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Sea cucumbers fixing the world

How the humble sea cucumber and its poo is helping coral reefs.

Meet the oceans’ unsung hero - the humble sea cucumber. An animal in the same family as starfish that looks like a lumpy sausage and lives on the ocean floor could help with some of the impact of global warming, pollution from fish farms and damage from the fishing industry that are threatening some of the oceans most important ecosystems.

We meet the Australian researchers using drones to count the cucumbers to understand how their poo is helping coral reefs. And in Madagascar, we speak to the local communities which are learning to sustainably farm the creature, protecting the seas and increasing their income along the way.

Presenter: Myra Anubi
Producer/Reporter: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Sound mix: Annie Gardiner
Editor: Penny Murphy

Email: [email protected]

(Image: Sea cucumbers. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

23 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tue 14 Feb 202308:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Feb 202315:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Feb 202318:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Feb 202323:06GMT
  • Sun 19 Feb 202310:06GMT
  • Tue 24 Oct 202307:06GMT
  • Tue 24 Oct 202314:06GMT
  • Tue 24 Oct 202317:06GMT
  • Tue 24 Oct 202321:06GMT
  • Mon 30 Oct 202303:06GMT

People fixing the world on YouTube

People fixing the world on YouTube

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