Around through the afternoon, attractions across the world, we could trigger some thunderstorms across zoos have had to close to visitors south wales, the midlands, into yorkshire and lincolnshire through as a result of the pandemic, the latter part of the day. But the animals still need care. Lorna gordon reports now from edinburgh zoo, where the keepers are sticking to their usual routines. So, perhaps some heavier rain the animals of edinburgh zoo. Locally here, and some sharper showers across northern scotland. Showers though across england there are over 2,500 animals here. And wales tend to fizzle out as we head overnight and into monday. The keepers agreeing to film for us a much milder story across the southern half to show how the animals are faring of the uk. Overnight, to the north, a risk while the gates are closed. Of a frost across scotland. And heres what that weather front really marks, so one of the first things we have the boundary between warmer air to do is check on all our penguins across the southern half of the uk, and colder air and make sure everybodys 0k. Trying to feed into the north the famous penguin parade is, or northeasterly breeze for now, no longer happening as we look at monday. But the breeding season here has showers across northern started, so both the penguins scotland, but actually quite a lot of sunny spells and their keepers have plenty to do. Across the northern half of the uk through the day, whereas the cloud will tend this is one of our breeding to build further south. Nests for our northern still pretty warm in the far southeast. Elsewhere, probably mid teens rockhoppers this year. So we are currently at this moment at best, and then showers starting to break out waiting for this chick to hopefully in the southwest later hatch in the next couple of days. On in the day on monday, as this area of low pressure winds itself up, and into the citys zoo would usually get tuesday, we are talking thousands of visitors every day about heavier and more widespread rain spreading but the lockdown means the pathways across england and wales. Here are now deserted. Still taking a time to work but obviously today we are. Empty. Its way north for scotland, however, weve still got a panda. Northern ireland, parts of northern england, i think a dry day with some the solitary creatures are among bright or sunny spells. For the south though, the most popular animals here. A good chance of rain for many their adoring audience may have areas, and the disappeared but it has made no difference to them. Temperatures sitting social distancing isnt really a problem for pandas, in the mid teens at best. Because they quite like being solitary and he certainly doesnt then from mid week onwards, that area of low pressure miss having company. Will throw the influence a lot of people worry that if hes of its showers further north. A pretty unsettled on his own, hes lonely. Story across the board, hes not. As we look at the forecast as long as yang guang has got food, through the latter part of the week. He is perfectly happy. The keepers are always careful around their charges but coronavirus means they are taking even more precautions now. We wear gloves when were handling any food and things like that but we have started wearing facemasks all the time. One of the things that could potentially happen is that we could pass coronavirus onto the chimps. As far as i know, there are no known cases of chimpanzees catching coronavirus but they are susceptible to things like the flu, so we really dont want to take that chance. The zoo is a charity so, like other similar organisations, it has worries now its income from visitors has dropped away. Its priority, ensuring the animals here receive the best care possible during this crisis. Lorna gordon, bbc news. Now on bbc news deforestation has sky rocketed in colombia since the peace deal of 2016. Our world joins a team of scientists from the royal botanic gardens. In the forests of colombia, nature is under attack. This is bbc news welcome if youre watching here in the uk since the civil war ended in 2016, or around the globe. Im aaron safir. Deforestation has skyrocketed. Our top stories coronavirus has now taken the lives of 200,000 im Frank Gardner and i am people around the globe. The number of deaths in uk heading into what remains hospitals has passed 20,000. Of the virgin tropical rainforest. The governor of new york, i traded in my wheelchair the us state worst hit for a packhorse and am tested by the outbreak, authorises to my limits. Independent pharmacies to carry out tests. I think this is too dangerous. Its endured a month under one i dont think i can do this. Of the strictest lockdowns i am joining a crack in the world now South Africa Team of scientists from the royal botanic gardens, kew. Prepares to begin an easing of some restrictions. When the circus came they are on a mission to discover to town and stayed. We find out what happened and save unique plant species before when one troupe of performers and their animals were grounded they vanish forever. By the global pandemic. I am going to bear witness on the frontline of rainforest conservation. This is where the journey begins not in colombia, but in the royal botanic gardens, kew, london. Kew is the world leader in developing plant science. The botanists are preparing for their mission to discover new species. And it is from here that this expedition will be launched. I have come here to see the expedition leader, doctor mauricio de bernardos. He works in a library for lab specimens. This is where we identify new plants. We believe we have more than 200,000 different species here. You are a botanist and a biologist. And a scientist and an explorer in some sense. What are you expecting to get from this mission . The most remote areas are the best preserved and this is going to be our most important expedition. Were going to try to get into the of this area. We do not know what we expect to find. What is at stake with this whole trip that were doing . Why is this so important . We are in a race against time to protect this biodiversity from disappearing. We have rapid deforestation. We see how we are losing this forest very quickly and ourjob is to get an understanding about the diversity of these resources as well as their importance. In 2016, the colombian government signed a peace deal with the farc rebels. For more than half a century, civil war slowed the pace of deforestation. But now remote tracts of land have opened up. Farmers, loggers, and miners are scrambling for resources. Colombia is now reportedly losing 3,000 Square Kilometres of forest every year. We are travelling to an area famous for its emerald mines, western boyaca. This is a bittersweetjourney for me. This could be the last time that i could see this forest. If i come back in ten years, this forest could be gone. Colombia is still an eden. Its the second most biodiverse country in the world, after brazil. I may be the bbcs security correspondent, but my passion is for nature. You know, just look around you. Theres incredible scenery. It is such a privilege