But this natural paradise is in jeopardy.

The sea is clogged with waste,

and many islands are under threat from rising water levels.

Coral reefs are bleaching

and thick blankets of algae and seaweed are choking the seas.

Animals and people are suffering.

But there is hope.

Dedicated conservationists are fighting the effects of climate change.

This won't be here forever if we don't take care of it.

They are trying to raise awareness about environmental issues.

The message is to make the children fall in love with the wildlife.

Curaçao is known for its beautiful beaches,

which draw tourists from far and wide.

But the marine and inland environment is also home to many wild animals.

Including Bob, a very special flamingo,

famous not only in Curaçao, but all over the world.

Odette Doest and Flamingo Bob are inseparable.

The veterinarian came to Bob's rescue

when it flew into a hotel window and was seriously injured.

They posted it and within 10 minutes I was in front of them,

like 'Hi, I'm here for the flamingo' and they were like 'wow'.

Bob can no longer spread his left wing properly, and his feet are too stiff.

He would struggle to survive in the wild, so Odette took him in.

When they asked me his name,

I was like 'Oh, he's a flamingo, and then in a split second I thought,

'Oh, his name is Flamingo ? Bob!'

Isn't that right Bob? Doesn't he look like a Bob?

The funny thing is - the name Bob means flamboyant, to be well-known,

and now he's famous!

Nomen is omen, right?

It's a Thursday.

And on Thursdays, Bob heads out on his new job, as a wildlife ambassador.

So, this bag is especially for him, not to get hurt. Yay.

Today they're visiting a primary school.

Meanwhile Bob is used to the passenger seat.

Even if I walk in somewhere and people do know that I'm coming in with Bob

then I have had the reaction, like — oh, is he real?

So they think I just run around with a fake flamingo next to me,

which is also funny.

Bob makes a grand entrance. The children are thrilled.

After some brief introductions, the children get a closer look.

Some of the children are hesitant —

more so than Bob, who by now has clocked up plenty of experience.

Odette spent several months preparing him for visits like these.

None of the children have ever been this close to a flamingo.

Odette then begins explaining

the importance of protecting nature and animals.

Even a child's kite abandoned outside

can spell death for flamingos and other animals.

This is nylon, and once it's in nature it doesn't go away.

A cute flamingo like Bob could get stuck in this.

Bob is quite the hit.

The message sticks.

Plastic isn't good for them.

If they die, it's not OK.

Odette knows that moments like these can make a difference.

When they have that 'Ah!' reaction,

then you have the gateway to their hearts.

With their young, spunky minds

they will question their parents, their friends.

You know, they will bring up some discussion —

what are we doing, why are we doing what are we doing,

is this something that needs to be continued or not?

This is what Odette is hoping to prevent.

Away from the tourist destinations,

many of Curaçao's bays are clogged with waste.

Nylon fishing lines and fishing hooks are simply abandoned.

Birds and animals get tangled in them.

The lucky ones, Odette finds and nurses back to health.

Odette's work as a vet keeps her busy.

But she also runs a wildlife sanctuary — she's always loved birds.

Flamingo Odi is a year old.

Odette found her seriously injured near a pool

and has been tending to her for months.

You know, a flamingo can live up to 40 to 60 years in the wild,

so she's a baby.

And, if she's a female, reproducing also for the flamingo population.

Bob keeps Odi company,

so that she doesn't forget how to interact with her own species.

She'll return to the wild soon.

They need to not be tame. Rehab is not cuddling.

Rehab is wild animals that are hurt,

you help them, and you put them back as soon as you can.

Odette is currently rehabilitating 45 wild animals.

They need medication, cages, and 80kg of food each week.

The wildlife clinic and sanctuary depends on donations.

For Odette, it's a labor of love — but it's exhausting work.

Do you ever stop working?

No. Yeah, when I sleep.

Soon Odette will have even more work on her hands.

Over just a few days,

a thick mass of sargassum seaweed has drifted to the island's coast.

For sea turtles trapped in the algae, it can be deadly.

A group of conservationists have made it their mission to save them.

A call came early in the morning.

Boom! I got this call: Julieta we need you. Come!

Julieta is 14 years old

and is a volunteer at the sea turtle conservation organization.

She and the team leader Ard are about to head out.

Nearly all species of sea turtle are now endangered.

The turtles are in distress, paddling helplessly.

They're fighting for their lives, we want to do what we can to save them.

Many turtles are trapped in the mass of seaweed.

But out here on the water, they're almost impossible to see.

And they're not easy to rescue.

The algae are so uncomfortable, it actually hurts when they hit you.

It smells very bad.

And you can't hear anything, the water just everywhere, it's stressful.

These huge seaweed blooms are a recent problem.

They're caused by a rise in water temperatures

along with agricultural fertilizers washing into the ocean from Brazil.

