oggcccccg >> welcome to "globa" this week, we head to the rainforests of cameroon, home to some now well-protected gorillas. cheese without milk and at-free usages? is this the food of the future? and we find out why chinese parents are hesitant to have a second child, despite the government lifting its one-child rule. every second, two people on our planet turn 60.

that's 80 million people per year. according to the u.n., one in 9 of us is over 60 years old. by 2050, that will have risen to one in five. with life expectancy rising and our planet's population booming, the global population pyramid is widening and becoming flatter. life expectancy is improving thanks to progress and developments in medicine, better healthcare provision, and a greater awareness when it comes to health. age distribution varies greatly from country to country. niger has the lowest median age worldwide, just 15.2 years. japan, meanwhile, has the highest, 48.4. germany's median age is 45.7 years. china's population, too, is aging rapidly, the result of decades of government-posed mily-planng policies.

although beijing is trying to turn this around, as yet, there's no baby boom in sight. >> chinese parents want their children to get the perfect start in life. ding yibing offers new mothers a full package of services for their newborns. >> this is a talking diaper. it tells the mom if the baby peed, or if the baby's temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees. it says "mama, i have a fever." >> each diaper costs 40 cents. a sensor alerts the mother's smartphone, a state-of-the-art product from the baby industry. she insists on demonstrating how it works. as well as selling baby products, ding yi bing also runs a real-estate empire. she owns more than 460 luxury hotels for new parents, where mothers can go to be pampered

right after the child is born. >> the luxury suite costs around 13,000 euros a month. that room is over a hundred meters square big. a normal room costs between 5,000 and 7,800 euros. customers with a middle or high income can afford that. >> especially in the wealthy cities. the lobby of this baby hotel in beijing looks like any other luxury hotel, with a welcoming committee for every guest. lan yu and her family have enough money. they are renting a room for one month. she belongs to the well-educated elite, with a college degree and a good job in the internet sector. but even she can only afford to have one child right now. >> if we manage to earn a lot of money quickly, then i'll consider having a second child. we want to make sure our child

grows up in prosperity. >> a midwife sleeps next to the new mother so that she can take care of the baby at all times. lan yu still seems to lack confidence, and is anxious about doing the wrong thing. getting ahead in chinese society is a challenge that starts at birth. in 18 years, he is expected to go to university. only a very few make it that far. >> we hope that our child will be able to start learning maths, physics, and english soon. i don't want my child to fall behind the others. chinese parents have such high expectations. >> this generation is growing up with wellness programs like this. in china, having a child costs an average of 105,000 euros by the time they reach 22. the midwives come from a lower economic class and could never afford hotels or outlays like those. the communist party's desire for more babies can't be

fulfilled. >> maybe families in the city have the financial means to have more children. but for country people like me, it's difficult. if only one parent works, the family can't survive. >> for decades, the chinese government only allowed families to have one child, in an attempt to reduce china's population. women who got pregnant a second time had to abort the baby or pay a fine. now china's population is getting increasingly older and there is a risk that by 2050, its population will shrink by 28 million. president xi jinping needs more babies to realise his dream of china's greatness. >> the pension and health sectors are coming under increasing pressure. the economy will shrink and expenses for social programs will rise. local administrations will have to go into debt.

>> in heilongjiang province, the consequences are tangible. this area in china is aging the fastest. life is hard. most people here are farmers. the cultivation of corn brings a meager income. this year, floods destroyed large parts of the harvest. there are fewer and fewer children here, and parents here have to make a hard decision. >> everyone wants to earn money. but you want to be with your child, too. you have to decide -- either raise your children or make money. >> in the city of nehe, the elderly keep to themselves. street life here is changing. in front of the houses, tenants are sought for vacant apartments. wang jiefu lives in one of these houses. the 50-year-old butcher and his wife are raising their grandchild, xiang. the parents live in shanghai

because the pay is better there. month they send home money. several generations are paying for xiang's upbringing. >> i think no one in the country can afford a third child. >> no one can even afford a second child. >> that's why they don't want one. >> wang jiefu has ambitious plans for his only granddaughter. he helps her with her homework, but that's still not enough. in a few months time, she'll be taking private english lessons. the child's life motto is hanging on the wall. >> when you are confused, you have to read. when you're alone, you can think. when you get mad, just do your math homework. >> i hope she will one day be rich and have a happy life. when she grows up, i hope she can go to a good university and

find a good job. >> in the last 10 years, the population of nehe has shrunk by 30%. the city already has a ghostly quality. china's leaders are afraid of a childless future. in nehe, that fear may slowly be becoming a reality. >> in the countryside, you see houses, but no people. we are the last generation here. >> while the last generation fears an aging country, many in china fear an aging population. the adults at this baby hotel will continue pampering the precious newborns. >> no other types of food require as much land to produce as meat and dairy. according to the u.n., livestock farming accounts for 78% of agricultural land use. and no matter whether it is organic or conventional, live stock farming has some seriously negative csequences for our planet.

