ORF-E
1 x 52 min -or- 1 x 45 min
Worldwide except for Germany and France

Nature is always on the move. For millennia, wild animals have travelled certain corridors: forest inhabitants require contiguous forests, fish need uninterrupted networks of waterways and birds travel from resting place to resting place. These journeys ensure that genetic diversity is maintained, keeping populations healthy. However, many corridors are now interrupted as a result of human settlements, roads, factories or power plants. “Corridors of Life” begins at the Devín Gate, home to one of the European continent‘s most diverse eco-systems. Ancient migration routes and different flora and fauna zones cross at the point where the Morava and Danube rivers flow into one another and the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps meet the edges of the Asian steppes. The region is home to mountain inhabitants like red deer and lynxes, as well as steppe animals including great bustards and ground squirrels. The natural world knows no boundaries – unless people create insurmountable obstacles. The documentary accompanies wild animals as they attempt to navigate the ever-expanding maze caused by human interference: Balkan bears try to establish new territories in the southern Alps, red deer attempt to travel west from the Carpathians and Danube huchens struggle to reach their spawning grounds. Animal migrations are becoming increasingly difficult. This documentary examines the challenges, the consequences and the possible solutions for this problem. The survival of wild animals and plants across Europe and the world depends on these routes – the “Corridors of Life”.