Film library
Videos and DVDs:
This film describes a year in the life of a female polecat, in mid-Wales, as she finds a mate and, after an extremely violent courtship, brings up a litter of seven young.
Ever since the long association with the Roots began, Survival has known that the one epic that Alan longed to make was the year-round story of the annual migration of half a million wildebeest on the plains of Serengeti.
The life of wild Badgers in Britain.
The story of one of the toughest and most hazardous expeditions ever undertaken for the Survival Series.
Barn owls usually breed in quiet isolated buildings, especially old barns which give the bird its name. The film follows the fortunes of one pair of owls as they raise a brood of young to maturity.
Life in these clay tenements is not always harmonious; however a highlight of the film occurs when a monitor lizard and a deadly spitting cobra meet in combat outside the mound
Looks at the equatorial rainforests, which are being threatened with extinction because of logging, slash and burn etc. This devastation of forests has a secondary effect on a country's ecology, for tree roots bind the earth together; removing them allows rain to wash away the soil into the rivers and out to sea - valuable soil lost to local agriculture. Something is being done. In Nepal cleared areas are being replanted with saplings; in Kenya small farms are encouraged to cultivate fast growing eucalyptus trees as a crop; in Malaysia they are retaining half the rain forests and clearing the rest for palm oil and rubber trees. Also looks at the reason why people need these forests - foreign exchange, human survival. What is being done to stop the destruction?
In 1977, a geological expedition discovered exotic forms of sea life a mile and a half beneath the surface of the ocean, where no sunlight penetrates. In 1979, a team of scientists set out on Lulu, mother ship of the submersible Alvin, and research vessel Gillis to relocate and explore these warm vents, and hopefully find new ones. This video follows the deep-diving expedition more than 200 miles northeast of the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Rift is a chain of underwater mountains extending 40 000 miles through the oceans. At places along the ridge, the earth's crust is constantly pulling apart. Volcanic activity creates fissures in the ocean floor, thus creating the warm water vents.
Looks at alternative sources of power - biogas, pellets, wind, tidal, methane gas, biomass (alcohol being used in Brazil - sugarcane fields competing with food crops), solar power, geothermal energy - natural and created, nuclear and coal.
Looks at the effects of the El Nino current on the animals of Etosha. El Nino will have to be explained first as it is not discussed at all. Brings the concept of how something miles away from Namibia can effect our lives - imagine if our economy was dependant on some sort of food crop!
The story of the Legal Assistance Centre - Born in a time of
crisis in Namibia
the film explores the origins of the LAC. From the brutal repression of the
apartheid regime to the relative freedom in which the centre can now operate.
Every year, the barren wastelands of North Canada
and
Most people are aware that man's closest relatives on earth are the anthriopod or tail-less great apes. Many of us are familiar with the likeable and extrovert chimpanzee, but two of the other species, the Mountain Gorilla of Central Africa, and the tree-lining Orangutan of Borneo and Sumatra, are less well known.
There are certainly no more than 10,000 and possibly as few as 5,000 orangutans left in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra, the only places in the world where wild orangutans now exist.
A remarkable journey along the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. Breathtaking camera work, complemented by a specially composed soundtrack conspire to portray the unique spirit of this striking, unspoiled desert coast.
There are perhaps 40,000 Asian elephants left in India, Sri Lanka, the whole of the Far East and South-East Asia. It sounds a lot but the herds are decreasing fast, due to over population and deforestation.
' Kamisquaguog' is a Chippewa Indian phrase meaning 'Eagle come home' It's the name of a lake in Northern Minnetosa, part of an unspoiled wilderness of trees and waterways where the Bald Eagle still survives relatively undisturbed.
Among the features of the British countryside fast disappearing is the village duck pond. Once it was vital to the village community as a place to draw water, to water stock or horses.
National Geographic Video
Story of Alan and Joan Root
Fish-catching eagles
The golden eagle
About lizards
About frogs
The Ostrich
The microscopic world
The cheetah
The Giraffe
On August 27th 1883, a little-known volcanic island, between Java and Sumatra, blew up with a bang that was heard over 3,000 miles away. The explosion was equal to 3,000 of the atom bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The actual eruption killed very few people. But the 100-foot high seismic waves that followed the big bang wiped out villages and jungle on the surrounding mainland for miles around, drowning 36,000 people. The film features unique photographs taken at the times, showing the extent of the devastation. In 1928, a new volcano Anak Krakatoa - "The son of Krakatoa" - rose from the sea that now covers the great crater caused by the 1883 explosion. The new Krakatoa, already 2,000 feet high, promises to be as violent as its infamous father. The film tells the story not only of what the 1883 explosion did to the coasts of Java and Sumatra, but also how nature has repaired the damage in the past 100 years.