today, though, there's a huge range of environmentally friendly alternatives. >> what distinguishes these cheeses from these ones? this is the difference. [cow moos] >> mass dairy production is exceeding its biolical limit industal farms a exploitin animaland requirpasture >lands, water, and energy.s eglobally, milk production alone accountsor almost a arter of all greenuse-gas emissions in the livestock sector. raffael hlgensingeis a cheese afionado from a swiss-brazilian faly with a longstandingove of dry products. for hi saying noo traditiol raclettes and fondues doesn't come easy. he wanted to find cheeses that replicate the taste, perien, and teure of comilk-basednes, butith no anima involved. two and half years ago, he founded formo, a food biotech company based in berlin.

heants a chee that cane eaten with a good conscience, thankso precisio fermention. >> we instruct microorganisms to convert the nutrients, sugars, and nitrogen that feed it to convert that into milk proteins. lk proteins are the basic building blocks of all the products that we le when it comes to dairy. they're responsible for the fuoidentical, the same waycts, you'd find them in the milk, but without the cows. and if you get rid of the cows in this whole value chain, then you're also able to t rid of most of the downsides, whether it's sustainability, ethical or health- relad. >> uike cows, microorganisms aren't picky about their foo formo's l in bonn, ngi, yet, and bacria are fe into fermenters with byproducts from the region's beer and potato industries. then they' programmed to

produce organic molecules. these microorganisms are 10 times more efficient than cows in cverting feed to proteins. us, they'leat prettyuch anhing organic this technology can adapt to what's available locally all over the world, such as cocoa or corn plantations. currently,ormo is mang cheese products with a short maturing process, ricotta and mozzarella. iwohlgensinger anhisthe tcollgues are eerimentingerlin, they aim to serve not only vegans, but true cheese lovers, too. >> super nice creaminess. this is a bit more crumbly. you can alady tell. mm-hmm. nice. well done, super cool. formo's ceses aren' availae in shopset. the company is in the pilot production phase, and the technology is being validated on a small scale. wohlnsinger was formo to ben

feentationased dai in rope by 2030 with the world's growing population, conventional food producon can't satisfy dand. but new technologiesnd dirse ingrednts could lp increase sustainability. take algae, commonly found in asian cuisine, but largely erlooked elsewhe. hambg-based vi maris is bringi algae to rman dinner tablesn the form of the beloved bratwurst sausage. habut these are vegan and nutritious, thanks to the marine component, mixed with >> algae will be incasingly important in the future to feed the growing population. and they give us so many minerals and vitamins that are imporimportt for the dy.to feed that's how we came up with t idea of making procts where we incorporate algae to ve the bo all theseinerals,

vitamins, and all the essential nutrients. >> t algae comfrom an aquafarm o the norwean north sea coast, where viva maris works with local fishermen. they know the sea like no one else and are perfely equippe to harst the algae. the company uses two types of microalgae, red and brown, and one type omicoalgae. they're a. all they need is a clean, oxygen-rich sea to flourish, up to 2 meters in four to five months. the harvesters must be careful t to damage the roots. then the algae will rapidly grow back again. e harvest ually yiel arou 5,000 kil. viva mis producesausages a this factory once a week. keep it vegan, production starts at 6:00 am, before any animal meat has touched the machines. the founr believeshat new alteatives forausages an other foods we love could help reduce overconsumption of meat and sh. algae the perfect

ingredie, and not on for saages. >> then we have bio-shots, which also give the body a lot of vitamin and pu algae, li the red >> thendulse algae.-shots, it can be eaten straight, as a salt substitute. or it n be deep-fried. then it tastes like bacon, a bacon substitute foregans. >> algae sausages are more expensive than the meat variety. buthese don't have flavor enhancers or food coloring. >> algae sausages are more expensiand they're vegan.ariety. ultimately, it's up to the consumer. cameroon's ebo forest is one o the wod's largest urainforest and almoso the unbeatle when itomes to its variety of animal and plant species. but deforestation and poaching

pose a threat to this unique environment. there's hope, though -- members of the gorilla guardian club are fighting back. >> this rainforest can only be reached on foot. jean titil and the ebo forest research project team are on usually build them on the that's a goriground.t. theytes. after their evening meal, they make themselves a place to sleep. >> we have 11 primate species here, includg gorillas chimpanzees, drills, and preuss's red cobus monys. >> the primates are in hig mand with poachers, whcan se them as bhmeat. an titil ao used to ke his living that way. but for most of the last 10 years,e has onlytudied eir tracks to find out which animals are traveling where in the forest.

he les in oti, on the edge ofbo forest,ne of the ree villageshat are tang part in the proct. >> i have asped whatmpact aching has d anywayit is t really a profitable business. ok, yes, you can earn a bit, but the income is very irregular. at's why iecided to stop hunting. >> usually now, he only gets to e the anims in video footage. the researchers have set up 17 trail cameras in the part of the forest where gorillas live. besides chimpanzees and gorillas, these forest elephants are also threatened with extinction. and the extremely shy drills are particularly at risk. the ebo forest research project waset up by the san diego zoo wildlife alliance, which supports primate conservation.

