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Challenges Grow At Belarus` Borders With E.U. Countries; Conservationist Works To Reconnect Forest Fragments In Brazil; A Castle Goes Up For Sale. Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired November 10, 2021 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for taking 10 for CNN 10 this November 10th. Today we`re unraveling a complicated series of

events that are likely behind a migration stand-off in Europe. This is taking place in the eastern part of the continent, at the border between

Belarus and Poland. Thousands of people have been camping there in freezing conditions trying to get into the European Union.

Belarus is not a member of the EU, but Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are. They all share borders with Belarus and they`ve all seen a surge in the

number of people trying to cross over from Belarus into their countries. Lithuania has declared a state of emergency at its border because of the

crisis, and Poland says since September it stopped more than 32,000 attempts by migrants to illegally cross into Poland.

These migrants are not from Belarus. Polish officials say they`re mostly from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. So why is this happening? Well

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko blames western nations for causing the problems the migrants are fleeing, but the European Union

blames Belarus, saying its kind to get revenge for punishments the EU gave it in June.

The Belarussian government has been accused of holding an unfair election last year and restricting Belarussians rights and freedoms. So, the EU

imposed a number of sanctions on Belarus this summer, and European official say Belarus is trying to pressure the EU by encouraging thousands of

migrants to illegally cross into its countries.

Belarussian officials have repeatedly denied doing that, and Belarus blames the EU for treating migrants badly at the borders where several people have

died. Humanitarian groups have accused Poland of illegally pushing people back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection.

Poland says it`s been following immigration law, and it`s accused Belarussian authorities of pushing migrants towards its border. So, a lot

of back-and-forth accusations are going on here, and thousands of people are caught in the middle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The situation at the border between Poland and Belarus remains extremely tense. The Polish authorities are now

saying they believe that between 3,000 and 4,000 people are camped out on the Belarussian side and trying to get across. While the Polish

authorities are saying that`s not something that they are going to allow to happen, they say that they`ve already put in place more than 9,000 soldiers

and also thousands of border patrol agents as well to try and prevent people from coming across that border, and making into the European Union.

Poland the European Union both accuse Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko of what they call state sponsored human trafficking. They say

that the regime in Belarus is luring people, especially from Middle Eastern countries, first and foremost from Iraq, to Belarus and then funneling them

to the border and trying to get them to cross.

Again, the Polish authorities are saying that is not something that they are going to allow to happen, but ultimately most of those people, the

authorities here in Germany believe, are trying to make it to this country, to German and to claim asylum here. And the German border police, they`ve

also increased their patrols as well, they say they`re increasing coming across migrants. And they say most of the people that they`re coming

across have made their way to the European Union via Belarus. Fred Pleitgen, Frankfort Oder, Germany.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. What covers 31 percent of Earth`s land area? Lakes, Deserts, Ice or Forests. Though deserts cover about a third of the

Earth, the United Nations says forests cover 31 percent.

Some forests in South America are only a fraction of the size they used to be, and the reasons for that are both legal and illegal. For one thing,

there`s the need for wood. It`s used to make everything from homes to toys, instruments and sporting goods to furniture. Developers clear

forests to expand cities or build roads. Farmers clear them to create agricultural fields, and some of this is done without government

permission, but all of it can take a toll on the natural canopy and the wildlife that live under it as deforestation progresses.

In the Atlantic Forest, which runs from northeast Brazil down to Paraguay and Argentina, there`s a conservationist working to reconnect some of the

fragments of canopy that remained after deforestation. Here are the efforts of Rolex Awards Laureate Laury Cullen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURY CULLEN, PROJECT AND RESEARCH COORDINATOR GREEN HUG PROJECT: What I really love about being in a forest is seeing the size of the change we can

really make. Is it really possible to bring all that forest back?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Laury Cullen has dedicated his life to restoring the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, after witnessing the destruction of his

birthplace.

CULLEN: The Western San Pablo Atlantic Forest Range used to be a very, you know, green, continuous beautiful landscape. What used to be 100 percent

of forest grove now is only 2 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Decades of deforestation have led to a significant reduction of one of the world`s most diverse habitats. All that remains of

the forest are isolated fragments. This means many species are now under threat, as they no longer have the ability to disperse.

CULLEN: The wildlife, especially, you know, the jaguars, puma, ocelots, they are very isolated in these small forest patches. They cannot see each

other. That`s when we started having problems of in breeding depression that can kill the local population in a very (inaudible) term.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cullen and his team use a targeted approach to forest restoration, taking what`s left of the fragments and planting in corridors.

These proposed corridors aim to connect the fragments and act almost as an express highway for local species.

CULLEN: Dream map is putting priorities where the forest should really be, to make sure we put the right corridors in the right places.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To date, Cullen and his team have restored 3,000 hectors of forest and tell us they have already seen at least half of

native species using them including some animals at most risk of extinction.

CULLEN: Today, it`s already possible to see the lion tamarins, the -- the families of the real (ph) monkey by themselves using some of the forest

corridors there where we have put back. If we just keep them going, the survival of this very endangered species will be OK in the long-term.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cullen`s motivated by both the community and climate benefits to reforestation, but his accomplishments represent a

transformation that is as much personal as it is philanthropic.

CULLEN: I used to be a hunter. You know, my father used to take me hunting in the Amazon. So that`s how I got in contact with forests killing

a lot of endangered species, but now I`m doing my part to put our forest back. Trying to redeem all the bad reputation that I had in the past.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cullen`s efforts benefit not only the landscape but also the communities living on it.

CULLEN: People are really part of the restoration situation. Every restoration that we do is done by the local people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cullen and his team have set themselves the ambitious target of bringing back corridors to cover the 60,000 hectors of land,

equating to 20 percent of the whole region.

CULLEN: We have a vision. We have a mission. We have a map and that`s it. We`re not going to give up. We have a lot to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Today is the first ever Call to Earth Day. Stories like the one you just saw show you how people are taking action to help a planet worth

protecting and that`s the focus of a new partnership between CNN and Rolex. If you, your class, your school would like to learn more, please visit

cnn.com/CALLTOEARTH.

To borrow a pun from colleague Jeremy Roth, this is "surreal estate". A castle in Connecticut has hit the market, and when we say castle, this

thing has more than 18,000 square feet of living space. Nine bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, 12 fireplaces, it`s in Connecticut after all, it`s

got an apartment nearby and the 75-acre property includes its own moat because it was built on a pond.

So, if you`re seeing this and saying this is fit for the king or queen that is me, you`ll need a king`s ransom to buy it at $35 million.

That`s a "Camelot". I mean saving that much money sure would be hard. It could take "Middle Ages". You`d have to be "Royally Flushed" with cash.

You might have to borrow with your "Shakespeares". For "moat" people, it would be a "futile" effort. Hear ye, hear ye, for today`s shout out, we

are going to Owensboro, Kentucky to recognize the students of Owensboro High School. I`m our town crier, Carl Azuz, and we hope to see you again

tomorrow.

END