Saving The Cerrado: One Filmmaker’s Story Of Brazil’s Vanishing Savannah

Interview and edit by Rebecca Woolford, Senderos

With over 20 years of experience producing documentaries for the BBC, Apple TV, and National Geographic, Joe Stevens is an award-winning producer and director of wildlife documentaries.

He’s swum with sharks, has been chased by grizzly bears and has captured world first footage, including filming wild jaguars on Brazil’s rivers in the dead of night. 

Joe played a key role in producing TV series such as Earth Sound, Earth at Night, Blue Planet 2, Natural World, Wild Brazil, and Nature’s Great Events, as well as producing content for The One Show.

A published author and contributor to BBC Natural History Radio, today Joe lives in Bristol with his family. 

In this rare interview Joe shares his story of being inspired to start his career by David Attenborough’s work, to later working with him in the Galapagos on his 80th birthday (see image below). 

Scroll down to uncover Joe’s personal connection to Brazil, his role in the first ever successful rewilding of jaguars, and why safeguarding the world’s largest savannah has become one of his most important missions to date. 

Friends Joe and Simon are joining forces to host this ground breaking online event on the 15th of May to shine a spotlight on Brazil’s vanishing Savannah. 

When did you decide to dedicate your one precious life to filming wildlife?

“I was born in London, but when I was small my parents moved to the New Forest in Hampshire. I didn’t know back then about wildlife filming, but nature and art were a big part of my life from my childhood memories. I was naturally drawn to fine art and photography. I’d often spend time with my camera in the New Forest trying to take pictures of rabbits and foxes.

During my time as a student, I began to combine my creative side with an environmental science degree. Then following a trip overseas, my parents moved back to Cornwall where my Dad’s from for a new chapter. There I started working as a diver. 

I remember this one particular cold, bleak day in November, 2000… 

I was sitting alone in a dive shop in St Ives. Nobody had come into the shop for days and that evening  on TV was a BBC show called State of the Planet, a series with Sir David Attenborough which focused on the environmental issues facing the natural world . It immediately caught my attention. 

Up until that point Sir David had made series about animal behavior and zoology, but this was one of the first with an environmental stance. I sat there glued to the programme and something just clicked. I remember thinking, ‘why hadn’t I ever thought about making these kind of wildlife films before?’

It struck me as the perfect way to continue my love of travel and the visual arts, and include outdoor activities like diving and my environmental sciences degree from University felt like another string to my bow. It was a pivotal point, a moment of clarity – this is what I’d do with my life.

So, I later looked at the credits of the show, where the series was produced, I researched the producers, and there was an article in the BBC wildlife magazine by a Natural History Unit researcher called Shamila Cloudhury about work experience. So  I applied and it all started from there. 

I’ve since had the pleasure and honour of working with Sir David a number of times. It’s been quite the journey since he first inspired me in that diving shop back in Cornwall. David is a truly unique individual, an incredible man. We were actually together in the Galapagos Islands filming on his 80th birthday.”

You’ve seen the most spectacular corners of the planet, and witnessed unimaginable wildlife encounters across the last 20 years. Is being a producer and director of wildlife documentaries as incredible as it sounds?

“It is an amazing job. However, people watching at home only see the best bits, the most beautiful backlit shots, but behind those images and film are lots of hard work, and sometimes stress. 

When I was a young filmmaker we would go away for large chunks of time. In 2005 I was fortunate enough to work on a series about the Galapagos Islands for the BBC which took me away from home for 12 months. I’ve got three kids now and spending large chunks of time away from them is tough. Missing birthdays isn’t the fun part of this job. 

There is even more pressure as a producer. It’s your responsibility to decide where you’re going to spend the budget for your film, what sequence you’re going to do and it’s sometimes a bit of a gamble. If you don’t get the right shot, then you’ve got a hole in your program and some of these sequences can be quite expensive.

This job requires patience, focus and the ability to multi-task, working alongside scientists, camera systems, camera operators, and naturalist guides.

