‘Netflix For Nature’: 5 Movies To Watch On WaterBear, New Documentary Streaming Platform

WaterBear Network, a new on-demand video streaming platform that’s entirely dedicated to nature has just been landed. Described as the “Netflix” for documentaries about the planet, the platform is supported by over 80 global NGOs including Greenpeace, WWF, Lonely Whale, Conservation International, Sea Shepherd and the Jane Goodall Institute – and it’s entire content library is free for all to stream. What’s more? You can take action at the same time by choosing to make direct donations to charities working on projects aiming to preserve the incredible scenes you’re watching on your screen. We’ve picked out some of the best documentaries that you can enjoy in the comfort of your home, which will no doubt inspire you to take action to protect our beautiful planet. 

Chasing Ice (2012)

Chasing Ice is a documentary exploring the melting glaciers in the Arctic circle. It is a visual masterpiece by National Geographic photographer James Balog, who records the impact of global heating on melting ice-caps – and this was already captured 8 years ago with the trend now having accelerated even more. The incredible landscapes captured in the film will no doubt make you think twice about how your daily actions could help or harm the planet. 

Nations United (2020)

Nations United – Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times is a short film released by the United Nations earlier this year, on the fifth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in the midst of the global pandemic. The film aims to raise awareness about what needs to be done to combat some of the world’s biggest challenges, from ongoing poverty and inequality to gender discrimination and climate change – all of which are now under threat of having progress undone by the coronavirus and its enormous impacts around the world. 

The Pollinators (2019)

The Pollinators examines the plight of bees, our important pollinators that almost three-quarters of the world’s food crops are dependent on. Their suffering numbers are posing serious problems for global food security, and in the U.S., half of bee colonies are dying every single year. This movie will tell you all about the declining bee population and what solutions exist to save them. 

Africa’s Hidden Seaforest (2020)

Africa’s Hidden Seaforest is WaterBear’s first original movie, created with Craig Foster from Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher fame alongside his wife and journalist Swati Thiyagarajan and Pippa Ehrlich. In the film, audiences are taken on a journey through the wonders of the seaforest and the amazing species that inhabit it.

The End Of The Line (2009)

The End Of The Line is the acclaimed 2009 film by Rupert Murray, who exposes the fishing industry’s unchecked and unregulated operations that are wreaking havoc on the ocean, and the politicians who are failing to take action on protecting the world’s fish stocks. Beyond tracking the enormous environmental harms of the seafood industry, from the collapse of the cod population to bluefin tuna being threatened with extinction, it also examines the human cost and jobs that are at risk from humanity’s exploitation of the sea. 

Sticking to Netflix for now? We’ve still got you covered with 5 climate change documentaries to watch on Netflix.