The coolest animal you know nothing about ... and how we can save it | Patrícia Medici

Translator: Rune Sejr Fjord Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

This is one of the most amazing animals on the face of the Earth.

Her er et af verdens mest fantastiske dyr.

This is a tapir.

Det her er en tapir.

Now this, this is a baby tapir,

Her er en tapir unge

the cutest animal offspring in the animal kingdom.

Den sødeste dyreunge der findes.

(Laughter)

(Latter)

By far.

overhovedet,

There is no competition here.

der er ingen konkurrence.

Jeg har brugt 20 år af mit liv,

I have dedicated the past 20 years of my life

to the research and conservation of tapirs in Brazil,

på at studere og bevare tapiren i Brasilien

and it has been absolutely amazing.

og det har været fantastisk.

På det sidste har jeg tænkt meget over,

But at the moment, I've been thinking really, really hard

effekten af mit arbejde.

about the impact of my work.

Jeg har tvivlet på den virkelige effekt

I've been questioning myself about the real contributions I have made

af mit arbejde for at bevare mine elskede tapirer.

for the conservation of these animals I love so much.

Am I being effective

Er jeg god nok

in safeguarding their survival?

til at sørge for deres overlevelse?

Am I doing enough?

Gør jeg nok?

Det største spørgsmål er nok,

I guess the big question here is,

studerer jeg tapirer, og bidrager til bevarelsen

am I studying tapirs and contributing to their conservation,

eller dokumenterer jeg deres udryddelse?

or am I just documenting their extinction?

The world is facing so many different conservation crises.

Der er så mange bevarelseskriser i verden,

We all know that. It's all over the news every day.

det ved vi alle, det er i de daglige nyheder.

Tropiske regnskove og andre økosystemer ødelægges,

Tropical forests and other ecosystems are being destroyed,

Klimaforandringer, så mange arter er tæt på at uddø:

climate change, so many species on the brink of extinction:

tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, tapirs.

tigere, løver, elefanter, næsehorn, tapirer.

Det her er lavlandstapiren, som jeg arbejder med.

This is the lowland tapir, the tapir species I work with,

the largest terrestrial mammal of South America.

Det største landpattedyr i Sydamerika.

De er store, de er kraftfulde.

They're massive. They're powerful.

Adults can weigh up to 300 kilos.

Voksne tapirer kan veje 300 kilo.

Det er halvdelen af en hest.

That's half the size of a horse.

De er flotte.

They're gorgeous.

Tapirer findes oftest i tropiske regnskove, som Amazonas.

Tapirs are mostly found in tropical forests such as the Amazon,

Store områder er nødvendige for dem

and they absolutely need large patches of habitat

for at de kan finde hvad de har brug for, for at formere sig og overleve

in order to find all the resources they need to reproduce and survive.

men deres leveområder ødelægges.

But their habitat is being destroyed,

og de er blevet jagtet væk fra mange af deres områder.

and they have been hunted out of several parts of their geographic distribution.

And you see, this is very, very unfortunate

Det er meget uheldigt.

because tapirs are extremely important for the habitats where they are found.

Tapirer er meget vigtige i de områder de lever.

They're herbivores.

De er planteædere,

50 procent af deres kost er frugter,

Fifty percent of their diet consists of fruit,

and when they eat the fruit, they swallow the seeds,

og når de spiser frugten, sluger de frø,

which they disperse throughout the habitat through their feces.

som de spreder igennem deres områder

De spiller en stor rolle i at forme og holde

They play this major role in shaping and maintaining

the structure and diversity of the forest,

strukturen og forskelligheden i skoven,

og de er derfor kendt som skovens gartnere.

and for that reason, tapirs are known as gardeners of the forest.

Er det ikke fantastisk?

Isn't that amazing?

Hvis du tænker over det,

If you think about it,

the extinction of tapirs would seriously affect

udryddelsen af tapirer ville påvirke

biodiversiteten alvorligt.

biodiversity as a whole.

I started my tapir work in 1996, still very young, fresh out of college,

Jeg startede mit tapir arbejde i 1996, jeg kom lige fra universitetet

and it was a pioneer research and conservation program.

