♪ >> this week, "global 3000" heads to mexico to look at the american crocodile. it is under threat. in poland, numbers of young radical nationalists are rising, their targets refugees and islam. but first, we meet a boy from syria who can certainly teach us a thing or two about courage. in early 2011, the arab spring arrived in syria, and its people rose up against the authoritarian regime. members of the army deserted and rebel groups formed, all with the common aim -- removing president bashar al-assad from

power. but today, almost six years later, assad is still at the helm. syria remains a battleground with russia and has black backing the president's forces and the u.s., turkey, support ing the rebels. in the mix, a terror organization, the i.s. and al-nusra front and kurdish units fighting for control of the region. syria is a patchwork of the occupied zones. who knows how many lives have been lost. estimates range of up to 470,000 people. that is not including the vast numbers of injured and maimed, many of them children. >> [speaking a foreign language] >> swimming is all about upper body strength. for this 10-year-old boy, it is especially important.

he comes from syria and may one day decide to compete in the paralympics. this is his first training session today. we are in the capital. amman. he arrived here two years ago. >> he is incredible, and i get emotional watching him. this energy is amazing. i would like to continue being there for him. i hope that i can. >> he is one of the millions of victims of syria's war. that is not how he wants to be seen.

>> we met the boy for the first time a few months ago. back then, his passion and grit already came through. he presents himself as a regular kid who just happens to love the water. >> training today was really hard but it was the first time , and it's always difficult in , the beginning. >> the goal of competing in the paralympics is not set in stone. that decision will be left up to the boy. he was taken in by a syrian charity in amman. the ngo is like a family to him. >> the message in the end will

go from the boy to all of the kids, and it is going to be amazing. there is a hope. we are going to build syria again. there is a hope for everything. >> this woman has become like a second mother to him, she brings him to school each day. his real mother is stuck in syria, where she lives with her sister and niece. authorities in jordan will not let her join her son. his father died in a bomb attack. people here that have known him for a while say he was a different person when he first came out of the hospital. he would not let anyone come to close and could not bear to look in mirrors. at school, the boy is supported

by a psychologist. he is doing better, thanks to the family, taking them under the wing. swimming professionally is not his only dream. >> i really like school, and i am learning new languages and all sorts of other things. i want to go to college later. >> his courage seems to know no bounds. when it comes down to it, he is like any other 10-year-old and loves to play. at the moment, he is into climbing and jumping. >> i am doing well. look at me bounce. i just brushed against that thing with my hair. now, i'm going to jump higher. >> this woman has a family of her own and she has grown very attached to the boy.

she takes care of the household duties, things like meals, laundry, and homework. she herself fled from a syrian city in 2012. >> what have children done to deserve something like this? his father was killed and he was separated from his mother, and he lost his legs. he is a child and should be able to enjoy his childhood. i think that god chose us to be there for him. >> this woman may soon have to leave him. she has been given the green light to begin a new life in chicago. although, since the u.s. election, her fate has grown less clear. she expects the war in syria to rate on for several more years. despite the hardships he has endured, the boy manages to inspire others with hope. >> i would like to tell people to stop fighting. make the country go back to what it was. i want everything to be normal again.

>> this is the time of day the boy likes least practicing , walking on his artificial legs. he has asked us not to film as he puts them on. he finds this embarrassing. the prosthetics he is using are actually far too short. but when he wears longer ones, he is afraid of falling. >> i am faster without the press for said experience -- without the prosthetics. i have a feeling it is not me, something foreign. >> back to the pool for another training session. if he decides that is what he wants, there is little doubt he will achieve his goal. the syrian war may have taken

his father and separated him from his mother. it damaged his body, but it has failed to crush this little boy's spirit. ♪ >> they are desperate to escape war and violence, determined to start thin piece. this year, migrants have arrived in greece and italy. according to the e.u. quota system, member states have to accept 160,000 asylum-seekers. so far, the number of those who have been resettled from countries like germany to the rest of europe is less than 70,000. poland, for example, is refusing to participate and there is a

n increasing resentment among the polish. these are people in the radical camp in poland. one of the leading activists is a 26-year-old who just graduated with a degree in chemistry. she is a group coordinator and is working to take part in the independence day march. 75,000 people are taking part. >> our national identity, our catholic religion, our church all are under attack. , we intend to fight back, and we are going to show the polish pride will not be broken. >> there is something sinister about the sound of thousands of voices chanting nationalist slogans. "god, honor, and fatherland."

