In November 2005 Red Alert North England launched "An ambitious and exciting project to save the red squirrel in mainland England" promising "a carefully worked out and broadly supported strategy" developed by the Red Alert North England Steering Group with representatives from the Forestry Commission, English Nature, Defra, the Wildlife Trusts, The National Parks, The Forestry and Timber Association, Red Alert NW and Red Alert NE. The strategy based upon the establishment of 15 red squirrel reserves surrounded by 5km buffer/grey squirrel exclusion zones promised fresh hope for the survival of the English Red Squirrel.
Three years later and it has become increasingly clear the strategy is failing.
An extract from today's Guardian "For decades, Formby, and the surrounding borough of Sefton, has had the highest density of red squirrels in England and, until recently, it was not unusual to see groups of 20 or 30 animals together.
But visit Formby now and the squirrels are missing. A survey planned for next month is expected to confirm that a deadly virus has swept through the area, sending the red squirrel population crashing to such low levels that it may never recover. Hundreds of the animals are feared to have died, and many more are not expected to make it through the winter. According to Andrew Brockbank, the National Trust property manager who has worked at Formby for 11 years, the situation is "very bleak".
The squirrelpox virus arrived at Sefton's isolated red squirrel colony in October last year. Since then, it has spread viciously, with the unusually high number of squirrels helping the disease jump from animal to animal. A survey in spring this year found that numbers were already down 60% on the 1,000 or so counted at the same time in 2007"
Full article at the Guardian's website
Clearly as a species listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention the UK has an obligation to afford the Red Squirrel special protection. The reserves and buffer zone strategy has failed. The species recovery plan is doomed. Even further afield in northern Italy the outlook is becoming increasingly bleak
What action can be taken to prevent the extinction of the Red Squirrel ?
Three years later and it has become increasingly clear the strategy is failing.
An extract from today's Guardian "For decades, Formby, and the surrounding borough of Sefton, has had the highest density of red squirrels in England and, until recently, it was not unusual to see groups of 20 or 30 animals together.
But visit Formby now and the squirrels are missing. A survey planned for next month is expected to confirm that a deadly virus has swept through the area, sending the red squirrel population crashing to such low levels that it may never recover. Hundreds of the animals are feared to have died, and many more are not expected to make it through the winter. According to Andrew Brockbank, the National Trust property manager who has worked at Formby for 11 years, the situation is "very bleak".
The squirrelpox virus arrived at Sefton's isolated red squirrel colony in October last year. Since then, it has spread viciously, with the unusually high number of squirrels helping the disease jump from animal to animal. A survey in spring this year found that numbers were already down 60% on the 1,000 or so counted at the same time in 2007"
Full article at the Guardian's website
Clearly as a species listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention the UK has an obligation to afford the Red Squirrel special protection. The reserves and buffer zone strategy has failed. The species recovery plan is doomed. Even further afield in northern Italy the outlook is becoming increasingly bleak
What action can be taken to prevent the extinction of the Red Squirrel ?