Our Great National Parks

Hanauma Bay is one of my favorite spots in the world.

I grew up in Hawaii.

This was my backyard.

My love of the natural world began here.

When I was growing up, wild spaces and everyday spaces,

they were one and the same.

An essential part of our lives.

I wanna make sure that the world's wild spaces

are there for my kids and my grandkids.

Join me in this celebration

of our planet's greatest national parks and wilderness.

A journey through the natural wonders of our shared birthright.

My mom used to tell me that when she was pregnant,

she'd come and sit and listen to the ocean

and look at the waves lapping over the coral reefs.

She used to joke that that was the reason I was so calm.

I had spent a lot of time here even before I arrived in the world.

When I was six,

Hanauma Bay joined the growing number of protected wild spaces.

What began as a common desire to secure wilderness for people to enjoy

has become a worldwide movement

to preserve these areas for future generations.

They're a place to escape the burdens of everyday life

and an inspiration for our children.

They're a haven for endangered species...

and a hotbed for scientific research.

Not only do they nurture the greatest array of life on Earth...

...they regulate our climate,

clean our air,

purify our water.

When humanity started to protect these wild places,

we did not realize how important they would become.

Today, they are some of the last strongholds

of wilderness and wildlife.

Some remain so remote

that we're only just starting to unravel their secrets.

Take Loango National Park in Gabon on the west coast of Africa.

It's a haven for tropical forest animals.

Yet many of the creatures here are all drawn to the very same place.

The beach.

One of the last places where the vast Congo rain forest

meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Buffalo graze vegetation

coated with sea salt...

a mineral that's hard to find in the rain forest.

A red river hog...

with a craving for fresh seafood.

African forest elephants come to the beach and mingle with marine giants.

Like this one-ton leatherback turtle.

And there's one creature here

who's figured out how to make the most of all the seaside amenities.

By day, hippos stick to freshwater lagoons.

Sheltering from the sun.

As evening approaches,

they usually trek inland to favorite grazing grounds.

But not this guy.

He has other ideas.

He heads

straight for the surf!

His three-ton frame feels lighter in salt water.

The waves wash away parasites

and soothe the scrapes and bruises of the day.

There's nowhere else you'll see a hippo

in the Atlantic Ocean.

But he's not here just to take a dip.

He wants to catch the waves.

He rides the ocean swell north,

up the coast.

Until he reaches his favorite spot for dinner.

Now that he's worked up an appetite, he'll spend the whole night grazing.

As the sun sets all along this coastline,

other hippos follow suit.

Leaving their lagoons to hang ten.

The surfing hippos of Loango.

It just goes to show,

the natural world can continue to surprise us

as long as we give it space to thrive.

Nature's remaining strongholds

are often in areas that are difficult to reach,

making national parks important and valuable sanctuaries

for iconic animals,

as well as rare and extraordinary creatures.

On the other side of Africa, on the island of Madagascar,

the remote Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park.

This inaccessible stone fortress

has given rise to species found nowhere else on Earth.

A rock iguana,

recently discovered and never filmed before.

His long digits and claws help him grip the sheer rock face.

The forest surrounding the peaks shelters rare creatures

native only to the Tsingy.

Including one of the park's most elusive residents.

The Decken's sifaka.

Many of these endangered lemurs call this park home.

Like most primates, they spend much of their time in the safety of the trees.

This small group has a new responsibility.

At just eight weeks old, his strength will soon be put to the test.

So Mom gives him lots of encouragement.

Building his confidence to leave her side...

and explore his new world.

Climbing and jumping

is the best training for life in this park.

In time,

he'll cover 30 feet in a single leap.

Until then, it's baby steps.

He may be undeterred by the oppressive heat,

but the others save their energy

by resting in the shade.

It's the height of the dry season.

Sifakas mostly rely on leaves for food and water.

But resources in their patch of forest are running out.

The only fresh food lies in small, shaded sanctuaries

scattered between the peaks.

The females decide it's time to make a move.

A maze of craggy, razor-sharp spires

lie between them and survival.

Below, gaping chasms.

Baby must use all his strength to cling on to Mom.

His added weight means her every move requires pinpoint precision.

A single misstep

could prove fatal.

It's a labyrinth,

but they know a secret route.

One day, he'll learn it too,

but, for now, he just needs to hold on

tightly.

Expert hunters patrol the exposed rock.

They shouldn't stay out here any longer.

Mom makes one last push...

...closing in on safety...

until finally...

they reach a sanctuary hidden between the rocks...

full of juicy leaves.

An epic and exhausting journey.

One he'll repeat many times

in the years to come.

The more isolated the national park,

the more unusual its creatures

and the more extraordinary their behaviors.

Which makes islands especially important to protect.

Like this one in southern Japan.

Home to Yakushima National Park and an ancient forest.

Moss carpets the ground.

Fig and banyan trees

knit their roots through the landscape.

Giant Japanese cedars,

some over a thousand years old, tower high overhead.

Isolation has shaped the creatures that live here.

Many that live on islands are smaller than their mainland cousins.

This sika deer is just three feet tall.

His diet of dead leaves is filling,

but it's not the tastiest.

And it doesn't satisfy his sweet tooth.

If only he could reach the fruits and berries high above.

But there are windfalls in Yakushima.

If you know where to find them.

Japanese macaques.

This is the gang he was hoping to find.

Now, he just has to be patient.

And the macaques are the key

to the sweetest food in the forest.

They say good things come to those who wait.

All the deer know that these monkeys

are messy eaters.

The food they drop is packed with sugars.

But there's only so much to go around.

The deer make the most of the feast while it lasts.

But a distracted stag becomes

the perfect plaything.

And it turns out, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

In return for eating his fill,

the deer is taken for a joyride.

It's good to keep your allies on your side.

But this is definitely the last stop.

Our national parks do much more than provide wildlife with food and sanctuary.

And we're still learning the true benefits of protecting wilderness.

In 1872,

Yellowstone, in the western United States,

became the first national park in the world.

Two million acres of wild space in the Rocky Mountains.

Geologically active

and spectacular.

Home to the largest concentration of wildlife

in the lower 48 states.

One of America's greatest ideas.

Established for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.

And it caught on, sparking a global movement.

Today, around 15% of land

and nearly 8% of our oceans have been protected.

Most of it in my lifetime.

We've come to understand the true value of these last wild places

and that what happens inside our parks affects us all.

Take rain forests.

They're home to more than half of all life on land.

If you're not sure why this biodiversity is so important to protect,

consider this.

A quarter of all our medicines

originated in rain forests.

We're still discovering new medical advances

hiding in plain sight.