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Helen Skelton is in Ardglass, a traditional fishing port near Strangford Lough to meet a group of local people embracing the sport of coastal rowing. Teams have been established in nine communities in the area, which is also where the world’s oldest rowing boat for racing was built over 200 years ago. Each team is responsible for constructing their own boat and each year the teams compete in an annual ‘Narrows Challenge’ on the lough. Helen helps Ricky La Bloas and the Ardglass team with some boat building before getting into the water herself for a race around the harbour with some of the other locals involved in the project.

Matt Baker heads to the RSPB’s Portmore Lough reserve, a wetland wonder alongside Lough Neagh, the largest inland lake in the UK. The reserve is the first place in Northern Ireland to offer residential volunteering opportunities and Matt meets Heather Hunter and Aisling Gribbin, the first to take up the roles. He meets their herd of rare-breed Konik Ponies, perfectly adapted to graze the lough’s meadows and discovers how the site is a haven for vulnerable breeding species such as lapwings. With the help of site manager Donnell Black, Matt and the volunteers get to work around the reserve.

Adam Henson is visiting his farming friend, Neil Heseltine, who has a herd of belted Galloway cattle on his farm in the Yorkshire Dales, which overlooks Malham Cove. The herd grazes the hill as part of a conservation project to increase wild flowers numbers. But they need moving before the spring flowers start to emerge, otherwise they will eat them. So, in challenging snowy conditions, Adam helps to move the cattle to the lowlands.

Tucked away in Strangford Lough, the largest seawater inlet in the British Isles, is an area of beauty known as The Dorn. This nature reserve is a saltwater lagoon formed by rare tidal rapids that are home to a remarkable array of deep-water species normally hidden from view. Each day the tide creates a waterfall effect that exposes species such as anemones, corals and starfish. Helen meets local artist Sara Brown, whose house backs onto this special place - providing inspiration for her artwork. Together they draw on the history, ecology and atmosphere of The Dorn to create a pastel portrait of this special area of Northern Ireland.

National Parks across the UK have faced huge cuts in their government grants in recent years. Tom Heap discovers the impact of these falls in funding from controversial plans to sell off or lease land to cuts in staff numbers. He visits the North York Moors National Park where he meets a ranger who shows him the kinds of things they have to spend money on, like maintaining hundreds of bridges along the public paths. Tom also hears that park authorities are increasingly looking for commercial opportunities to increase their cashflow. 

Strangford Lough is Northern Ireland’s only Marine Conservation Zone, providing an array of habitats for 2000 different species. Looking after this special place is the job of Jen Firth, the lough ranger. Helen joins Jen and her colleague Joe for the daily patrol of the lough. They explore some of the marine habitats at close range using an underwater camera. Jen explains just how varied her role is – from public engagement to wildlife management - and how no two days on the lough are ever the same.

The Irish Hare is a unique sub-species of mountain hare found only in Ireland. Matt is discovering more about the habits of these shy creatures with Dr Neil Reid – an expert based at Queen’s University Belfast. At Portmore Lough they set up camera traps to monitor the behaviour of the hares in the wild, part of Neil’s wider study into Irish Hare numbers and factors affecting populations throughout Northern Ireland. On the way home, Matt goes to Belfast International Airport - a surprising stronghold for hares.