Under The Sea THE GREAT BARRIER REEF Episode 3
In the final chapter of his journey across The Great Barrier Reef Naturalist and Conservationist Iolo Williams uncovers stories from the reef’s ancient past. Iolo learns how the reef - the largest single living organism on earth - was formed after the ‘Great Floods’ following the last Ice Age, a story still passed down in aboriginal culture. On his journey he encounters the reef’s most incredible survivors; from a giant coral known as the ‘Monolith’ – the oldest and largest on the reef; to ancient mangrove forests - vital nurseries for marine life; and he delves into the relationship between people and the reef spanning tens of thousands of years. Along the way Iolo meets stingrays that have swum in the oceans for 100 million years, he encounters Leopard Sharks in the most pristine part of the reef, and he meets an environmental champion who – despite the rapid changes the reef is now seeing – gives him a glimmer of hope that the reef will survive for future generations.