For the first time, the secret life of the “Mangroves of the Maya World” will be revealed in a documentary made by National Geographic Channel in a production filmed in the Yucatan Peninsula. The film will be premiered on Sunday Sept. 4 on Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo.
For 40 days, producer Alejandro Palma and documentarist Agata Lanz explored deep into the mangroves to exhibit the underworld of this fascinating ecosystem that extends throughout Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán, the three states of the Yucatan Peninsula.
“Weeks before the filming, we built a small palm-leaf shelter, but we settled there the night before so the animals wouldn’t notice our presence and the next morning we were recording them from a small hole”, Palma told Radio Formula.
The documentary was recorded using 4K technology (which is even superior than HD) to show the hidden beauty of the mangroves, an ecosystem that is being threatened by human activity and is vital for the preservation of different animal species such as the manatee, the whale-shark, the flamingo and some types of corals.
The role of this habitat is fundamental for the subsistence of other ecosystems, basically because it prevents the erosion of the land, protects the coasts from the winds and tides, and purifies the water that goes into the ocean.
It is also a sanctuary for many animal species who travel long distances to mate in the mangrove waters.
It is worth mentioning that, Mexico held the 5th position on the global ranking of countries with widest extension of mangroves. In the north of the state of Quintana Roo, 44 per cent of this natural protector has been destroyed, says a research made by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa).
“I hope that people can be more conscious about the protection of the mangroves when they get to see this documentary, because I believe that people care more about things that are close to their hearts, and we need to embrace the mangroves close to our hearts and souls…
Sasha Sokol (Nat Geo)
The images are just amazing and they take us, in a very natural way, to this habitat that needs our protection”, said Sasha Sokol, Mexican singer and narrator of the documentary.