The Shoebill
Insects on water
The wasp
The wasp
Made by the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia - dedicated to conserving the fragile coastal wetlands and desert environment and promoting environmental education, awareness and understanding.
Brent Charlie - 'C' platform - is one of the four huge oil production platforms in the giant Brent oil field in the northern North Sea. Charlie is a town itself - with all the facilities needed to house180 people living and working nearly 300 miles from the nearest Scottish mainland. There is a power station, de- salinators to produce fresh water form the sea, and proper sewage works to avoid pollution the sea. The offshore installation manager is in charge of the platform - he tells of his seven-day tour of duty on Charlie.
Half the people in the world still have to get their daily ration of water from a retained source. Every year six million children die form lack of water, from water related diseases, and from the poor hygiene that usually goes with bad water and primitive sanitation. Looks at various diseases related to water. Countries considered include India, Nepal, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Various methods of getting good clean water - involving community participation in building pipelines, pumps, latrines etc.
Our lives today would be impossible without rocks, and what we extract from them. Looks what rocks are used for and how coal, oil and gas are formed. Explains how an oil refinery works and how the oil is refined. This video is slightly technical in parts but does explain how various rocks are used in the production of metals e.g. aluminium, copper. It also looks at recycling and how it can be done more efficiently.
Looks at alternative sources of power - biogas, pellets, wind, tidal, methane gas, biomass (alcohol being used in Brazil - sugarcane fields competing with food crops), solar power, and geothermal energy - natural and created, nuclear and coal.
Courting is the eleventh in a series of twelve volumes looking at the natural history of behaviour. It is no use being shy and retiring if you want to attract the opposite sex.
Fight of flee, resist of surrender? Aggression over food, territory or mates is widespread in animals.
Many of the rural population in the Third World face a perpetual struggle to provide enough food for themselves and their families, due partly to adverse climate and unsuitable agricultural land. The problem is worsened by political factors in many countries, which have led to agriculture being given a low priority, to widespread poverty and to people being trapped in a downward spiral of malnutrition. Third World Governments face difficult choices; resources are scarce; cash crops, a source of much needed foreign exchange, are often encouraged at the expense of food and consumption. Why does hunger persist? Looks at the Green revolution and various solutions to the hunger problem e.g. hybrids, research into crossbreeding, education, and change of values. Also looks at the problems which promote hunger e.g. politics, cash crops, keeping farmers at subsistence level. How to change these situations.
Origin and Search: How oil/gas is formed. How to locate geosyclines using aeromagnetic surveys, seismic surveys, viewing outcrops. Siesmic waves created by vibrations, dropping weights, explosions underground, compressed air.
Drilling: How an exploration well is drilled using a drill-bit.
Refining: Distillation, and cracking of crude oil through "cracking". Looks at the many products produced from oil.
Distribution and Use: by sea, pipeline, rail and road. Freezing of gas to form LNG.
Survival through the dry season.
This video looks at how the rocks of the crust were formed; at how they differ in appearance and character; and at how different rocks (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary) make their own individual and particular contribution to the variety of the physical landscape. It is filmed in Europe. It is quite a geological video but provides good explanations.
In the animal kingdom.
The Kingfisher.
This video looks at the mining of uranium at Rössing Uranium mine. The processing and treating of the uranium ore is looked at in great detail - therefore making the video a little too technical for general student viewing.
Looks at how animals and plants have adapted to changes in conditions as one moves from the deepest valley in the world to the summit of the Himalayan Mountains. Looks at how volcanic action deep underground creates land and how it has moved continents. Movement of plates, hot springs.
i) The frozen world. Plants and animals of this world - high altitudes and very low temperatures. Consider the angle of the sun and the effect it has on temperatures. Animals looked at including the snow leopard, king penguin, polar bear, lemmings and karibu.
ii) The northern Forests. Coniferous forest and it's related animals - the lynx, vole and gray owl. Broad leaf tree - deer, insects, birds black bear.
iii) Tropics/Jungle. Great diversity found in this area.
iv) Seas of Grasses. Ttropical grasslands - ants/termites, tapir, savannah deer.
v) The Baking Deserts. Sahara, Arizona, Kalahari, Namib.
Some roleplay done by technikon students to Swartbank.
