Paradise Islands

The islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and New Guinea are the biologically richest on earth. There are tigers and elephants, rhinos and birds of paradise. But why this profusion of life? This film follows the story of the islands from their violent and fiery birth to reveal how the forces of the earth have shaped these Paradise Islands and their wildlife.

The Paradise Islands stretch along the equator. It is the tropical sun that drives life on these islands. They are home to the oldest, richest rain forests on earth. There are trees that stretch 100 metres to reach the life giving sun. The sunlit canopy is home to gibbons and hornbills, whilst tigers and rhinos roam the shadows of the forest floor. The dance of the sun; of day and night, wet and dry season, has created an abundance of animals, like nowhere else on earth.

The reefs and coastal forests, beaches, reefs and shallow waters of the Paradise Islands are amongst the richest on earth. This is a world under the sway of the moon. Creatures as diverse and fascinating as proboscis monkeys, fiddler crabs and whale sharks move to the rhythm of the moon. This little-known world is full of surprises.