Cross-border bid to create red squirrel strongholds

The project aims to create red squirrel strongholds

A cross-border conservation project to create red squirrel strongholds has been awarded nearly £5m of funding.

Wildlife trusts from across the north of England are teaming up with organisations in the south of Scotland for a five-year programme of restoring habitats and controlling grey squirrels.

The five-year plan will concentrate on fertility control of greys, with a contraceptive being introduced into the population.

Natural predators of greys, such as pine martens, will also be encouraged into new areas, while restoration of red squirrels habitats will also take place.

Grey squirrels are partly responsible for the gradual demise of their red cousins

Alongside these initiatives, there will be a major push for communities, businesses and other organisations to get involved in saving the reds.

Dr Karen Blackport, from Selkirk-based Bright Green Nature, said: "There are lots of new, innovative threads for helping red squirrels being introduced in this programme."

Surveys have shown that about 75% of the UK's 160,000 red squirrels are to be found in Scotland.

Numbers are continuing to decline as non-native grey squirrels, which were first introduced to country estates from North America in the late 1800s, drive them out of habitats.

Greys also carry the squirrelpox virus, which is deadly to their red cousins.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has provided £4.86m for the five-year Red Squirrel Recovery Programme.

Dr Blackport said the project would build on the work of previous efforts to help red squirrels

About 50 voluntary conservation organisations have been involved in a 12-month development phase of the project, where a conservation plan was drawn up.

The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership and Bright Green Nature will now team up with wildlife trusts in Northumberland, Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside for the next five-year phas.

Red squirrels have been under threat for decades because of the growing numbers of greys

Dr Blackport added: "All of the work that has been done to date by so many organisations has been instrumental in forming the work that we are taking forward.

"What is different this time is that it will be cross-border for the first time, and there will be an even greater emphasis on community engagement.

"We want to get many more people involved in helping this iconic species."

Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "We are all absolutely delighted to have been awarded funding from NLHF to ensure red squirrel survival as we truly believe this project will make a sustainable long-term contribution to preventing the extinction of red squirrels in England and southern Scotland.

"I'd like to say a massive thank you to all the community groups and volunteers who really worked and supported us over the past 12 months and helped turn our conservation dream into a reality."