announunr: opportunity. prospetyty. optism.. hohost: this week, global 3000 heads toto the seychelelles. what can be done to protect the nation's endangered coral reefs? in ecuadador, top chefs are discovering ingredients from the amazon. can local delicacies save the rainrests? but firsrst we head to china, where many people are drowning in trash from around the globe.

plastic has become a seemingly unavoidable feate of ourur planet.. in 1 1950, we produced around 5 million tons of it. sincnce then, global plastic production has skyrocketed. in 2016 it totaled about 335 millllion tons. araround half ofof the plasticic produceded is disposable, produs like bottles, plastic bags and cups. where does it all end up? much ends up in landfills in the environmt.t. plastic ste islso sold, shipped to countries likike chi. in 201016, china receceived 1.6 million tons of plastic rubbish from the e.u. alone. china is the world's top importer of plastic asash to date ples like guu dependn it for suival. busince eay 2018the country s bann many wast imports. reporterthese inese chilen

have little to look forward to each day. they spend most of their waking hours between plumes of smoke and momountains s of plasti. their fafamilies earn their livelihood by sortrting waste. these scenes are from a chinese documentary. wang jiuliang spent many years filming small chinese garbage dumps. he was haunted by what he witnessed. wang: i have a daughter of my own. i couldn't bear to see her grow up in such a horrible environment. some of these children have been surrounded by garbage since they were born. i don't want kids living in rubbish every day. reporter: this is the dark side of china's recycling business. the families sorting the trash are exposed to numerous health hazards, including toxic fumes and harmful substances. some of the children here don't gogo to school.. whatat's not recycycled often s up elsewhere in the landscape, polluting the groundwater.

as a result, animals fall ill. some of the mountains of garbage catch fire. >> the stench h here is horrib. itit's almost impopossiblele t. but what e else can we do? >> the air is no good, the water is no good. the only thing that's good is the money. reporter: while shooting his film, wang jiuliang made another discovery. most of the garbage comes from overseas. wang: one day, for my research i was at a massive garbage dump in hebei province. when i took a closer look, i saw packaging from the u.s., japan, germany, france, and i realized that i was looking at the garbage dump of the entire world. reporter: until the beginning of the year, more than half of the

world's waste was sold to china. wang also shot footage in the u.s., where waste was the sixth largest export to china. germany has also been exporting several hundred thousand tons of plplastic waste annually to te far east. china has now said it will no longer buy certain kinds of waste from abroad. beijing-based environmentalist ma jun welcomes the import b.. ma: is is go for t t environmt and its urgent needed of course, it willlso leado a ck of ramaterialsuch as par and pltic. reporter: now china itself is producing too much waste. but environmental awareness is increasing. modern recycling and incineration plants are being built in many locations.

that meansns other countries ae now stuck wiwith 24 types s of e banned from import to china. ma: countries such as germany, britain, the u.s., or the european u union shohould all k about how to solve their waste problems instead of relying on the world marketet and simplyy exportrting them. reporter: wang jiuliang also sees change. many of the recycling plants he visited have since been shut down. the filmmaker says the conditions at this garbage sorting facility in beijing are satisfactory. his film has won several international awards. for wang jiuliang, the import ban is good news, and will contribute to solving china's environmental problems. wang: we also hope that people in industrialized countries will see the facts and hear the truth through our film, and that they give more atattention to this issue. reporter: wang jiuliang is no longer allowed to show his film

onon china's strictly controlld internet. but he's convinced his work has helped raise awareness in the country about the need for change. host: now it's time for global ideas. this week, we visit the rainforests of ecuador, home to a wide variety of little known delicacies. our rertrter michaelel altenhee travelled to the town of archidona. there he met people determined to protect both the local way of life a and the raiororest,ithh the hehelp of its culinary delights. michael: in ecuador, people living in the amazon oftenen maintain household garnsns, cacalledhakrasas, thin thehe rainforestst. fofor kichwa peoeople, who arere indigenous to this parofof the amaz, chakakraare ofteten their main source e of food. cecia a shiguango and her falyly are e amonthose e who live frm the bounty a and biodiversrsitf the forestst.

