Red Squirrel Progress - Rewilding Britain
Red Squirrel in Britain
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There are two species of squirrel in the UK; red squirrels and grey squirrels. There are approximately 140,000 red squirrels and 2.5 million grey squirrels.
Red squirrels are our native species and have lived in the UK for around 10,000 years and without conservation management, red squirrels could become extinct in England in approximately 10 years. They are Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
The red squirrel has a reddish-brown coat and pale underside and a bushy tail.
It’s smaller than the grey squirrel, and has larger ear tufts.
They are Found in Scotland, the Lake District and Northumberland; further south in England and Wales, including Formby, Anglesey, Brownsea Island in Dorset, and the Isle of Wight.
Red squirrels are important because they are better suited to spread the seeds of coniferous trees; being specially adapted to feed on the seeds in their cones so are therefore an important asset in the regeneration of our coniferous woodlands.
If red squirrels became extinct in the UK it could have a negative impact on our woodlands, particularly coniferous woodlands.
The grey squirrel is the main reason for the decline of the red squirrel, they must be kept apart as the two species cannot live together long term. Squirrelpox virus is fatal to red squirrels but is carried by grey squirrels without causing them any harm. Habitat loss has also contributed to the red squirrel’s decline. woodland are destroyed or become separated by development and changing land-use.
2020 has been difficult for us, but other species such as the red squirrel are benefiting during lockdowns. The Red Squirrel Survival Trust is the largest national charity protecting Britain’s iconic native species and has raised more than £50,000 in funding for the Animal and Plant Health Agency for the continuation of pioneering research into non-lethal grey squirrel management.
This autumn a Red Squirrel Survival Trust Trustee, reported positive signs at the Lowther Estate, in Cumbria, where 1700 ha of forestry woodland is home to a stable red squirrel population. The risk of squirrel pox disease outbreaks and population expansion of the greys has fallen. It means that both our trees and red squirrels are able to thrive together in a harmonious way.
If you would like to support the RSST’s vital work in protecting our native species, and rewilding Britain’s landscapes, please consider donating at www.rsst.org.uk/donate
Keep Rewilding Britain!
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References
Story Source:
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/l...
"File:Eastern Grey Squirrel in St James's Park, London - Nov 2006 edit.jpg" by Diliff is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
"Coniferous Woodland Sunlight" by David Nikolai Kastrup is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Peter Trimming from Croydon, England
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