Islands in the Indian Ocean – Life in an endangered paradise – Movie of Norms Odenthal
German Documentary
Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives islands in the Indian Ocean. But even paradise has worries. Climate change and the corona pandemic are enormous challenges.
On the dream islands of the Indian Ocean, ZDF reporter Norms Odenthal gets to know people who are at peace with themselves. Who have found the right place for themselves. And who do something to ensure that this place remains liveable.
Anna, who as Conservation Manager is responsible for the renaturation of a Seychelles island. Hans-Joachim, who doesn’t want to waste a second of his life and at the age of 63 is full of energy – in paragliding or as an art sponsor. Dinesh, the jockey on the verge of winning the Grand Championship in Mauritius horse racing. Amir, the Maldives businessman who is defying all odds of the pandemic.
Norms Odenthal is there when Anna discovers the first Hawksbill sea turtle: the endangered animals come ashore to lay their eggs. Every animal counts. They are the last of their kind. Anna also takes care of underwater survival. Temperatures there have continued to rise in recent years. Corals have died off en masse. It has turned desolate and gray in the Indian Ocean. But there is hope. The team has grown corals, their growth is stimulated with electrical pulses. The effort is enormous, but it’s worth it: life under water is slowly returning. Hans-Joachim sounds more German than he is. Born in Leipzig, his mother was German and his father Algerian. But soon the family moved to France and Hans-Joachim eventually to the wide world. “I fled civilization,” he says. Mauritius has become his new home and he is in the right place. Hans-Joachim needs exercise, he goes paragliding and kite surfing. Corona and a tough lockdown robbed him of his freedom for a while, but he’s now taking it back.
Hans-Joachim lives intensively. And Mauritius with its unique landscape gives him everything he needs. The Maldives are threatened: the flat islands could simply disappear if the water continues to rise. The future is at stake. But the present is also uncomfortable. Tourism is only slowly picking itself up, Corona was a heavy blow. The conditions for Amir’s business were better in the past, but he won’t be defeated. His company imports groceries, but hardly anything is produced on the islands themselves. He used to earn his money as a tennis pro. And from this time he took his motto with him: Never give up!
Service Produced by Identical Pictures in Mauritius, Maldives