they know which plants are good to eat and which canan be useds medidicine. cesar: this fruit isooood for trting a a ske bite.e. we break open the skin andnd squeueeze out the e juice ontoe wound. michael: this wealth of knowledge is passed down from genetion to o generation.. cececilia: guayuyusa is anothehr dicicinal ant. we give it to women o o are abouto givive birth. it p prevents hemomorrhaging now sellll theeaves s to restaurants. you cacan make tea w with them.

sometimes i i get an orderer d send guayusasa leaves to q qu. michael: casa gangotena isnene of t the bt reststaunts in t t capil. recentntlythe menunuas been beefeded up with exotic ingredients s from the chahak. an i interesting m move, givene guguests are citity dwellers d foreign visitors, with ltltle or no ctact w witindigenonous communitities. head chef anandres robles s crs exquise e dies that embody a sion o of traditionsnswestern and inindigenous. he buyuys herbs, yucucca, and a freseshwater fish,h, paiche, m chchakraarmersrs in the forer. for highnd resurantstsn ecuado ingredien broroug in from thehe rainforest t have be somemethinof a t trend.

andres: it's our duty m mak these prodtsts morwidelyly known.n. ecuauador may be a a small cou, but it's homome to a divererse e of specicies. we use foods frorom the amazo, ththe coas thehe andes, and de galapagos island oufood is a y toto present ecuador to the outside world. mimichael: the m meals ceciliaia shiguangngo cooks are e le ababorate. mamany khwa cocommities ararvery popoor. the livelihohoods of indigiges people w who live in t the rarainforest arere in jeopardys more a and more treeees are fe. fofor the most p part, chakrase used for sububsistence fararm. now, there are new opportunitits to s sell produce e to outsid.

cesar: t there are harardly anys arouound he. sometimemes we get worork on a hacienda. ririch people papay us just $8$y to sve away from dawawn till dusk.. th's a very smsmall amount. that's why ouromen t t to sell thingsgs at e markrket michael: thahat market is s hd everery sunday in n the town ne. but kichwa s stall holdersrs dt alalways selell much. tefania baldeon works with the canopy briridge ngo. it helps indigous farmrmers se rectlylyo restaurarants in ququito. esestefania:hefs in the city use pructsts fm the amamon in aa new and dierenent y. thharvesest is n morore

nananciallvaluluab, and people herean earara little money. some tngs s st don't sell locay, eveven ough theheare veryealthyhynd tastyand have great potential. michael: foror marta echavavar, chontaduroros have proveved toa delicious s surprise. they c come from thehe peach p, and have a nutty flavor when they'r're roasted. she'one of the founders of nonopy brie. the ngo has now established a supply chain to 15 restaurants in qui. marta: we can move people, spe theheir hrts byby eouraging themo o conse prododts from e amamaz. th s shod not onon assoctete the e reon with deforestatioio bubut so with its cuise,e, its cultltes, and ititcolors. fo o offera spececl way of latitingo a place.

most peoe e don'apprececte the imnse e vae of the amazon. evenn n ecdor, many people dot knknownything about . mimichae so far, about0000 indidigeus families in t amazon work with cany bridge. the team there wants to pppport tradional l faing in t t forerest to help k kichwa peoe therere thrive so o they're nott tempted to cut down more trees. estefania: in chraras, fming is in rmony wi the plants and e anims. en peoplgive utending theieir gardens, t they starto fellll trees and s selthem, or tuturn the foresest into grazg laland. mimichael: the forest isicich n fruiuits a herbsbs, d tasty,y,at etle larvavae as well -- chontatacuros.