No work, no house, no money a pregnant girlfriend. Things are not looking bright for Tataro Zane. In an attempt to gain better life, Tatero has to learn that you can leave nothing behind. Nakambale Theatre Group.
Looks at how animals and plants have adapted to changes in conditions as one moves from the deepest valley in the world to the summit of the Himalaya Mountains. Looks at how volcanic action deep underground creates land and how it has moved continents. Movement of plates, hot springs.
i) The frozen world. Plants and animals of this world - high altitudes and very low temperatures. Consider the angle of the sun and the effect it has on temperatures. Animals looked at including the snow leopard, king penguin, polar bear, lemmings and karibu.
ii) The northern Forests. Coniferous forest and it's related animals - the lynx, vole and grey owl. Broad leaf tree - deer, insects, birds black bear.
iii) Tropics/Jungle. Great diversity found in this area.
iv) Seas of Grasses. Ttropical grasslands - ants/termites, tapir, savannah deer.
v) The Baking Deserts. Sahara, Arizona, Kalahari, Namib.
Coast of Loneliness - Looks at the Skeleton Coast - animals, plants and fog.
Secrets of the plains - Looks at the Gravel plains of Namibia.
The Sea of Sand - Looks at the Skeleton Coast.
A good introductory video to Natural Economy - shows that everything in the world is interconnected. Shows the rational and irrational behavior of man in his environment - and the importance of teachers and environmental education to children. Good understandable English. Development failures are not only found in developing countries.
National Geographic cameras travel to Iceland, Africa, Japan, California and Greece to record how the huge plates of the earth's crust crash together, pull apart, and override each other causing ground-shattering earthquakes and volcanic eruption. Born of fire demonstrates that while man is capable of harnessing this tremendous power for his benefit, he must also prepare for the possibility of cataclysmic disaster.
Various advertisements produced by African Sky
Rivers have long been used both as a source of fresh water and as a means of sewage disposal. Pollution became a serious problem with the growth of industry and large cities, which simultaneously brought an increased dependence on lakes and rivers for fresh water supplies and a vast increase in the volume of water-borne waste. Pollution can only be prevented if the way a rives absorbs waste is understood. This video looks at how algae, bacteria and fungi purify the water. What happens when waste exceeds the capability of these cleansing agents? How can we keep our rivers clean? Based on rivers in Europe.
This video is set in England. Accents are very English and they speak a fairly high level of English. Environmentalists express their opinions of Environmental Education and how important it is to the school child. The school child must understand how the world is being destructed and what they can do within their environment to prevent it from happening in their world. Shows different classroom examples and how EE is brought into their school. Suitable for higher English students - or teachers - to provide an example of what can be done, and to provide insight into EE and its importance to school children.
This video highlights the importance of coal as the sagest, most secure and abundant source of fuel worldwide. The significance of coal in global sustainable development cannot be underestimated.
This video produces a good overall picture of Rössing Uranium mine. It looks at the process of mining the ore, the processing of the ore and safety procedures followed. It provides a good example of open-cast mining but rather glorifies the mine. The pros and cons of mining uranium and its link to nuclear power are not considered.
German video - African Wildlife Management
A video by the Burning Issue Environmental Project
Looking at changes in the climate through collecting data - in the air and at sea. Looks at the greenhouse gases e.g. ozone, carbon dioxide, CFC's, methane that are warming our atmosphere. This raise in temperatures will result in the icebergs melting, the sea-level rising and thus the flooding of islands, coastal lowlands, wetlands and sea invasion. Global warming will also result in drought and famine. To try and prevent this from happening we have to reduce the level.
Why , for instance do some animals produce hundreds of thousands of eggs whilst others give birth to a single, live young?
What is malaria, its effects on the people and economy of a country. Looks at way of making people aware of malaria and shows ways of combating the disease. This film shows how malaria is being fought in the Sudan, India and Thailand.
Same as video number 87
Divided into 6 sections:
Air - how it is used by various creatures eg spiders and seeds for dispersal; geckos, flying squirrels to move about. Flying - ability of birds/bats to fly. Hot air ballooning using heated air and then looks at naturally heated air - thermals. Migrations of birds and butterflies.
Sweet fresh water - Rain, rivers and the life within rivers. Follows the course of the Amazon River from a stream to a huge river and how the inhabitants of the river change as it follows its course.
The Margins of Land - fresh water meets salt water. Introduces the creatures living in the area e.g. crustaceans, insects. Mangroves and estuaries, low and high level tide mark areas.