"down with the e.u.," they shout. this man is specific about what his group opposes. >> we disagree with what is coming out of western europe. immigration, support for homosexuality and abortion. those are destructive tendencies. >> openly propagating far right ideology appears to be acceptable in poland. when the national radical camp had its annual march and there april, were no counter-demonstrations. foreign students were advised to spend the day indoors. the university administration was unable to guarantee safety. formed in 1934, the group was banned by the polish government. the group's members were violent and openly anti-semitic. after communist will ended it, it reformed in 1993. the number of members is secret

, but the group schools is not. >> 5 million migrants are waiting at the border of europe. now is not the time for pacifism. join us. >> onr security personnel are practicing for the march. they want to ensure a left leaning demonstrators cannot crush their party but they do not really expect much trouble since the conservative law and justice party has assumed power. the group feels well treated. >> when liberals from the civic platform were in power, we were put under pressure. you could say that we have more confidence in the new government. we are not as persecuted anymore. >> there also nationalists in the parliament. among them, the leader of the national movement. most of his supporters are young polish people who think the law and justice party is not conservative enough.

he does not like liberals, islam, or the e.u., so he is in good company here. >> i think that i have a lot of supporters in the government party. i receive a lot of of approval from that side. >> every meeting of the polish youth opens with a prayer. "almighty father, give us the strength to persevere for poland, for which we would sacrifice our lives." one thing on nationalists in poland share is a deep and abiding allegiance to the catholic church. they believe church and state should be reunited. figures in the catholic church are rarely critical of the nationalists. >> we want our government policies to be based in christian ideas that support the values of the catholic faith. >> xenophobia and christian ethics, the priest has status in

the far right scene. >> preach his holy gospel. >> he turns his rage on islam. >> we must resist. we do not want the koran. >> the gospel, in the place of the koran, he tells those who have gathered to hear him. and "national pride." eventually, the church stepped in. now defrocked, he continues to preach online. one man sees the changes sweeping to the country firsthand is brian scott, an english teacher in krakow. scott is married to a pole. until recently, he felt very at ease in his adopted country, but now he is now beginning to , worry. >> i said to my kids, boys do , not go out after dark, unless you really have to. avoid such a place.

you do not have a reason to be there. it seems that the real polish are catholic. a real pole cannot be catholic. a true is white, cannot be arab or black. so, is brian scott polish? you better believe it. i love this country. >> hate crimes in poland rose 16% in the first six months of the year. one incident in a streetcar caused an uproar. a polish professor heard speaking german was attacked. >> this guy insisted that we not speak german in his presence. i calmly explained that i was speaking german because i was with an acquaintance does not speak polish.

then, the guy stood up and butted me with his head. >> most of those marching in warsaw are young, conservative, catholic, and devoted to the idea of a polish nation. >> i have not been able to sleep all week. this is one of the greatest days of my life. >> and now, to our global ideas series. here we meet people who are determined to protect the planet's endangered animals. here we are in new mexico, home to a rich diversity of species. many fall prey to the unscrupulous who are on the lookout for a profit. now environmentalists are trying , to combine business with sustainability. our reporter we went to find out more. -- our reporter went to find out

more. reporter: their skin is highly prized. garments and bags are considered luxury items. here in mexico hunting the , endangered american crocodile is not allowed. this farm in the northwestern state breeds crocodiles for commercial use as well as for the purpose of conservation. some are released into the wild. others are sold. the leather garnered from a single crocodile is worth about 500 euros. >> it is a lucrative project which will provide us with an income. we have been given a permit that allows us to do business. this is in the crocodile trade. >> giz is a german organization that specializes in international development.