for kichwawa, they are a delicac ll o of faand prprotn, to bebe eaten raw or grilled. they live inin chonta treeees. chontacuros arare not on theheu atat fine restauaurants in quiut least not yet. host: coral reefs aramamong th st spepecies-rich bibiotopes n earth. 29 reefs, , including auaustras great barrier reef and t the aldabrbra atoll reefef in te seseychelles, arare on the uno worlheritatageist. but 21 of ththem are damageded. climate change is causing g sa temperatatures to risese. anand oceans arere becoming ruh dudumps. plastic, oil, sewagagd agriculturural pesticidedes are having a devastating eecect on coasl wateters in particicula. environmentalists are woining to prect the corals off the

seychelles. after all, the island nation depends on this marine life for its very survival. reporter: the seseychelles isa tropical paradise. the archipelago covers around 455 square kilometers of land, but morere than 1.3 million sque kilometers of sea. sylvanna: we depend on our marinene resource for everythi, whether it is ononomic activities, for tourism m and fisheries. we don't have anything without that. rereporter: toururism ise country's biggest source of incomeme. many visitors come here for the spectacular naturere. sylvanna: i realalized it was important to conserve the ocean when growing up anand understanding the relalationshp that t the seychelelles peoplee withth the ocean, with the m me ecosysystem, and how much wewey on it.

reporter: as a a marine scienti, she's coconcerned about the growing pressurere on the ecosystem. experts go on regular dives to assess the conditions. fishing, environonmental pollution, and t tourism put strain on the seychelles' unique underwater world. the coral reefs are suffering the effects of climate change because they're very sensitive to changes in water temperature. they provide a home for a whole host of marine life, from sea snails to o sharks. so w without them, biodivevery suffers. reefs near the coast are especially v vulnerable and they're the first ones to die. sylvanna: therere has been a re in ocean temperature and this hahas an impact t on new coralas because e then t this leads to l bleaching g and then youou lose corarals, because then you endp with dead cora.. rerepoer: by theate e 1990's,

most coral reeeefs in thes. sylvanna: when coral bleleache, you observrve the white corals d once they y are dead, they are usuaually taken over by tougugh algae. ththe resources that you had ad the activivities that you coud cacarry out on the coralal re, then you've lost that. rereporter: but a grououndbrkig conserervation project i is now undederway. the government recently agagred to protect nearly y a third of e countrtry's marine waters 2020, part of an initiaiative called the seychelles marine spatiall anan. as airst step,p, the initiative is carrying out a survey of the ununderwater ecosyststem. sysylvannana: we carry out dig activities with h the tent of collllecting data on coralal rs toto ensure that the m managentf protected d areas in thehe seychelles i is effefective. reportrter: in parartnerip w h

the nature conservancy ngo, the seychelles conservation authority is hopinto understand exactly what's happening to the reefs. coral reefs often have trouble regeneratingng in shallow watr bebecause the waves and currens are coconstantly moving the skskeletons of the dead coral around, making it hard for new corals to settle. this has repercussions for the entire ecosystem. sylvanna: mapping the reef, you can see the changes. where you have this long period of time where e the tempmperatus really high and the corals cannot recover, so this has a huge impact on your maririne resource on coral reefs. we have started a coral reef restoration project lookoking t other waysys to try to restore coral reefs s using the corals that are more resilient and growing these corals and putting them back on the reefs. reporter: together with

fishers and tourism companies, the country wants to find ys for everyone to use the sea sustainably, even outside thee prottion areas. the marine spatial plan is thee first of i its kind in the indn ocean. sylvannana: i want e everythingt i i do to make a difference andt should have anan impact. i thinink it's a really wonderl feeling knowowing ththat whatr informatation you bring back, is going to contributute to the wy we d do conservation, and thats going to have a popositive impt on marine conservavation on te seseychelles. rereporter: the prproject runs l 2020, by w which time the firt lolong-term prprotection plans should be inin place. ththe ecosystem in the seyeychs is counting on it. host: in most countries, women are an accepted part of the

woworkforce. but there are still big differences between nations, su as s whent comemes the proportition of women n in thed labobor force. inin t u.s., 56% of women anad girls over the age of 15 engage in paid work. in the e.u. that figure is slightly lower, 51%. but in the middle east and north africa, an average of just 21% of women have paid work. in j jordan, that t figure is t 1414%. change, though, is in the air. reporter: drilling, hammering, and hauling, and all in a hijab. aisha knows some people would be surprised to see her doing this kind of handiwork. but she does it anyway, even if it gets pretty grimy. aisha: i'm used to it now. i enjoy this work. it doesn't bother me anymore.