Sea turtles come to the surface to breathe,

and then find themselves trapped in the thick mat of seaweed.

Without help, they would die in the heat.

Every rescued sea turtle is a cause for celebration.

When I save a turtle, it means a lot. I feel like I'm helping.

But it's not just turtles, it's everything, the ocean itself,

and everything, creatures, it's wonderful to me,

and I'd die for that place!

The team have been working here for days on end.

They've rescued 25 turtles so far.

Many of them are undernourished and weak

and will need to be nursed back to health.

The sickest turtles are brought to Odette for help.

You found it on the algae, but not on the rocks?

No, this one was in the middle and really inside.

It had probably been there for a while.

These turtles are suffering from a tumor disease found in marine turtles.

Odette will surgically remove some of the growths —

this one is making it hard for the turtle to see.

Curaçao's network of wildlife conservationists call on each other.

These turtles are healthy but need to put on some weight.

They'll go to the aquarium for a while to recover.

Julieta has been volunteering for three years.

She helps whenever she can, wherever she's needed.

Being able to help is just wonderful and it gives you hope.

Every summer hurricanes pass through the Caribbean.

In recent years they've grown more frequent and gained in force.

The strongest storms bring death and destruction —

like here in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

The storms are being fueled by rising water temperatures.

A hurricane could spell the end of the Guna Yala archipelago of Panama.

Angel Martinez is worried —

storms are growing more powerful and the sea level is rising.

Angel and Saila are fishing today.

These waters have long sustained the indigenous Guna people.

God created this and gave it to us. He gave us this privilege.

We should enjoy it, but we also have to take care of it.

We have to preserve nature, the environment.

They're hoping to find enough fish for a meal, and perhaps some to sell.

But that's proving difficult this morning.

This is a sea cucumber! The Chinese like these.

This is a lionfish. They're venomous, if it stings you, you could die.

The water is shallow here.

The island is surrounded by a reef that forms a natural barrier.

This has an impact on us.

Every time it rains, or high waves hit the island, the island is flooded.

50 of the small islands are inhabited.

Some of the most beautiful have hotels built on them, for tourists.

The Guna live on the other islands.

Many men work as fishermen or as tour guides.

The women sell their handicrafts.

Angel's island, Gardi Sugdub, is 300m long and 150m wide.

Just about every inch of the island is built on.

Multi-generational families live under a single roof.

My mother sleeps here, I sleep here, my father sleeps there too.

This is our room.

The local people have dug up much of the reef,

and now they also have climate change to contend with.

Sea levels are rising and the island's days look to be numbered.

We had unusually heavy rain recently. It flooded the island, our home too.

The seawater came up to our ankles. It was unpleasant.

My mother and I bailed out the water all day.

We never had anything like this before.

Blas López is also worried about his home.

The weather has become increasingly unpredictable.

Like many locals, he's trying to build a protective barrier,

made of discarded materials and coral from the reef.

We look for coral and fill up the holes with it,

so we can build a natural barrier against the water.

Local people are removing the coral that protects their island

in hopes of protecting their homes.

It's a vicious circle.

Angel hopes the global community

will finally take action against climate change.

Nature responds to our actions that damage the environment.

We have to look after our Earth and keep this from getting worse.

That will require a change in perspective.

The government has long ignored the problem.

They've given up on the island

and say the families should be resettled to the mainland.

The move would threaten the way of life of an entire community.

The older residents are especially reluctant to move.

We are like elephants, we want to die in our homeland.

If it wasn't absolutely necessary, with global warming, the storms...

We feel that we have to go to a better place.

A thousand kilometers to the north, there is still cause for hope.

The coastal waters of Belize are breathtakingly beautiful.

People here live surrounded by the wonders of nature.

But the greatest treasure is under water.

The Belize Barrier Reef

is the second-largest coral reef system in the world.

Some of the coral growth is believed to be 7000 years old.

Just a few years ago, the reef was on the endangered list.

Now it's slowly coming back to life.

Monique Vernon is helping to preserve the reef.

She's doing the work she always dreamed of.

Even as a girl, she always knew she wanted to help rescue the coral reef.

What I feel like when I go to work is like 'Yes!'

When they call me and say, right we're going to go and do this,

go check the corals here, or whatever it is,

I'm like 'all right, let's do this, let's rock this, let's rock today!'

In the coastal village of Placencia, people live from fishing and tourism.

Both industries depend on the coral reef.

You know I come out on this trip many times, many days, and I say,

'Man, I'm so blessed.'

And I look at everything that is in front of me and I think

'I hope one day this doesn't become a memory.'

Underwater it's apparent that the reef is struggling.

Coral dies when the water becomes too warm and too acidic.

Storm surges from increasingly severe hurricanes also damage the reef.

Climate change is leaving behind a bleached, grey emptiness.

Monique works for marine biologist Lisa Carne's NGO, Fragments of Hope.

They're about to harvest some special coral