On the May 15th 2017 edition of Enviro, Britt and Joe are joined by plant and moss ecologist Joanne Denyer. Joanne has given public walks for Heritage Week teaching a wide range of people from professionals to students who are starting at the beginning and assume no prior knowledge of the subject. She also talk about bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and how most people aren’t aware of them or Ireland’s importance for them.

Britt and Joe then talk to Denise O’Meara about the identification of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). She talks about how the Conservation Genetics Resources have been developing genetic tests (DNA) for the  identification of the two squirrels. These tests identified tissue and hair samples of both species and there was no cross-species implication (i.e. they do not mix). This is a non-invasive method to help conserve the red squirrel and manage the spread of the grey squirrel in the UK and Ireland. She also examined the genetic composition of the badger in Ireland, Britain and Western Europe, using DNA.

Presenter: Britt Du Fournet

Panellist: Joe Dunne