Documentary

Voyage of Darwin’s Beagle

Beagle: In Darwin’s Wake is a commemoration of 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s book “On The Origin of Species”.

Almost 180 years after Charles Darwin’s journey circumnavigating the world, a crew of authors, artists, and scientists follow in his footsteps. Journalist and presenter Lex Runderkamp, biologists Dirk Draulans and Sarah Darwin (who is the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin), the artist Anthony Smith and the writer Redmond O’Hanlon are accompanied by a number of invited guests whose backgrounds are compatible with the theme of each of the 8 episodes.

The series was initiated by the Dutch-Flemish state broadcaster VPRO. The crews 8 month long voyage on board of the clipper Stad Amsterdam began from the English port of Plymouth on September 1, 2009 and traced the route of the HMS Beagle’s 5 year voyage (1831-1836).

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Created By

Status

Ended

Original Name

Voyage of Darwin’s Beagle

First Air Date

September 12, 2012

Last Air Date

September 12, 2012

Seasons

1

Episodes

8

Language

English

Production Companies

VPRO

Networks

S01E08

The Ruins of Progress

In this last episode of the series the crew of Stad Amsterdam visits Mauritius island before making a final stop in South Africa where the journey of modern Human ancestors began 200 thousand years ago. San culture in South Africa is the most ancestral Human population finding Like many island ecosystems Mauritius has been impacted by introduced species such as macaques. Species evolved on island systems are more prone to extinction. The flightless bird the Dodo is the icon of extinction in islands entirely due to Humans. An ambitious conservation project aims to restore the original biodiversity in an island called Ile aux Aigrettes. Similar conservation programs are employed in islands including the Kaena Point in Hawaii where biologists have fenced an entire peninsula to prevent access of non-native mammals.

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