Worlds Apart - adaptation of animals and
birds to living on an isolated island. How they have adapted (evolved)
to suit their needs on the island. Also looks
at
Continues in New Zealand with the Kiwi bird. Looks at the introduction of alien animals to an area and the effects they have.
v) The Open Ocean - Importance of photosynthesis - leads to filter feeders, sharks and mammals e.g. the Killer whale, walrus. Loo ks at coral reefs, kelp forests and ocean deserts. Meeting of a warm and cold current producing a very productive area.
vi) New Worlds - looks at how man has transformed the world to suit his needs. Use of the land by man. Inter-breeding, breeding farms, cultivation (rice, wheat), selective breeding.
Adjustment of animals to city life. Man controls his environment - waste removal, pollution of the seas and air; over - exploitation of the sea and its effect on other animals (the inter - dependency of animals). Slash and burn methods. Hydro-electric power - the pros and cons.
Held in San Francisco
Based in Africa mainly Sahel Chad, Somalia. Discusses drought, famine and how one can try and move a food crisis to agriculture rehabilitation. A difficult task due to lack of tools, technology, seeds, water, civil war. Based in 1981. English is good and understandable. A good video.
About clay, cement, brick machines and irrigation.
Nyae Nyae Conservancy
Farm Midgard, Farm Otjiwa, Farm Franken - Game hunting and Guest Farms
Damaraland Camp, the Lena Florry Story
No work, no house, no money a pregnant girlfriend. Things are not looking bright for Tataro Zane. In an attempt to gain better life, Tatero has to learn that you can leave nothing behind. Nakambale Theatre Group.
This film is about the problem of water shortages faced by many communities round the world - in both developed and developing countries.
Following the extraordinary series The living planet, David Attenborough surveyed the entire animal kingdom the trails of life. This time he looks at animal behavior itself.
The greatest rocket launching site on earth is the last place you would expect to find a thriving wildlife community.
Made by the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia - dedicated to conserving the fragile coastal wetlands and desert environment and promoting environmental education, awareness and understanding.
Presents 4 films on the feasibility study and environmental impact assessment of the Lower Cunene Hydropower Dam Scheme
- Milestones
- Data, Development and Technology
- Impacts on the River wild
- Memory, Landscape and the River
- The great whales
- The invisible world
- The great chimpanzees
Made by the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia - dedicated to conserving the fragile coastal wetlands and desert environment and promoting environmental education, awareness and understanding.
The love song of a fish keeps people awake in San Fransisco bay. At dusk in Malaysia the riverbanks twinkle with the flashes of millions of tiny beetles. The world's loudest birds scream through the rainforest.
In Southwestern Africa, a vast ocean of sand collides with the Atlantic along the legendary Skeleton Coast. The fog, remorseless winds and treacherous currents have driven marines onto this coast for centuries.
The last in a series of twelve volumes looking at the natural history of behavior. When it comes to sex, there seems to be no fixed rules in the animal world.
An NNF expedition
Environmental Awareness Documentary by Namibia Beverages/Coca Cola
Made by the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia - dedicated to conserving the fragile coastal wetlands and desert environment and promoting environmental education, awareness and understanding.
A remarkable journey along the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. Breathtaking camera work, complemented by a specially composed soundtrack conspire to portray the unique spirit of this striking, unspoiled desert coast.
Presents 4 films on the feasibility study and environmental impact assessment of the Lower Cunene Hydropower Dam Scheme
- Milestones
- Data, Development and Technology
- Impacts on the River wild
- Memory, Landscape and the River
The San Andreas Fault
Afrikaans
Back from the blue
Jump for Joy - When the trainer says jump, they jump. The captive dolphins in the world's dozen Dolphinariums.
Revel in the visual splendour of the Namibian portion of the Succulent Karoo Biome, which includes Namibia's newest National Park - the Sperrgebiet. Explore the history of this former forbidden zone, which has been practically devoid of human habitation for 100 years .Discover some of the special plants that thrive in the extreme heat, sand and wind of the Namib Desert and its notoriously dangerous but diamond rich coastline. Learn why this is one of the world's proclaimed biodiversity hotspots.
Aus - gateway to the Namibia portion of a declared world biodiversity hotspot: the Succulent Karoo Biome. Learn about the history of this southern desert town. Enjoy the exquisite landscapes and the famous feral horses.
The Gariep - as some locals call the Orange River - has many tales to tell. Float down the serene and unspoilt liquid border between Namibia and its southern neighbour. Explore the natural beauty of this lifeline to development, tourism and conservation.