Barra discovers how red kite chicks have successfully been reintroduced to the Republic of Ireland. While on the slopes of Slieve Gullion, a native creature has helped a once endangered animal fight back against an invasive species. Further afield, Barra discovers how Arctic foxes thrive in Norway and witnesses efforts to help a loggerhead turtle in Barcelona.
Barra Best presents a natural history series revealing how endangered animals across the UK and Europe are being helped by conservationists. Barra reveals how a tiny pair of islands lying just outside Dublin Port have become the unlikely home for a conservation project helping one of Europe’s most endangered breeding birds. Scientists off the coast of Scotland attempt to place cameras on the world’s second largest fish, while in the small Swiss town of Bellinzona, ringing some simple changes have had a big benefit for a mysterious creature of the night. In Amsterdam, volunteers Thea and Gert explain how, as the city’s skyline undergoes changes, they’re providing a new home for a creature that spends nine months of the year in the air.
From the rivers of Northern Ireland to the slopes of Spain, Barra Best discovers how passionate individuals across the Europe and the UK are helping species and environments under threat.
In Northern Ireland, Barra meets the team investigating the promising possibility that a slippery substance found in plentiful supply around the country's coast could help reduce the methane output of cows – a major agricultural source of greenhouse gases.
From Slovenia to south-west County Kerry, Barra Best uncovers how passionate people across the UK and Europe are helping bring endangered species and environments back from the brink of extinction.
The natural world around us is in crisis, and biodiversity is in shocking decline – but all is not lost. This series, presented by Barra Best, shows how when we humans change our behaviour, the natural world can spring back surprisingly quickly. A way forward that works for both humans and the natural world is possible.
Barra Best explores how biodiversity can be safeguarded by looking at several projects. In the north channel off the coast of Northern Ireland, the elusive flapper skate is making a comeback after decades of overfishing, while in County Kerry, ospreys are being reintroduced from Norway after being hunted to extinction 150 years ago.
Wildfires are a growing problem across Europe, but in Ireland, the wild goat is part of the solution. In Slovenia, the ptarmigan is at risk from walkers in the national park, but the solution is to educate people to stay on the paths. The German dormouse has been in decline, but a new survey by citizen scientists is helping shed light on this elusive creature.