Det var grundforskning og bevaringsarbejde.

At that point, we had nearly zero information about tapirs,

På det tidspunkt vidste vi intet om tapirer,

mostly because they're so difficult to study.

mest fordi de er så svære at studere.

They're nocturnal, solitary, very elusive animals,

De er nataktive, enlige, meget sky dyr.

Vi begyndte at få en basal viden om dem.

and we got started getting very basic data about these animals.

But what is it that a conservationist does?

Men hvad gør man for at bevare et dyr?

Well, first, we need data.

Først har man brug for data,

We need field research.

man har brug for feltforskning.

We need those long-term datasets to support conservation action,

Man har brug for langtidsdata til at støtte sit arbejde.

Jeg fortalte jer lige at tapirer er svære at studere,

and I told you tapirs are very hard to study,

så vi måtte bruge indirekte metoder.

so we have to rely on indirect methods to study them.

Vi måtte fange og bedøve dem,

We have to capture and anesthetize them

so that we can install GPS collars around their necks

Så vi kunne sætte gps halsbånd på dem,

og følge deres bevægelser.

and follow their movements,

which is a technique used by many other conservationists around the world.

Det er en teknik brugt af mange i verden.

And then we can gather information about how they use space,

Så kan vi samle informationen om hvordan de bruger plads,

how they move through the landscape,

hvordan de bevæger sig i landskabet,

what are their priority habitats,

hvad er deres vigtigste områder,

and so much more.

og meget mere.

Next, we must disseminate what we learn.

Bagefter, skal vi sprede det vi har lært,

We have to educate people about tapirs

vi må lære folk om tapirer,

and how important these animals are.

og hvor vigtige de er.

And it's amazing how many people around the world

Det er utroligt hvor mange der ikke ved,

hvad en tapir er.

do not know what a tapir is.

Faktisk tror mange at det her er en tapir.

In fact, many people think this is a tapir.

Let me tell you, this is not a tapir.

og det er ikke en tapir.

(Laughter)

(Latter)

This is a giant anteater.

Det er en kæmpemyresluger.

Tapirs do not eat ants. Never. Ever.

Tapirer spiser aldrig myrer.

And then next we have to provide training, capacity building.

Så skal vi uddanne, udbygge kapacitet,

det er vores ansvar at sørge for de næste kan bevare dyrene.

It is our responsibility to prepare the conservationists of the future.

We are losing several conservation battles,

Vi er ved at tabe mange kampe imod uddøen.

and we need more people doing what we do,

Vi har brug for flere folk der gør som os,

og de har brug for evnerne og lysten til at gøre det.

and they need the skills, and they need the passion to do that.

i sidste ende

Ultimately, we conservationists,

skal vi kunne bruge vores data,

we must be able to apply our data,

bruge vores samlede viden

to apply our accumulated knowledge

til at støtte faktiske handlinger.

to support actual conservation action.

Vores første tapir program,

Our first tapir program

foregik i den atlantiske skov

took place in the Atlantic Forest

i det østlige Brasilien.

in the eastern part of Brazil,

one of the most threatened biomes in the world.

At af de mest truede økosystemer i verden.

The destruction of the Atlantic Forest

Ødelæggelsen af den atlantiske skov

begyndte i 1500 tallet,

began in the early 1500s,

when the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil,

Da portugeserne først ankom til Brasilien,

beginning European colonization in the eastern part of South America.

og begyndte koloniseringen af det østlige Sydamerika.

This forest was almost completely cleared

Skoven blev næsten fældet helt,

for timber, agriculture, cattle ranching and the construction of cities,

for at få tømmer, landbrug, kvæg og plads til byer,

idag er der kun 7 procent

and today only seven percent of the Atlantic forest

tilbage af den atlantiske skov.

is still left standing.

And tapirs are found in very, very small, isolated, disconnected populations.

Tapirer findes i meget små, isolerede grupper.

