Main content

Madagascar's Sapphire Rush

Tens of thousands of Madagascar's poor are flocking to the country's remote forests to illegally mine for sapphires. But the wealth they seek comes at an environmental cost.

Tens of thousands of Madagascar's poor are flocking to the country's remote forests to illegally mine for sapphires. But the wealth they seek comes at a cost. Virgin rainforests are now scarred by mine shafts and makeshift villages that pollute the water. This is threatening the habitat of one of the world's rarest animals, the Indri Lemur. Our World's Angus Crawford trekked up to the mines that run through the territory of this critically endangered Lemur.

30 minutes

Last on

Boxing Day 201722:30GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 29 Sep 201723:30GMT
  • Sat 30 Sep 201711:30GMT
  • Sat 30 Sep 201716:30GMT
  • Sun 1 Oct 201704:30GMT
  • Sun 1 Oct 201717:30GMT
  • Sun 1 Oct 201723:30GMT
  • Wed 4 Oct 201723:30GMT
  • Fri 6 Oct 201709:30GMT
  • Mon 9 Oct 201723:30GMT
  • Wed 11 Oct 201709:30GMT
  • Tue 17 Oct 201723:30GMT
  • Thu 19 Oct 201723:30GMT
  • Boxing Day 201705:30GMT
  • Boxing Day 201708:30GMT
  • Boxing Day 201716:30GMT
  • Boxing Day 201722:30GMT