Future for Red Squirrels

Article Future for red squirrels This page introduces key organisations aiming to protect red squirrels and is followed by sections on red squirrel conservation, grey squirrel management, and potential for pine martens to suppress grey squirrel numbers in some areas. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel UK Squirrel Accord The Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels The UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is a (SSRS) project aims to protect the red partnership of 37 leading conservation Red squirrel © Jo Foo Wildlife Photography squirrel in the only region of and woodland organisations, mainland UK where it remains the including the RSFS, Government only resident squirrel species: agencies and companies. Created at The European Squirrel Initiative Grampian, Argyll and the Highlands. the invitation of HRH Prince Charles, The European Squirrel Initiative UKSA works collaboratively to (ESI) was established in 2002 by a A second aim is to protect red preserve the UK’s wooded landscapes group of concerned conservationists, squirrels in a number of large and associated biodiversity through: foresters, scientists and landowners. landscapes across southern Scotland. The objectives of the organisation are Here populations of the native • Securing and expanding the UK’s restoring the native red squirrel and species are mostly intermixed with red squirrel populations protecting the natural environment the invasive grey squirrel, but are • Ensuring woodlands flourish and by removing the alien grey squirrel still widespread and contiguous deliver multiple benefits for future from Europe. The role of ESI is to: with the largest English red squirrel generations of people and wildlife. populations. • Persuade conservation bodies Building on the work of earlier UKSA is committed to the effective and governments of the absolute local red squirrel projects, SSRS and targeted management of grey necessity of ridding Europe of grey was launched in 2009 to deliver squirrels, and protection of red squirrels the grey squirrel control and public squirrels by: • Continue to commission research engagement elements of the Scottish • Producing communications, into the impact of grey squirrels Government’s 2006–2011 Red including through landowners on local ecosystems Squirrel Action Plan, which had been and local volunteer groups, to • Facilitate research to find an urgently formulated to address the ensure the public understand the effective and acceptable method of continuing decline of the red squirrel importance of its work control. in Scotland. Complementary action by • Working with and building on ESI believes this will be achieved by: Scottish Forestry (formerly Forestry existing partnerships to ensure all • Conserving and restoring the Commission Scotland) includes forest relevant landowners are aware of native red squirrel species together management to favour red squirrels the impact of grey squirrels with its woodland habitats and by in 19 Red Squirrel Stronghold forest • Offering practical support removing the impact and threat of areas, as well as Scottish Government and advice on grey squirrel the alien grey squirrel agency support for red squirrel management and red squirrel • Advancing and promoting the conservation research. conservation education of the public in the The SSRS project is run by the • Securing a long-term commitment conservation restoration of the Scottish Wildlife Trust in partnership to practical action and scientific native species and the detrimental with Scottish Natural Heritage, research, developing and testing impact of the grey squirrel Scottish Forestry, Scottish Land & innovative management methods, • Carrying out research into the Estates, RSPB Scotland and the Red publicising case studies of promotion and restoration of the Squirrel Survival Trust. exemplary management, and red squirrel https://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/ bringing groups together to ensure • Raising funding for research into they work effectively and to a acceptable method of grey squirrel common purpose. control http://squirrelaccord.uk/ https://www.europeansquirrelinitiative. org/ 42 | SCOTTISH FORESTRY Article Ten years of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Conservation of red squirrels cannot be successful without addressing their primary threat: replacement by grey squirrels through resource competition, accelerated by squirrel pox disease where it is present. In Scotland, grey squirrel control is carried out by live-catch cage-traps combined with humane despatch of the target animal at the trap-side, so that red squirrels may be released unharmed. The scale of the grey squirrel control task falling to SSRS demanded a strategic approach from the outset, focussing effort where it was likely to have the greatest beneficial impact on Scotland’s red squirrel population. Thus the project has three different geographical regions of operation, each Family engagement in the spring feeder-box surveys. © Jo Foo Wildlife Photography with its own aims: In Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire the spread of squirrel pox northward red squirrel protection in a limited the long-term goal is eradication of an from the English border. More recently number of landscapes, where existing isolated population of squirrel pox-free the aim of grey squirrel control here protection networks were successfully grey squirrels. has been to protect red squirrel enabling red squirrels to thrive despite In the Central Lowlands (Tayside, populations in ‘priority’ areas. the presence of squirrel pox virus. Stirling and the Trossachs) the aim is SSRS is now in the latest of four Mathematical modelling of the disease to prevent northward encroachment phases. In Phase 1 (2009–12) we dynamics in red and grey squirrels of grey squirrels into core ‘red only’ set up landscape-scale grey squirrel in southern Scotland (White et al, areas through a programme of grey control networks in Aberdeenshire 2016) confirmed that red squirrels in a squirrel control coast to coast along and the Central Lowlands through landscape could recover and thrive if the Highland Line. a combination of project staff, agri- grey squirrel population densities were In South Scotland, the initial aim environment funded landowners and kept very low. was to contain or significantly slow trap-loan volunteers. It was critical Our work has always depended to be able to judge the effectiveness on a great deal of public support, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Priority Areas of grey squirrel control on this scale, particularly the active participation Priority Areas for Red so we also established systematic of landowners and volunteers in project activity squirrels monitoring and evidence collection. delivering both our grey squirrel Grey Red and grey In 2012 SSRS merged with the control and annual survey programs. squirrels squirrels long-running Red Squirrels in South The current five-year ‘Developing Scotland project, which was working Community Action’ project to combat the spread of the squirrel (2017–22), supported by funding from pox virus that had newly arrived across the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Cumbrian border. By 2014 we were sees us providing our volunteers with able to show that red squirrel decline an enhanced programme of support had been halted or even reversed and training in the skills needed in all three project regions, and in to create successful long-term red South Scotland we had significantly squirrel protection networks. The slowed down the spread of squirrel main focus of this is South Scotland, pox virus. Unfortunately, we were not while we continue our established able to contain it altogether and the conservation work in Aberdeen and virus continued to extend its range the Central Lowlands. through resident grey squirrels as far Commercial forestry still provides as Edinburgh and Glasgow. a huge amount of habitat for red At this stage we refocussed control squirrels, and Forestry and Land effort in South Scotland towards Scotland (formerly Forest Enterprise Volume 72 No. 2 Autumn 2019 | 43 Article Scotland) assist red squirrels by including their needs in many Grey squirrel management and control long-term forest plans, as well as contributing to SSRS’s control work Grey squirrels damage woodland by Live traps must be used where red in the national forest estate. Private stripping the outer bark from the squirrels are present. The positioning woodland managers in priority areas main stem and the branches of trees of traps is vital as grey squirrels move can help by permitting access to to eat the soft inner tissue beneath. from residential areas to feeding areas, project staff and trained volunteers The tree eventually develops a callous often along regular corridors following for surveys and grey squirrel control over the wound, concealing the loss of scent trails. These corridors should work or, where eligible, by carrying timber quality. In severe cases, bark is be targeted for traps for both young out control work themselves through removed in a complete circle around squirrels moving into a woodland in the Forestry Grant Scheme. One the tree, known as ring barking or June and September, and for resident of the simplest things everyone girdling, preventing a flow of squirrels. Indiscriminate siting of traps across Scotland can do to help is nutrients up the tree. This leads to has little value. report sightings of both squirrel the death and/or wind snapping of the Traps must be pre-baited for a few species on the project’s website. tree above the wound, causing gross days before setting. Grey squirrels

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