Scotland is home to around 239,000 red squirrels, representing approximately 80% of the remaining UK population. The red squirrel is one of Scotland’s most iconic native mammals and the only squirrel species to have evolved alongside Britain’s native woodlands. Once widespread across the UK, red squirrel populations have declined by approximately 90% over the past 150 years, largely due to the introduction and spread of non-native grey squirrels. Grey squirrels outcompete red squirrels for food and habitat and carry the squirrelpox virus, which is fatal to red squirrels. Once they have invaded an area, grey squirrels can entirely replace red populations within 15 years.
Red squirrels occur in both conifer and broadleaved woodland, including mixed forests and parks and gardens. They feed on a wide range of foods including tree seeds, buds, flowers, berries, and lichens, and play an important ecological role by caching seeds, supporting natural woodland regeneration and dispersing beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. Ongoing conservation efforts are essential to protecting Scotland’s remaining populations and supporting their recovery.
Photos: © Raymond Leinster / Scottish Wildlife Trust
Action Needed
- Strengthen government leadership and strategic ownership of invasive grey squirrel management, embedding control within statutory agencies and forestry operations.
- Publish a new, government-backed 10-year Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation to replace the now-expired 2015–2025 strategy.
- Expand current priority areas to secure more habitat for red squirrels and support population expansion.
- Expand and coordinate grey squirrel control within priority landscapes, including incentives and greater support for private landowners through mechanisms such as the Forestry Grant Scheme.
- Support targeted habitat improvement and woodland connectivity projects to reduce fragmentation and increase resilience of red squirrel populations.
- Secure long-term, stable funding for the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) partnership to enable sustained grey squirrel monitoring and control beyond short-term funding cycles.
Threats
- Competition from non-native grey squirrels, which outcompete red squirrels for food and habitat
- Transmission of squirrelpox virus by grey squirrels, which is fatal to red squirrels
- Habitat loss and fragmentation, isolating populations and restricting movement and expansion
- Road mortality, particularly where woodland is fragmented by transport infrastructure
MSP Nature Champion
Alexander Burnett
Member for: Aberdeenshire West
Region: North East Scotland
Party: Scottish Conservatives
