Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) prepared a draft grey squirrel control strategy to support red squirrel conservation. This was open to public consultation in summer 2009 and adopted in April 2010.
The Strategy sets out locations where grey squirrel control is most likely to benefit red squirrel conservation. It is based on current knowledge of the relationship between red and grey squirrels and will be reviewed regularly in light of experience.
Red squirrel projects and programmes
Widespread grey squirrel control needs effective regional co-ordination and we encourage this by supporting the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) Project and their sister project Red Squirrels in South Scotland (RSSS). In 2012 we will review information from these projects to see whether grey squirrel control is the best way to retain red squirrels in the long-term.
SNH and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) also support the RSSS programme of monitoring squirrelpox outbreaks and their attempts to prevent the disease spreading into red squirrel populations.
For more information on grant support please see:
- Scottish Rural Development Programme (Link to Scottish Gov website)
- Support for red squirrel conservation under the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP): Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities (pdf)
To help ensure that grant support is targeted effectively, information on grey squirrel control from the SSRS and RSSS projects will be used to inform the review of SRDP scheduled for 2013.
