Our Work
We are taking action now to save a Scottish icon. Our project, working together with our sister project Red Squirrels in South Scotland, is the first nationally co-ordinated effort to protect the red squirrel and our project plan has focused on strategic and targeted work designed to really make a difference.
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) aims to halt the decline of red squirrel populations in key areas of north Scotland and improve habitat conditions to allow red squirrels to thrive and increase in number. To do this, we must tackle the main problem facing red squirrels today; the spread of the North American grey squirrel. We are working to prevent the spread of grey squirrels northwards from the Central Lowlands and outwards from Aberdeen, as well as working with landowners to deliver habitat improvements. We are also focused on establishing best practice and developing the methods and mechanisms to achieve red squirrel conservation in the long term. These results could inform future decisions about red squirrel conservation work.
Our project objectives, listed below, provide more details on how we will deliver action to achieve our aims. The extent of what we can do depends on your support. Donate today or get involved with our project to help us protect an iconic member of Scotland’s native wildlife.
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels: the aims:
- Protecting red squirrel populations in the North - working to halt the decline of red squirrel populations in key areas in north Scotland through targeted grey squirrel control. A key part of this will be to collect the data needed for us to judge how successful our grey squirrel control activity is as a method of red squirrel conservation. Read more.
- Habitat improvements for red squirrels - working with landowners to maximise the benefit of their forests for red squirrels to help them thrive and increase in number. Read more.
- Survey and Monitoring- to determine the changes in distribution of squirrels in our project areas and to continue to record squirrel distribution right across Scotland (working in partnership with local squirrel groups and contributing to the Scottish Squirrel Database). Read more.
- Sharing best practice – to share expertise and widen public awareness of the threats facing red squirrels and engage communities in working for red squirrel conservation. Read more.
