« Selva, the forest in the tropics », the movie
Now available
Prix "Jeunes Regards" au Festival International du Film Ornithologique 2012 de Ménigoute.
Prix des "Clubs Connaître et Protéger la Nature" au Festival International du Film Ornithologique 2012 de Ménigoute.
Prix "Hérisson de Bronze" au Festival FRAPNA 2012 du Film Nature de Grenoble.
Prix "Meilleur Moyen Métrage" au Festival du Film Nature 2012 de Murs-Erigné.
Prix "Jeune Réalisateur" au Festival International du Film d'Aventure 2012 de Dijon.
Prix "Coup de Pouce" (version court-métrage) au Festival International Nature 2011 de Namur.
TRAILER
HD quality52 minutes
Disponible en DVD (version française)
Directing, editing : Marie-Anne Bertin and Sylvain Lefebvre
Editing assistant : Robin Lefebvre
Sound mixing and soundtrack: Damien Pizzimenti
Voice: Annaïg Philouze
Prix de vente: 19 euros, frais de port inclus
(pour la France métropolitaine, livraison 4 à 5 jours)
2010 : International Year of Biodiversity.
2011 : International Year of the Forest.
Preserving our environment and the species has been at the heart of much concern.
Ironically, we never have much destroyed, degraded and polluted the environment we seem to love so much.
These years theme declared by the United Nations are struggling to convince politicians to invest urgently and effectively in a real sustainable development. But putting biodiversity and the forests forward in our conversation is a way to strengthen the consciousness of the citizens on these major subjects and to raise awareness on actions in the world for our natural resources. Our association acts on this precise point through its first documentary movie of 50 minutes, shot in high definition and intended for broadcast television : " the forest in the tropics ".
Delicious blend of travel narrative sequences and animal stories, this film was shot by Marie-Anne Bertin and Sylvain Lefebvre during expeditions in 2009 and 2010 from Chiapas Mexico until the Ecuadorian Amazon (see expeditions "Maya of Yesterday and Today "and "Laboratory of evolution "). Two years of travel, backpacking, with a leitmotif : to pay tribute to the biological richness of tropical forests and the persons who get involved in their conservation.
Biodiversity was put forward in 2010, thanks to species of the oceans, african savannahs and poles. However, if it was necessary to go in the heart of the biggest storehouse of biodiversity of the world, we would travel in rainforests. Ask the students to a class of primary what a cheetah, zebra, polar bear or a humpback whale is and they will answer without any hesitation. Now ask anyone to draw a coati or kinkajou : that's another story!
Green hell for the explorers, garden of Eden for the naturalists, the rainforest is a world of contradictions. It evokes both harmony and chaos, as well as it creates both a sense of delight and fear. We all know the existence of tropical forests, we know about the threats they have to face, but we know little about the species that live here and the role of these environments in the world is far from being evident.
In France, what unites us to the tropical forests remains unclear and, for most of us, these forests are too far that we don't pay any attention on them. But the coffee and chocolate we drink every morning, the rubber tires of our car, our boots and footballs, most of our spicy food, the mainly part of our medicine, ornamental plants and garden furnitures have an origin related to tropical environments.
The rainforest is certainly not the lungs of our planet, but it regulates the climate, recycle CO2 emissions, feeds us, heals us. This biodiversity, whose 80% remains unknown, is our life insurance. France also has tropical forests, a treasure chest just opened that we have to protect for our children...
This educative movie give everybody access to the understanding of tropical forests general ecology, the biology of some remarkable species and the interest of preserving these ecosystems :
- - Why are there so many species in tropical forests ?
- - What are the different types of tropical forests ?
- - How and where to watch wildlife in tropical forests ?
- - What's the difference between a primary and secondary forest ?
- - A forest with floors : what does that mean ?
- - Why the canopy is so important ?
- - What do the nocturnal animals look like ?
- - Why protecting these forests is so important ?
Founder and president of the association Exode tropical, Sylvain Lefebvre is our film presenter. According to his extravagant hounding naturalists, he presents unusual species : dendrobates, spider monkeys, stick insects, snakes fer-de-lance, fungus ants, tapirs, tree frogs and many others. In parallel with his findings, he will let various stakeholders speak :
- Hector, biologist from the Ecosur research center, Mexico.
This scientist, fascinated by the Bay of Chetumal in the Gulf of Mexico, talks about the mangrove swamps which he studies for years. This rainforest with waterfront is an area of major importance for biodiversity as well as the indications it offers us to understand global warming. Hector will explain to us his protocol of research.
- Luis, ecotourism center manager Las Guacamayas in Mexico.
Biosphere Reserve of Montes Azules is the last sanctuary of beautiful Mexican scarlet macaw. 40 families founded here a village called Reforma Agraria and created the eco-tourism center Las Guacamayas. Since 1991, they welcome visitors from around the world and work for the conservation of this parrot endangered by deforestation and poaching. The members of the village try to compensate for a lack of trees needed for the bird to nest, by building artificial nests several meters in height. A unique community project in the country.
- Simone, German volunteer in rehabilitation center for wildlife, Ecuador.
After the weapons and drugs, the wildlife trade is the third largest world traffic. ARCAS, internationally recognized Guatemalan NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), has been fighting for over 20 years against this plague that threatens many protected species. Each year, the rescue center receives 400 to 600 animals confiscated in customs or returned by private individuals (parrots, macaws, monkeys, etc. ...). Thanks to the help of volunteers from around the world, these animals are cared for, fed and some follow a rehabilitation program to be reintroduced in their natural environment.
- Alberto, indigenous Kichwa from Ecuador.
We consider that a product on four used in medicine results from tropical plants. For most Native Americans, they are the only way to cure. The lack of financial resources to offset costs for illness (transport, hospital, medication) has motivated five indigenous Kichwa community of Campo Cocha to get involved in a project of appreciation of the medicinal virtues of plants.
They elaborate creams and syrups with plants from their garden and from the 2450 ha of forest protected by the community.
- Carlos Aulestia, in charge with the biological station Bilsa, Ecuador.
For 20 years, the forest engineer has devoted his life to an extensive reforestation project by buying land from farmers and ranchers. After years of work, especially marked by the plantation of fruit trees and a daily cleaning of the undergrowth, Carlos showed us how to recreate mature forests rich in species. This initiative, implemented in the forests of cloud near the Andes Cordillera, is one of many projects run by the Ecuadorian Foundation Jatun Sacha.