ABC News Announces New Four-Part Series Investigating Global Fight to Protect the Planet’s Most Threatened Ecosystems [VIDEO]

ABC News Live, the 24/7 streaming news channel, is partnering with Global Conservation, the only international nonprofit organization focused on the direct protection of endangered national parks and Indigenous territories in developing countries, to present “Last Lands,” a gripping new series spotlighting the global fight to protect our planet’s most threatened ecosystems.

Hosted by award-winning ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff, the series will premiere on September 16, streaming on ABC News Live. ABC News Live is available on Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, Roku, Amazon, Samsung TV, and other platforms. The series showcases the vital work being done by Global Conservation, national governments, and local communities to protect the world’s last intact tropical forests and sanctuaries for critically endangered wildlife.

“This has been a month’s long, multi-continent eye-opening project led by Bob Woodruff,” said Seni Tienabeso, executive director of ABC News Live. “‘Last Lands’ represents our commitment to in-depth, investigative reporting on our changing world and takes our streaming audience to these places to see it for themselves.”

“‘Last Lands’ brings the stories of frontline conservationists to a global audience, showing the vital work needed to protect some of the world’s most endangered national parks and Indigenous territories that span across the Amazon to the Congo and beyond,” said Jeff Morgan, executive director of Global Conservation. “Protecting our last intact tropical forests in endangered national parks and Indigenous lands is crucial not just for biodiversity, but for the future survival of the human race.”

Episode Highlights Include the Following:

Indonesia: In the Coral Triangle’s Derawan Archipelago, illegal bomb fishing and turtle egg poaching are destroying centuries-old coral reefs and an idyllic tourism destination. This episode documents the battle to protect the area’s pristine marine life as Woodruff embeds with maritime police to expose the lawlessness in these waters. (September 16 @ 8:30PM EDT/9:30PM PDT)

Ecuador: The Amazon rainforest now faces devastation from illegal gold mining controlled by powerful cartels and thousands of illegal miners, destroying national parks and Indigenous territories and polluting the rivers with cyanide and mercury. Bob Woodruff joins Indigenous patrols and government forces as they fight to reclaim their Indigenous territories and national parks from environmental ruin. (September 23 @ 8:30PM EDT/9:30PM PDT)

Cambodia: Cambodia’s rapid deforestation, which has left 30% of its forests destroyed in just two decades, takes center stage in this episode. Woodruff joins the government rangers and international special forces who protect one of the last intact national parks, tackling illegal logging, land clearing, and wildlife poaching. (September 27 @ 8:30PM EDT/9:30PM PDT)

Cameroon & Gabon: Woodruff goes in search of the last remaining forest elephants of Africa, over two-thirds of which have been killed in the last 20 years. This episode follows the dangerous journey to uncover the networks behind the poaching crisis and the efforts to save these majestic animals across Cameroon and Gabon. (September 30 @ 8:30PM EDT/9:30PM PDT)

“Last Lands” begins streaming on Monday, September 16 (8:30PM EDT and 9:30PM PDT), on ABC News Live. Seni Tienabeso is the executive producer.