I den atlantiske skov, lærte vi at de går igennem åbne områder

In the Atlantic Forest, we found out that tapirs move through open areas

af overdrev og marker.

of pastureland and agriculture

fra en lille skov til en anden lille skov.

going from one patch of forest to patch of forest.

Så vores indgangsvinkel her

So our main approach in this region

var at bruge vores viden, til at finde de steder

was to use our tapir data to identify the potential places

hvor en dyrekorridor kan laves

for the establishment of wildlife corridors

imellem de små skove,

in between those patches of forest,

reconnecting the habitat

og samle leveområderne,

so that tapirs and many other animals could cross the landscape safely.

Så tapirer og mange andre dyr nemt kan krydse landskabet.

After 12 years in the Atlantic Forest,

Efter 12 år i den Atlantiske skov

in 2008, we expanded our tapir conservation efforts to the Pantanal

udvidede vi i 2008 vores abejde til Pantanal

in the western part of Brazil

i det vestlige Brasilien

near the border with Bolivia and Paraguay.

ved grænsen til Bolivia og Paraguay.

Det er den største ferskvands- flodslette i verden,

This is the largest continuous freshwater floodplain in the world,

an incredible place

et helt fantastisk sted,

and one of the most important strongholds for lowland tapirs in South America.

og et af de vigtigste steder for lavlandstapirer.

And working in the Pantanal has been extremely refreshing

At arbejde i Pantanal har været forfriskende,

for vi fandt store tapirgrupper i området,

because we found large, healthy tapir populations in the area,

og vi har kunnet studere tapirer

and we have been able to study tapirs

in the most natural conditions we'll ever find,

i de mest naturlige omgivelser man kan finde,

de er uden nogen trusler.

very much free of threats.

In the Pantanal, besides the GPS collars, we are using another technique:

Udover gps halsbånd bruger vi i Pantanal

kamerafælder.

camera traps.

Kameraet er udstyret med en bevægelsessensor

This camera is equipped with a movement sensor

og fotograferer dyr når de går ind foran.

and it photographs animals when they walk in front of it.

Takket være det fantastiske udstyr,

So thanks to these amazing devices,

we have been able to gather precious information

har vi kunnet samle vigtig data

about tapir reproduction and social organization

om tapirers formering og sociale organisering

which are very important pieces of the puzzle

hvilket er meget vigtige brikker

når du prøver at udvikle bevaringsstrategier

when you're trying to develop those conservation strategies.

og lige nu, i 2015, udvider vi igen vores arbejde

And right now, 2015, we are expanding our work once again

til det Brasilianske Cerrado,

to the Brazilian Cerrado,

græsmarkerne og de lave skove i det centrale Brasilien.

the open grasslands and shrub forests in the central part of Brazil.

Today this region is the very epicenter of economic development in my country,

Idag er det centrum for den økonomiske udvikling.

Natur og dyreliv

where natural habitat and wildlife populations

bliver hurtigt udryddet af flere trusler,

are rapidly being eradicated by several different threats,

inklusiv, igen, kvægbrug,

including once again cattle ranching,

large sugarcane and soybean plantations,

store sukkerrør- og sojabønneplantager,

poaching, roadkill, just to name a few.

krybskytteri, biler, for at nævne nogle få.

Mærkeligt nok, er tapiren der stadig,

And somehow, tapirs are still there,

which gives me a lot of hope.

hvilket giver mit en masse håb

men jeg må sige, at starte det nye program

But I have to say that starting this new program in the Cerrado

var lidt et slag i ansigtet.

was a bit of a slap in the face.

Når du kører rundt

When you drive around

and you find dead tapirs along the highways

og finder døde tapirer i vejkanten,

and signs of tapirs wandering around in the middle of sugarcane plantations

og tegn på tapirer der går rundt i sukkerplantager

where they shouldn't be,

hvor de ikke skulle være,

and you talk to kids and they tell you that they know how tapir meat tastes

og du taler med børn som ved hvordan tapir smager

because their families poach and eat them,

fordi deres familier fanger og spiser dem.

it really breaks your heart.

Så knuser det dit hjerte.