reporter: aisha and her team of plumbers are working on a construction site for luxury flats in amman. they have a range of responsibilities. they're fitting solar panels, cleaning water canisters, and sawing pipes. at the same time, they're challenging gender roles in the arab world. these observant muslim women are doing a typical man's job with great enthusiasm. >> i'm very happy to repair toilets and washing machines, and to replalace broken taps. >> i feel really good when i've done my work well. it makes me proud of myself and my co-workers. reporter: but their male counterparts on the building site don't share their enthusiasm. some of them see the women as a burden, even if they don't say

so explicitly. >> when we're among ourselves, we can move around freely on the site, but not when the women are here. >> men and women can be uneasy when they're working together. women don't feel comfortable fixing a washing machine or installing a toilet next to a man. >> women could take on a supervising rorole, or do desin or cosmetic work. but can a woman really work well on a building site, hauling bricks? reporter: aisha doesn't let that get to her. she's too busy taking care of her mother, sister and nephew in a small town south of amman. there's not much work in the area. the few available jobs are poorly paid. she's had other work, but plumbing is more lucrative. she earns the equivalent of 20 euros for every job.

she has a few regular customers already, including this hairdresser. the shower here is broken. by now, it's an easy repair for aisha. aisha: i thought it was a strange idea at first, that it was somehow a man's job. but then i thought, i'll just give it a go, as a kind d of hohobby. i thought it would be like any other training. but it was really fun, and it really is worth it. reporter: the salon owner is grateful for aisha's plumbing team, but for a simple reason that has little to do with feminism. samiha: my clients are all women who wear headscarves in public. men are not alallowed in here. that's why i prefer to hire her for jobs. and she's very ambitious.

reporter: jordan is a beacononf stability in the region, and in many ways it's more modern than some of its neighbors. but gender equality is a long way off. tradition and religion are still very important here. only one in six jordanian women is employed outside the home. but times are changing in jordan, and this vocational school is part of the transition. women are learning to fit water taps and much more, both in theory and practice. they can get a plumbing certificate in two months' time. the graduates are much sought-after in a country where water is scarce and many pipes leak. the german government's development agency is supporting the project.

hend: in the past you would find that only women working like, as nurses, teacachers. but now you can find women working in each sector, like the female plumbers. no one would ever have thought that jordan would have female plumbers. but now with this numerous number we have, i i think they e proving themselves in the sociciety. reporterer: about 170 women nw have the certificate. after completing the course, many say they have a different sense of themselves. they exude strength and confidence, and soon they'll have jobs. >> nothing in this world is just for men. and when i decide to do something, like this course, then i just do it. >> i it's changed d my life. now i know that i i can do this lilike opening up a tap head r repairing appliances. at home, or with my family, my sisters, m my neighbors, i hae become a different person. really.

reporter: after another hard day's work, aisha and her coworkers head home. every day they spend on the job chips away at cliches, turns gender roles upside down, and opens the arab world a little more to women's self-determination. host: and next week'k'show features other impssssive women and d girls who arare also tag cocontrol of theheir lives. we meet young rorock musiciaian indosia,a, whoagainsnst l the ododds, are detetermined to fow their dream.m. don't forget to write to us, though. send us an email to global3000@dw.com or post on facebook, dw global society. see you soon. take care. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

announcer: opportunity. prosperity. optimism.

>> my husband omar and i have lived at least part time on a tributary of the babay for aboot 30 years, so i love cruising on the bay, i sail on the bay. and i love discovering all the things that the b bay has to offer. it's s my backyard, it's my y playground, it''s personal to meme. despite all sorts of efforts, and legisislations, a and good intentions,s, the bay is still dying.