to be here. I love being surrounded by the sounds and smells of nature. Nature has always been something of an antidote to myjob as a security correspondent. In 2004, i was shot and partly paralysed while on the job. I wont deny, i have a certain trepidation about the trip itself because everybody else is walking. I will need to do this on horseback or i will not make it. The team assemble at the edge of the rainforest in las quinchas. Its going to be a beautiful day. Yes, it is going to be a beautiful day. This is the first time this area will be explored by scientists. For so many years, conflict and criminality made this are inaccesible to outsiders. If you see a snake, everybody please freeze, dont move. We are going to carry radios at all times. You, actually, frank, youll have a radio. So this is going to be your radio. Im going to be quite busy trying to control the horse. Well, yes, maybe we can put this on the horse so you can have something that you can. The horse can do the radio. There is a bit of a risk here. My legs are like honeycomb, the bones. I cannot afford to fall off and break things. At the beginning of the track is a steep descent. The botanists hope to find new species deep inside the forest. But i am unable to hold on with my legs. Guys, i dont think i can do this. Im going to fall off. I think this is just too dangerous. I mean, it breaks my heart, ijust. I think you will have to carry on without me. But the local guides come up with an idea. Well done. 0k. I am so thrilled that despite my injuries, thanks to the endurance and kindness of these guys, i am able to see this amazing scenery. Primary forests are the most bio diverse terrestrial ecosystems anywhere on the planet. Forests are not only vital in mitigating climate change, the botanists hope to find plants with untold potential. They get to work collecting specimens. We dont know what it is. It could be a philodendron. Beautiful. One of the local guides believes that he has chanced on something extraordinary. This, we actually dont know exactly what it is. It could be something new. We are the first botanists collecting in this area. So basically every single collection is a new report for this area. The scientists will take the cuttings to the laboratory for further examination, in kew. Beyond the fact that it is scientifically interesting, what does it mean to find new species like this in a remote forest . In a country like this, unusually biodiverse, we still do not know how many species are out there. We are estimating in colombia we have about 30,000 species, but still probably 6,000 new species to be discovered. So you think that there are new species out here in these forests that could actually vanish before they are even discovered . Yes, absolutely. And we still dont know the uses of many species. Some of the species could have the properties to cure important diseases for humans. And so as biologists, as botanists, we need to understand as much as possible as quick as possible of this amazing biodiversity. This is like a supermarket, or a pharmacy, and we dont know it, we dont appreciate the forest. 0ur quality of life relies on the preservation of these forests. In the fight to save the forests, the colombian government has extended its protection to millions of acres of land. The Army Launched 0peracion artemisa in 2019 to fight illegal logging. Colonel hermida has a thousand troops deployed in the area. What effect has this had on deforestation here . But this cant really apply to the whole of colombia because deforestation is continuing throughout the country. Even here, they are still doing it. This region, colonel, seems very secure, very peaceful but of course in the past, it wasnt like that. Do you worry that if they dont find proper alternatives for people to make a living, that this region will go back to conflict . Under colombian law, illegal deforestation carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. But in remote places, the law is hard to enforce. Illegal loggers are still at work in these forests. The loggers say they have bills to pay. Theyve chosen their target an 80 year old rosewood tree. Chainsaw revs. This fallen giant will make the loggers 300. These valleys are populated by miners and loggers. In the town of 0tanche, members of the community have been invited to a workshop organised by the authorities. They hope ecotourism will be the silver bullet, providing an income for the community while saving the forest. The botanists from kew have been invited to make their case. The fact that there is such a good turnout here, proves that there is a lot of interest in alternatives to cutting down the forest. But the question is, is it going to give people enough of a livelihood, and thats a big question. The colonel has turned up. Sitting next to him is edemildo, whos been a logger all his life. Now, though, he is looking for new opportunities. Lidia is one of the pioneers of ecotourism. She set up a butterfly sanctuary to try and entice tourists into the region. It is a natural destination for tourism but there is no infrastructure for it at all. Its going to take years, isnt it, and by then, the forest will be almost gone . Are you optimistic or pessimistic . Are you going to win this fight to save colombias Natural Heritage . For future generations and the environment, time is running out. The need for a solution is urgent. Im back on the horse on another field trip with the botanists. This time, on more even ground. Oh, my god. Its like. This is incredible. Of all the wild, remote places ive been to in the wild, i think this is got to be right up there near the top and as a disabled person, as somebody who cant walk, who has to use of wheelchair, its amazingly liberating that here amongst all this round flora and fauna, these beautiful butterflies and rare plants, its this amazing bio diversity. The scientists from kew remain hopeful of finding Hidden Treasures before its too late. There are things ive never seen before. I have no idea what genus it belongs to. The thing about plants, they can be rare and special. They all look the same but its when you go back and start comparing them with others. Mauricio, do you think you can persuade people to stop cutting down the forest soon enough before the forest is gone . That is very hard to say. Thats our hope and thats our mission. Thats why we are here. I believe that we can make a change. We just have to do our best to protect the best of this biodiversity. Jennifer is a local botanist. She is exploring new areas of her country for the first time. How optimistic or pessimistic are you that you and others like you, who care about nature, who care about biodiversity, that you can save this forest . Its great that youre optimistic but the reality is, the area of forest is getting smaller every year. Colombia today is a post conflict nation, but it faces a new battle to protect its natural resources. The biodiversity contained in these forests could prove to be its most 00 25 59,319 4294966103 13 29,430 precious commodity of all
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