Situationen i Cerrado fik mig til at indse -

The situation in the Cerrado made me realize --

det gav mig en følelse af travlhed,

it gave me the sense of urgency.

I am swimming against the tide.

jeg svømmer imod strømmen -

It made me realize that despite two decades of hard work

Det gik mig til at indse, at på trods af 20 års arbejde

trying to save these animals, we still have so much work to do

for at redde de her dyr mangler der stadig meget

if we are to prevent them from disappearing.

hvis vi skal forhindre dem i at forsvinde.

We have to find ways to solve all these problems.

Vi skal finde løsninger på alle de her problemer

We really do, and you know what?

og ved i hvad?

We really came to a point in the conservation world

Vi er nået til et punkt

hvor vi må tænke udenfor kassen.

where we have to think out of the box.

We'll have to be a lot more creative than we are right now.

Vi bliver nødt til at være mere kreative.

And I told you, roadkill is a big problem for tapirs in the Cerrado,

Jeg fortalte jer, at biler er et problem for tapirer i Cerrado,

so we just came up with the idea of putting reflective stickers

Så vi fandt på at sætte reflekser

på gps halsbåndene vi sætter på tapirerne

on the GPS collars we put on the tapirs.

These are the same stickers used on big trucks

de samme reflekser som bruges på lastbiler,

to avoid collision.

til at undgå uheld.

Tapirs cross the highways after dark,

Tapirer krydser vejene om natten,

so the stickers will hopefully help drivers see this shining thing

så reflekserne hjælper forhåbenligt

så man kan se dem krydse vejen,

crossing the highway,

and maybe they will slow down a little bit.

og måske sættes farten en smule ned.

For now, this is just a crazy idea.

lige nu, er det bare en skør ide.

We don't know. We'll see if it will reduce the amount of tapir roadkill.

Vi ved det ikke, vi vil se om det hjælper.

But the point is, maybe this is the kind of stuff that needs to be done.

Pointen er at måske er det sådan noget vi må gøre.

And although I'm struggling with all these questions

Selvom jeg kæmper med de her spørgsmål

in my mind right now,

indeni mig lige nu,

I have a pact with tapirs.

har jeg en pakt med tapirerne.

jeg ved inderst inde

I know in my heart

at tapirbevarelse er mit kald.

that tapir conservation is my cause.

Det er min passion.

This is my passion.

I am not alone.

Jeg er ikke alene,

jeg har et stort netværk af støtter,

I have this huge network of supporters behind me,

og der er ingen måde hvor jeg stopper.

and there is no way I'm ever going to stop.

Jeg vil fortsætte, nok resten af mit liv.

I will continue doing this, most probably for the rest of my life.

And I'll keep doing this for Patrícia, my namesake,

Jeg vil gøre det for Patricia, min navnesøster,

one of the first tapirs we captured and monitored in the Atlantic Forest

en af de første tapirer vi fangede og fulgte i den Atlantiske skov.

many, many years ago;

For mange, mange år siden.

for Rita and her baby Vincent in the Pantanal.

for Rita og hendes unge Vincent i Pantanal.

And I'll keep doing this for Ted, a baby tapir we captured

og jeg vil fortsætte for Ted en tapir unge vi fangede,

in December last year also in the Pantanal.

i december sidste år, også i Pantanal.

And I will keep doing this

og jeg vil fortsætte

for de hundreder af tapirer som jeg har mødt

for the hundreds of tapirs that I've had the pleasure to meet

over the years

igennem årerne.

and the many others I know I will encounter in the future.

og de mange andre jeg vil møde.

These animals deserve to be cared for.

De her dyr fortjener at overleve.

They need me. They need us.

De har brug for mig, brug for os,

And you know? We human beings deserve to live in a world

og ved i hvad? Vi fortjener at leve i en verden

where we can get out there and see and benefit from

hvor vi kan gå ud og se en fordel i

not only tapirs

ikke bare tapirer

but all the other beautiful species,

men alle de andre smukke arter,

now and in the future.

nu og i fremtiden.

Tusind tak.

Thank you so much.

(Klapsalver)

(Applause)