it's been collaborating with the villagers for more than 10 years. many of them used to be poachers nothey've lened to clect data on the animals. or set up camera traps. anyone who wants to take part must join a gorilla guardian club. then they get payed for their work. >> we have to thin out the club. clearing a bit, so the camera isn't obstructed. >> once a month, the team spends a few days venturing deep into the rainforest. they use compasses and gps to find their way. marcel ketchen has been part of the team f nine year the vironmenl scientt records precisely where each animal trail is found. what's parculay interesting are the movements of the around 25 gorillas that were discovered here in 2002. up to then, there were only two known gorilla subspecies in

cameroon -- one group living south of the sanaga river, and another hundreds of kilometers away to the north. >> the reason why we are collecting these samples is to do some genetic analis to find out how related the gorillas of ebo are to those found south of the naga and t crossriver gorill. it's very significant. and if this analysis finally cometo conclusion, we might realize that in cameroon, instead of having two subspecies of gorillas, we might be having a third on >> ebo forest southwestn cameroon covers an area of almost 1,500 square kilometersg and borders on nigeria. it is part of a large rainforest region, the second largest worldwide after the amazon in brazil. to protect the rainforest in the future, the project aims to include the residents of the more than 40 villages surrounding the forest. the

three villages taking part in the project so far all have a gorilla guardians' club. to enable the residents to feed their families without having to resort to poaching, they can join the local club. here they get help to buy livestock, or plant vegetables or cocoa. jospeh bakolick, another former poacher, became a farmer almost a decade ago. he farms vetables, but focuses mainly on cocoa beans cultivatn. if he ever has problems, he can get support from the gorilla guardian club like all the other members. >> the cocoa plantation has changemy life. hunting isery tiri, and you get little money in the end. with the cocoa plantation, i just have to get up, go to work, and then harvest as much as possible.

>> like here in iboti, there is a small school in the other two villages on the edge of the forest. the teachers received training from the scientists. and protecting the forest and its animals has become a fixture of the curriculum. >> whakind of anal is at? >> a gilla, mam. >> the idea is to raise awareness about the topic among the youngest villagers. >> what i like about the course is the gorillas. they are like people. and what i learned is that hunting isn't good because animals are like people. >> the project has made many of the villagers see the forest with different eyes. like jean titil, some 90% of the one-time poachers have become farmers. and that's what the children see while they grow up. but e gorilla ardians cls don't nt things stop there.

to grantee the survival of crs the gorillas are respected. because the species isn danger of extinction. >> that's why he only takes his children to the edge of the forest. >> look here, this trail. what amal left tt trail? a porcupin >> he wants his chilen to know about animals. but helso was themo know en to leavthe foresto its inhabitants. >> in today's global living rooms, we go to mexico.

>> hi there. i'm pedro calderón, and welcome tohe rancho uno house in chihuahua. come in. the ranch is owned by th mexican fund for nature conservation. i manage it, and this is where i live. i am really fortunate to live here in the ranch house. it wasuilt in e 1970s by the originalanch owner he lived he for 40 years. anmuch of wh is stilhere was his. this is the kitchen. here is my computer, my coffee

it's very cold here in winter. th's why we don't work in the offi, but in t kitchen, whe. and well, i really like my coffee, so i'm always drinking it. this used to be a busy cattle ranch. there was between 1,000 and 3,000 head of cattle here. now the ranch is used for animal species cservation. we have a herd of mexican bison 3,0here and a few cows.re. there used to be meals for the ranch hands here ithe house. we have a herd of mexican bison back then, they had these large tableshere the fd was rved. today we use them for workshops or when people come to help us wo with the son.

this is a jar made by the paquímé, which are one of the first cultures among the original inhabitan of northern mexico. this is the ving roo there is ao some of e original furniture. that's a game table made out o barrels. there is also a pool table. but it is more of a work and storage ble. a ple to put tngs for a y. we always try to keep the ranch feeling. here a some of the saddles. and this is my gear. horses are my passion. this is the ranch's official office. because it's so cold here in winterwe hardly use it, and i work next door in the kitchen. but i collect data here. information about the wells, the

map of the ranch, or records o where anals have bn spotted. thanks a lot for visiting. inand thank you for allowing use to share a bit of our life here and give you a few impressio of what it'sike on t ranch. e for now. >> t childn. two connents.e here and gie giant prlem.mpressio how will clima change affect us and our cldren? learn more at dw.com/water. >> that's all from us at "global 3000" this week. please do get in touch and send us your feedback.

we're at global3000@dw.com. and check us out on facebook, too -- dw global ideas. see you next week. take care.

live from berlin. tonight, fears moscow is creating a crisis to justify an invasion of ukraine. russia is preparing a false flag operation, they claim, after high-level diplomacy talks ended in deadlock. also coming up tonight -- despite a surge in covid-19 cases in india, thousands of hindu pilgrims take the risk and bays in the river, as part of a holy festival. pl