴着放射激素的雌性蛇试图交配 Dozens of males cling to her, trying to mate.
在这之后 雌性蛇翻转身体 Afterwards, the female dislodges her partner
想要摆脱这些狂乱的雌性蛇 by doing a body roll.
而雄性蛇则努力缠住不放 He tries to hang on
来阻止其竞争者与这条雌性蛇交配 to keep his competitors from mating with her as well.
在许多方面 In many ways,
像蛇类这样的冷血动物 it's surprising to see cold-blooded creatures like snakes
在加拿大北部地区生成如此壮观景象 creating such a spectacular display
是十分罕见、令人惊异的 in the northern climes of Canada.
但是它们一起被吸引到这里 But they're drawn together here,
是因为只有这里有足够深的 as it's the only shelter deep enough
能让它们在加拿大寒冬里存活下来的庇护所 for them to survive the cold Canadian winter.
这种密集程度 This concentration
使其成为了世界上最大规模的 makes it the largest gathering of snakes
蛇类聚会 in the world.
由此向南和向西 Further south and west from here,
在加拿大的中心 at the centre of the country,
森林给另一种全然不同的景致让位了... the forest gives way to a very different landscape...
那就是大草原 The Prairies.
曾几何时 这片广袤的大草原 At one time, this vast grassland
一路向南绵延至墨西哥 stretched all the way south to Mexico.
它那广阔 一马平川的地形 Its broad, flat expanse
是由大陆冰川融化的时期里 was created by the sediments deposited
所产生的沉积物不断沉淀而成的 when the continental glaciers melted.
这片辽阔的平原是一种特殊动物的 These vast open plains are perfect habitat
完美栖息地 for one particular animal
简直就像是为它们量身打造的一样 that seems purpose-built for them.
叉角羚 Pronghorn antelope
是地球上速度最快的有蹄类哺乳动物 are the fastest hoofed mammals on the planet.
但是如今，它们已稀少地可以被称为是“生态幽灵”... But today, they're ecological ghosts...
在这片广阔的草原 Relics of a time
还是非洲猎豹以及其他快到 when this open grassland
可以捕食它们的食肉动物家园的时候 was home to cheetahs and other predators
叉角羚可谓是时代的遗迹 fast enough to catch them.
而如今这片土地上早已不再有 The cheetahs are long gone,
非洲猎豹以及几千年前曾生活在 along with a lot of the wildlife
这片陆地上的众多 that used to live on this continent
野生动物的身影 millennia ago.
在今天 叉角羚兀自疾驰着 Today, the Pronghorn sprint on alone,
奔跑在一场上万年前结束了的比赛中 running a race that ended 10,000 years ago.
叉角羚一直生活加拿大国土的中心区域 Pronghorns have always lived in the centre of the country
因为在更远的西边 because further west,
地形将完全不同 the landscape is radically different.
向西而去， To the west,
草原地形变得跌宕不平 the Prairies run into a crumpled landscape
促成了落基山脉的形成 that gives rise to the Rocky Mountains,
这是一段绵延5000公里不断的壮观山脉 an unbroken chain almost 5,000 kilometres long
其间屹立着一些这片大陆上的最高山峰 of some of the tallest peaks on the continent.
加拿大西部边缘 Canada's western edge
是另一段令人瞩目的山脉 is one impressive mountain range after another.
在不列颠哥伦比亚省北部 In Northern British Columbia,
斯蒂金河 the Stikine river
穿越壮观而幽暗、贯穿山脉的峡谷 cuts a great, dark chasm through the mountains
流向太平洋 on its way to the Pacific.
比起已经在月球上行走过的人 More people have walked on the moon
涉水通过这条峡谷的人更是少数 than have paddled through this canyon.
这些悬崖峭壁是山羊的居所 These vertical walls are the home of mountain goats.
如同羚羊一样步履稳健 Sure-footed relatives of antelope,
这些山羊从容地 they seem at ease
穿行于这些步步惊心 making their way across these sheer cliff faces
命悬一线的悬崖峭壁之间 where one slip could mean a long fall to death.
斯蒂金峡谷的这些峭壁 The vertical walls of the Stikine canyon
给这些真正顽强的山羊提供了居所 provide some truly spectacular mountain goat habitat.
水从这些山上流下来 Water flowing from these mountains
混杂着大量的矿物质与淤泥 carry great loads of minerals and silt
向西流向太平洋 westwards to the Pacific.
就在不列颠哥伦比亚省 Here in British Columbia,
这个山脉与海洋交会之地 where the mountains meet the sea,
有两种元素的组合 there's a combination of elements
正是它们造就了加拿大最丰饶的土地 that create the most productive landscape in the country.
陆地与海洋... Land and sea...
生命在此的茁壮成长 Life here thrives
源于这两种元素的结合 from the alignment of these two elements.
而这些连接 It's the forests
海洋和内陆的森林便是 where the link between the sea and the land
最好不过的例子 tells the most.
加拿大西部海岸 Canada's West Coast
覆盖着现今世界上三分之一 is home to a third
的气候适宜的雨林 of the world's remaining temperate rainforest.
它是地球上最富庶的栖息地之一 It is one of the richest habitats on the planet.
在这些树丛中 Among these trees,
生活着比加拿大任何别的区域 there is a greater abundance of life
都更加多样化的生物 than anywhere else in Canada.
这是一个富饶而神奇的地方 It's a rich and magical place
遍布着奇异而美妙的物种 filled with strange and wonderful creatures...
比如白灵熊 Like the Spirit bear,
北美黑熊里的一种稀有的毛色 a rare colour phase of the North American Black bear.
它并不是一只白化变种熊 He's not an albino.
它是黑熊 He's a Black bear,
只是生来具有可以使它的 but born with a combination of rare genes
毛皮呈白色的稀有基因组合 that makes his fur white.