When filming in the Pantanal in Brazil for Earth at Night I worked with incredible  boatmen who have spent their lives on the rivers. They knew where theJaguars would emerge better than anyone. Fostering these relationships, gaining their trust and learning to trust their instincts is a key part of the job.

I love filming jaguars as they’ve got such character and presence – and one of the highlights was making a film also for the BBC titled Jaguars: Brazil’s Super Cats’ filmed at Caiman in the Pantanal. The project was particularly special as it was documenting the first ever successful reintroduction  of orphaned jaguars cubs. To get to know the individual cats and see them grow up then return to the wild was truly heartwarming. 

Earth at Night, an Apple TV series, revealed the night in colour. What can you tell us about filming by moonlight, following the secret lives of animals including jaguars?

“That was an amazing experience. I’d been lucky enough to film wild Jaguars in those rivers before, but not in the dead of night .

I’d previously worked on a series called ‘Wild Brazil’, and we were the first team to operate up there with a specialised system called a Cineflex that cameraman Ted Gifford and operator Mike Wright mounted on the small boat on jib  and allowed us to get stabilised shots like never before. For this new series, Earth at Night, we wanted to  push the boundaries still further and film the cats at night. 

To do this we integrated a particularly special  camera that is so sensitive that under full moonlight on a clear sky, it can  image the animals  in colour allowing us to follow them throughout the night. 

We captured a new insight into what was happening at night on these Pantanal rivers, something no one else had ever done before. Arriving on the river  at four o’clock in the afternoon when the other boats  were leaving, we would wait all night with our cameras. It was pretty tiring.

Working on this particular series, the team and I all felt what an incredible privilege it was, it was very special to be a part of it. When you go somewhere you know but at night, it feels like a different world.”

(1.59 mins Joe Stevens)

From filming the endangered Black Jaguar to the rare Maned Wolf in Brazil. Can you share with us the biggest threats and challenges to the wildlife that you’ve witnessed during film making?

“Thank you for bringing this up. Many of us out in the field, who do this work alongside scientists, are all very concerned about these keystone species and the fragile habitats they call home. 

One of the ecosystems that I’m particularly passionate about shining a light on is the Cerrado grasslands in Brazil. It’s a biome that’s underrepresented and largely ignored, next to its well-known neighbour the Amazon. 

The Cerrado is a biome that is being hammered, partly because it’s a savannah, which means it can easily be converted into soya. Soya that is chiefly used by the meat and dairy industry for animal feed is causing this habitat destruction and it’s happening at an alarming rate.

The Cerrado grasslands are being lost faster than the Amazon. 

Not many people outside Brazil are even aware of the beauty and importance of the Cerrado. Pedro Treacher and his team at Pousada Trijunção are doing great work with the landowners to work on the solutions, and I’m also working with Pedro and Onçafari to tell these important stories that often go under the radar. 

Brazil is a huge exporter of soya and corn and, in the drive to modernize Brazil, there is land grabbing going on, where this savannah is being converted to monoculture crops, leaving little to no space for nature and wildlife. 

Yes it brings money to the economy, and the Brazilian government is understandably pushing for modernisation, however the approach is highly questionable. 

There is always room for better practices in farming when it comes to water usage, crop rotation and considering the environmental impacts of using pesticides which make their way into the food chain. 

There are so few natural corridors for the wildlife to move between in these colossal farmed areas. This freedom of movement is critical for the survival of many keystone species that make the Cerrado unique. 

Accountability for water is a huge issue in the Cerrado that I want to raise awareness of. These monocrop plantations are using huge amounts of fresh water, and the multinational companies are not paying for the use of this precious resource. The water is being pumped up from groundwater sources and there’s zero accountability. 

For the last  year I’ve been focused on trying to showcase the destruction of the Cerrado, partly by telling the story of the maned wolf and black jaguars. 