it wants to promote projects that promote the conservation of flora and fauna. farmers have to combine their activities. for the animals sold, others must be released into the wild. as long as these conditions are met, they will receive contributions. -- funding from conservation authorities in mexico. >> some of the positive impacts his project could have is for instance, if the family were fishing before this, this allows them to have an alternative source of income although it will not be enough to really feed their families and sustain themselves but it is something additional and also we can help reduce the pressure on the ecosystem i having them do other activities. i think it is also important because it will help the local crocodile population to increase. >> conservationists in mexico have counted only 120 wild

reptiles in the waters on the gulf of california. crocodiles are slow to reproduce because they do not reach sexual maturity until the age of about 10. while crocodiles might inspire fear in local to fish, they play an important role in the ecosystem. >> crocodiles are very important for the ecosystem. they are predators, so they keep other animals in check. they hunt, and they eat sick animals, and that helps ensure the health of bird, reptile, and fish populations. >> the gulf of california is rich in biodiversity. this area alone features 18

protected areas. that occasionally leads to clashes with locals. oyster farmers are one group affected by the conservation efforts. they used to set up their nets on the mangroves on the coast. in general, reading oysters actually improves water quality because the shells filter out pollutants, but some changes were needed. >> people used to cut down the mangroves, the trees were not able to grow back. but since the wetland was declared a protected area, we no longer cut down the mango trees. -- mangrove trees. >> a success story illustrates the effective corporation and -- cooperation. it is just the type of project giz is on the lookout for.

the idea is to introduce successful projects to other areas. >> this is an example of what can be done in the wetlands and not have negative impact on the wetland. in the program, we took this example and shared it with other communities. >> another of the successful conservation programs on the gulf of california focuses on saving turtles from extinction. >> it is important to keep the beaches clean and tidy because that is where turtles come on land. the plastic poses an obstacle for them and it would also be harmful if they eat it. -- ate it. >> the sea turtles come here to lay their eggs at night. this person heads up the project. he shows us were one of the turtles built a nest in the previous night. he has been working to protect them for more than 40 years. >> i have had the privilege of

releasing 4 million to turtles into the wild. 4.5 million >> today, he is inviting pupils from a primary school to release baby turtles . the team shows how they normally hatch in the sand and they dig themselves out. each child gets to name a turtle before releasing it into the wild. this girl names hers star. she hopes it returns to the beach often. "he says that he loves her very much." the turtles are instinctively drawn to the sea. only a few will live long enough to lay eggs on the beach.

still, he is happy with his work. >> by educating the children, i am getting the turtles a longer life. kids used to come here to go swimming, but now, they come to set the turtles free. their parents used to catch them, but now the children say "no, dad. you are not allowed to take that turtle home." >> for this week's questionnaire, we are off to zimbabwe. >> i am 35 and live in a village.

i am a farmer, and i grow corn , wheat, beans and peanuts. , i know a little about climate change, which is having a massive effect on him is everything. even the seasons are affected. -- almost everything. even the seasons are affected. what makes me happy? that in 2008, i came to this village with nothing and have since been able to develop a livelihood for myself.

at my age i really should be , working at a firm and earning a good salary. but there are no jobs here. i can support my family, but it is not really the life i had envisioned for myself. i like tzatsa with chicken. it is made with cornmeal and water. it is a kind of porridge. i would really like to go to the united states to see what kind of businesses are there.

i would like to help make it possible in the future for the people of our village to use solar energy. ♪ >> global 3000 on facebook. we are now called global society. visit us america find more on globalization from radio programs to articles and web videos. -- there to find more on globalization, from radio programs to articles and web videos. we will be back next week with a new edition of "global 3000." in the meantime drop us a line , and follow us on facebook. ♪

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