但是在这片树林之中 But where does a bear in these woods go
这只熊应该到哪里去觅食呢？ to find something to eat?
每年夏天 Each summer,
加拿大西部海岸的水系 the network of rivers on Canada's West Coast
将食物带到了白灵熊的家门前 brings food to the Spirit bear's doorstep.
但是像所有的熊一样 它得先捉住鱼 But just like any bear, he has to catch it.
抓鱼是个技术活 Fishing is a skill,
而有些熊在这方面天生就比其他熊出色 and some bears are naturally better at it than others.
这只特殊的熊 This particular bear
看起来并不那么擅长捕鱼这一手 doesn't seem to be very good at it.
鱼看起来近在咫尺 They seem so close.
也许新技巧能顺利抓到鱼 Maybe a new technique will do the trick.
不过从上方突袭的策略也不管用 But a surprise attack from above doesn't work either.
终于 它抓到了一条 Finally, he gets one.
在接下来的几个月里 He's going to need a lot of these
他还需要捉到大量的鱼 over the next few months
为即将到来的冬天做准备 to prepare for winter.
几个世纪以来 这片富庶的温带雨林 For centuries, this rich temperate rainforest
已经养育了一代又一代白灵熊 has supported many generations of Spirit bears.
不过在更靠北边的加拿大冻土地带 But further north in Canada's vast tundra region,
野生动物必须学会 the wildlife has to survive
在这贫瘠得多的环境里生存 in a landscape that's far less productive.
在地理学上 加拿大的中心 Geographically, the centre of the country
实际上就处于北极冻土带的腹地 is actually in the middle of the Arctic tundra.
看起来人们对这片区域所造成的影响 It seems people have had very little impact
还微乎其微 on this place.
在很长一段时间里 And for a long time,
这里被人们认为是自冰河时期以来 it was thought to be the one landscape
唯一一块没有改变过的陆地 that had not changed since the ice age.
生活在这里的北美驯鹿 Caribou that live here
必须迁徙遥远的距离 have to migrate over vast distances
来觅得足够吃的食物 to find enough food to eat.
苔原植物养分严重不足 The plants of the tundra are very poor in nutrients.
如今这些动物 It's hard for the animals
很难从生长在苔原的苔藓与地衣中摄取很多营养 to extract much from the mosses and lichens that grow on the tundra today.
驯鹿是能依靠如此微薄量的食物而存活的 Caribou are one of the few grazers that can survive
少数食草动物之一 on this meagre food.
不过苔原带也不是一直如此 But the tundra wasn't always like this.
最近的科研表明 Recent scientific research shows
一万五千年前， that 15,000 years ago,
这片苔原在当时其实是一片草原 the tundra environment was, in fact, a grassland.
而且这里曾经养育着的物种 And it was grazed by very different creatures
和如今大草原上的生命完全不同 than we see in the Prairies today...
比如猛玛 Mammoths.
这遥远的北部曾是一片肥沃到 It was a surprisingly productive habitat
令人惊讶的栖息地 this far north.
直到一个新物种改变了这一切 That is, until a new arrival.
随着冰河时期的结束 As the ice age ended,
人类到达了这片草地 people arrived on this grassland,
这片养育着猛犸的干草地 known as the mammoth steppe,
也支撑了一群又一群数量庞大的草食性动物 that supported vast herds of grazers.
不过这些人是职业猎户 But these people were skilled hunters,
对于生活于此的动物们来说是完全陌生的 new to the animals that lived here,
以致于它们面对这些人类时毫无防备 which had no defence against them.
就在几个世纪的时间内， Within a few centuries,
这里的大多数动物都灭绝了 most of these animals were extinct.
科学家们现在相信随着猛犸的消失 Scientists now believe that with the mammoths gone,
这些草地也消失了 the grasses died out,
导致土地变得潮湿 沼泽地日益增多 causing the ground to turn wet and boggy.
肥沃的草原消失了... The fertile grassland disappeared...
这片土地就变成了我们如今看到的苔原 And the land became the tundra that we see today,
成了加拿大因人类行为变化最大的土地 making it the biggest human-changed landscape in the country.
15000年前， 15,000 years ago,
这片苔原带曾是加拿大的第一片疆土 the tundra was Canada's first frontier.
如今 加拿大有了一片新的疆域 Today, Canada's has a new frontier...
在北极圈 The Arctic.
一如早些时候的疆土 And as with earlier frontiers,
人类不断改变周围的世界 humans continue to alter the world around them.
而今 北极的地形 Right now, the Arctic landscape
也正经历着这星球史上 is undergoing one of the biggest human-caused changes
最大的人为引发的转变之一 in the history of the planet.
全球气候的变化使北极圈的冰地不断融化 Change in the global climate is melting the Arctic,
揭开一片新的未开垦地 opening up a new frontier...
催生一个上百万年未曾见过的环境 Creating conditions that have probably not been seen here in a million year
不过这和过去那片陆地的演变是有 but it's a fundamentally different frontier
根本上的区别的 than the past.
这里的变化 The changes here
是由全人类不知不觉在一段 are being caused by humans all over the world,
短暂的时间跨度里所引发的 and created unintentionally in a very short span of time.
没人知道这片区域的生灵将怎么样 No one knows how, or even if,
甚至是否能适应于 the life of this region will adapt
这里的全新环境 to these new conditions.
这些我们带给北极圈的变化 And the changes we bring to the Arctic
对整个地球造成的影响 will be felt
将远远超出这片区域的地理界限 far beyond the boundaries of this place.
进而影响整个地球 They will influence the entire planet.
请继续关注《加拿大之永恒的疆土》系列节目 The story of Canada's eternal frontier continues.