NEW research and a five-year study of red squirrel behaviour indicate that conservation efforts targeting one of Scotland’s most-loved species need a rethink.
One report, from Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Inverness and Heriot-Watt University, indicates that red squirrel populations are viable in landscapes managed for timber and that current special protection measures are ineffective and should be relaxed.
FLS’s wildlife ecologist Kenny Kortland said the latest research shows that commercial forestry “isn’t a threat to red squirrels” and that, when managed carefully, forestry plantations “can be great habitats for red squirrels”.
