A major rewilding initiative in the Scottish Highlands is celebrating a significant victory, with the native red squirrel expanding its territory by more than a quarter following a dedicated ten-year reintroduction programme.
A Decade of Dedicated Conservation
The project, spearheaded by the charity Trees for Life, has successfully moved hundreds of red squirrels to establish over a dozen new thriving populations. These range from Ullapool and Morvern to Lairg, areas from which the charismatic species had been largely absent since the 1970s.
Scotland is the UK's red squirrel heartland, hosting an estimated 80% of the nation's 200,000 red squirrels. The species was pushed to the brink of extinction in Britain last century due to habitat loss, persecution, and the spread of squirrelpox virus carried by invasive non-native grey squirrels.
"This rewilding success story is offering hope for the long-term survival of Scotland's much-loved red squirrels, and shows how we can make a real and positive difference to our native wildlife," said Becky Priestley, a project manager at Trees for Life.
How the Reintroduction Programme Works
The carefully managed process involves licensed translocations of small numbers of squirrels from healthy donor populations in Inverness-shire, Moray and Strathspey. The animals are given health checks before being moved to suitable woodland habitats in the north and north-west Highlands, selected as safe havens free from competing grey squirrels.
Red squirrels are reluctant to cross large open spaces, so human assistance is crucial to help them reach these isolated but ideal woodlands. To ensure genetic diversity, the charity uses multiple donor sites. Upon release, the squirrels receive supplementary food for several months to help them settle into their new homes.
Broader Rewilding Ambitions and Future Threats
The red squirrel project forms part of Trees for Life's wider Missing Species programme, which also has ambitions to reintroduce keystone species like the lynx, beavers, and a modern equivalent of the extinct aurochs to the Highland landscape.
Conservationists note that the squirrels' return could also benefit the forests themselves, as they inadvertently plant new trees by forgetting where they have buried stores of nuts and seeds.
While the Scottish project progresses, concerns remain in England where squirrelpox threatens remaining populations. However, a separate success story exists on the Isle of Wight, where an isolated group of around 3,500 reds is thriving.
In a parallel development, the Animal and Plant Health Agency announced a potential breakthrough in grey squirrel control in September 2024. An oral contraceptive bait, originally developed for rats, has shown effectiveness in causing a reaction in grey squirrels, with researchers now refining the formula to increase its potency.