The aim is to share the story of these incredible animals and the challenges they’re facing because of the monoculture farms owned by wealthy corporations. We’re documenting the loss of their home, highlighting the threats they face and raising awareness. 

In the films we’ll feature the huge water irrigation systems that stretch for miles, with a system of pumps and sprayers  they call pivots in Brazil. These mechanical systems pump groundwater up into circular sprayers and connect them together through long open water channels. During the dry season, when the animals are thirsty, they go looking for water, and as they approach these channels it’s common that they slip in. 

Lined with black plastic, once the animals fall in they then can’t get out. Scientists often find wildlife dead from drowning in these colossal irrigation channels which are kilometers long and 20-30 meters wide.

From Maned wolves to anteaters, deer, and a whole host of threatened species. 

Unlike maned wolves, jaguars avoid these areas and they cannot adapt as easily to this fast changing landscape. The jaguars need the native Cerrado to survive. The Cerrado is being reduced to pockets of vegetation, with no connecting corridors, and this isolates the jaguars. 

It’s visually very powerful and such a strong image when you see these massive plantations up against, and in contrast to, these beautiful wild spaces. In the films we’re choosing to focus on individual characters, telling their stories in the hope that audiences can better understand the significance of what’s happening in the Cerrado through the animals’ eyes.

We’re also showcasing black jaguars in the Cerrado, which are pretty amazing. No one’s really filmed them before, so that’s very special.

Left Image: Maned wolf Oncafari. Right Image: Jaguars by Edu Fragoso 

What’s different about this film and your approach compared to all the other wildlife series you’ve been a part of over the decades?

We’ve been capturing this story in the Cerrado for about a year now. 

The key difference is that we’re focused on getting the film out to Brazilian audiences first and foremost, that’s why I’m working with Brazilian filmmakers and writing the story in Portuguese.  

You know, it’s been an absolute pleasure for most of my career to make films for the BBC and other main streamers , but those films often don’t reach the hearts and minds of the people who actually call these places home, and really need to see this. 

It’s happening in Brazil’s backyard and most people have no idea. The very places where the wildlife is being lost at an alarming rate.   

My wife is from Brazil, and my children are half-Brazilian. We spend a lot of time down there and I’m passionate about sharing the stories of the wildlife in Brazil with Brazilian audiences. To create those connections. 

The films will then travel internationally and we’ll get them translated to better connect audiences in Europe, the States and Asia with what’s happening in the Cerrado.

What do you know to be true about tourism in Brazil and its connection with better protecting the endangered wildlife you’re so passionate about filming?

There are few places comparable to Brazil in terms of its nature and biodiversity. 

Pedro at Pousada Trijunção in the Cerrado and Roberto at Caiman in the Pantanal, and a host of other tourism pioneers, are aware of the power of tourism as a vehicle to preserve and protect nature that’s unique to Brazil.  

Ibiti is another inspiring example of how tourism can protect biodiversity. Once a degraded landscape, this area lost much of its flora and fauna through deforestation, and now tourism is giving it a second chance and bringing the land back to health. 

There is a growing awareness of the potential of ecotourism for Brazil, both from an international, but also a domestic market. 

Brazil has this amazing opportunity to lean into tourism in a much bigger way, just like Costa Rica, that has a reputation as being a hotspot for nature tourism. Most people don’t really think of Brazil as an ecotourism destination, although that’s starting to change.

Left Image: A sunset at Trijunção photographed by Fazenda. Right Image: A Maned Wolf and Safari Jeep at Trijunção

I also think that there is potential to encourage more Brazilians to travel within Brazil, to stop, look and value the nature and national parks on their doorstep. 

With the Cerrado films we are aiming to get more Brazilians to connect with nature. On Brazilian TV channels it’s rare to see nature documentaries like the ones I grew up watching, like Natural World or now Spring watch. In my lifetime I’d like to see more Brazilians celebrating the wildlife on their doorstep and cherishing it.

