Research carried out in Northern Ireland has highlighted the importance of native woodland for the long-term protection of red squirrels. The research modelled red squirrel populations in non-native conifer forests with the presence of pine martens— a natural predator to the red squirrel in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Pine martens had been persecuted […]
The Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) is an important piece of UK-wide legislation that protects some of our most vulnerable species, including red squirrels. Under Schedule 5 of this law it is illegal to intentionally kill, harm or disturb a red squirrel; a vital asset in our efforts to save them. A review […]
Monitoring Officer Nina Schönberg explains how we use camera traps to survey squirrels in Aberdeenshire, often with entertaining results! On top of our regular hair sample-based surveys, in the North East we also run a camera-trapping survey in specially selected woodlands. Camera Traps (or Trail Cameras) are designed to detect movement and changes in […]
Author: Dr Mel Tonkin A new study has confirmed that Scotland’s recovering pine martens are having a positive effect on red squirrels. Conservationists have long suspected that pine martens could help control the spread of grey squirrels in Scotland, a theory that was bolstered when research conducted in Ireland in 2014 produced very promising results. […]