'Reds' protection call to county landowners
Conservation leaders in the Lake District have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting native red squirrel colonies throughout Cumbria while still continuing to control and manage the unwanted spread of the grey squirrel population.
Now all major landowners are being asked to join the campaign by showing their commitment to protecting red squirrels, especially in the county’s stronghold areas.
Representatives from organisations such as the Lake District National Park, Northern Red Squirrels, Natural England, Red Squirrel Survival Trust, National Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission and Friends of the Lake District, agreed that an “integrated strategy” was needed to promote awareness and understanding regarding the environmental importance and financial value of red squirrels to the county.
LDNPA Park Services Director Bob Cartwright, who chaired the meeting on behalf of the Lake District National Park Partnership, said the national park “wholeheartedly supported” the development of a co-ordinated approach to protect the red squirrel. “A new North of England Red Squirrel Project is being developed to coordinate action so it is vital that there is a united and well communicated plan of action in Cumbria."
The meeting, at the national park visitor centre at Brockhole, on the shores of Windermere, was told that scientific solutions to controlling the numbers of grey squirrels were “many years away”. What was needed now was a control strategy to “hold the line” until these scientific measures became widely available.
“We acknowledge the importance of the designated red squirrel strongholds in Cumbria, which can form the heartlands of our red populations and defendable sanctuaries until the grey invasion has been reversed in the rest of Cumbria,” Bob said.
Dr Craig Shuttleworth, National Operations Director of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust said, “With only limited funding often available for red squirrel conservation, the approach must be for partners to integrate their complementary skills and resources in order to tackle grey squirrel control in a coordinated fashion. We are pleased to be involved in this exciting regional partnership.”
Representatives agreed to meet again as soon as more detailed conservation proposals have been developed by the North of England Red Squirrel Project.