What is so clear to me is that the lodges using tourism as a vehicle to better protect nature, such as Caiman who have been ambassadors for jaguars for decades, are vital refuges for wildlife. And that is so crucial in preserving the world we live in now.

They become safe spaces for populations to establish and even overspill into other surrounding areas. 

Ecotourism is also accelerating the understanding of animal behaviour and our understanding of the ability of nature to bounce back given half the chance. 

Lodges like Caiman and Pousada Trijunção are places to gather data with the help of scientists who work alongside them. These protected pockets of land are living proof of what’s possible, and provide case studies supported by data. 

What’s exciting to see is the ‘rewilding’ efforts happening within the tourism space, where locations supported by tourist dollars are acquiring  large tracts of land that can then encourage wildlife to return. With long term sustainable visions for the future this is truly pioneering.

Ecotourism can provide a strong and reliable income to places like Caiman in the Pantanal, Cristalino Lodge in the Amazon and Pousada Trijuncao in the Cerrado, of course. These lodges and businesses can then afford to play the long game. It’s often difficult to find this approach and mindset with governments, they might only have limited funds to manage or protect certain Parks or areas for shorter periods of time, and with nature restoration and protection you’ve got to be in it for the long run. 

The rate of biodiversity loss around the world deeply concerns me and so many of my colleagues. 

Many people are worried about climate change for obvious reasons, but I think biodiversity loss is the silent partner. One key reason why preserving biodiversity is so important is because it makes these ecosystems more robust and resilient to climate change. They are interconnected. 

It’s amazing to have the big poster boys, Black Jaguars and Maned wolves, but it’s all the other species around them that keep those systems in check. And what we’re seeing is that worldwide biodiversity is dwindling and fizzling away. 

With ecotourism businesses where people pay good money to visit these places, those funds contribute to preserving the land intact, whilst providing experiences in nature, and these places are real beacons of hope. 

The world simply needs more of them. I often talk at length with my buddy Simon Heyes, founder of Senderos, about the importance of these places.

Wildlife documentaries are a great way to reconnect people with nature within the comfort of their own homes. Do wildlife documentaries also project this idea or illusion of a wild, biodiverse world that’s pristine – as opposed to the reality?

It’s an important point I’m glad you’ve raised. It’s something that the wildlife filmmaking industry is having to wrestle with right now. It’s an interesting time of change.

Documentaries like Planet Earth 1, 2 and 3 are amazing and inspiring but arguably they’re not that much different from one to the next for most of the audiences. What we’re seeing  is that audiences – and streamers that invest in them –  are choosing to seek out other types of content. 

Bristol is known as the Green Hollywood because of the concentration of wildlife production companies in one place. But the industry is in bad shape at the moment. I personally know incredible professionals and filmmakers who are struggling to find work right now. I think it just goes to show that it’s time for a new approach, a different way of reaching audiences and creating connection with nature. 

We’ve spent hours, years, decades as producers and directors fine tuning nature shows, striving for the perfect shot. The question is: Does the person at home, amazed by what they are seeing, relate or feel moved enough to create the change we need to see in a world where many species are vanishing? 

I think it’s time for a new rhetoric. There’s space and appetite for it. New narratives which encourage people to feel connected with nature and wildlife, as it is right now.

What’s next?

We’re in the midst of capturing this film on the Brazilian savannah. It’s going to take at least another year of filming.

The film tells the story of both the Black Jaguars and Maned Wolves in one particular place in the Cerrado, but represents the big issues affecting all the Cerrado across Brazil.  

I’m incredibly excited by a particular Black Jaguar we have been filming since April 2024. We now have a better understanding of his life and are able to follow him more closely. He’s one of the most amazing animals I’ve personally ever seen and I hope his story will inspire people to become more aware about the Cerrado and what we all can do to help preserve it.

 

Learn more about the Cerrado and the role tourism can play by joining a FREE online event here>

Discover more about our partner Pousada Trijunção in the Cerrado here>

Senderos’ stories is a series that celebrates our partners’ positive impact and purpose across Latin America. 

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