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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Joint Nature Conservancy Council has produced recommendations for (a) the protection and (b) the re- establishment of the red squirrel. [192511] Mr. Bradshaw: The red squirrel is currently protected in the UK by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (and The Wildlife and Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1982), amended, most recently, by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) for England and Wales and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. It is included in both Schedules 5 and 6 making it an offence to kill or injure a red squirrel or disturb its place of rest. In addition to this the red squirrel was identified as a priority species for conservation action by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan process. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee, as a member of the UK Red Squirrel Group (UKRSG), has undertaken research into the conservation issues of the red squirrel, and has set out recommended actions and targets in the red squirrel Species Action Plan. The UKRSG has largely focused conservation action for the red squirrel in key woodland sites where they are still present. A prioritisation exercise has identified those sites with suitable red squirrel habitat that can be managed to ensure their continued survival and reduce the influence of factors that may be causing their decline, such as habitat loss and loss of habitat condition, grey squirrel incursion and disease. With regards to the re-establishment of the red squirrel in the UK, there are several issues to be addressed, including the amelioration of the reasons for their decline at different sites. JNCC, and the UKRSG, have produced best practice guidelines on the release of red squirrels, but do not recommend the re-introduction of red squirrels without careful consideration of the site to ensure that it is of suitable habitat to support a red squirrel population and that it can be protected from the above factors.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c840W; 192511

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Conservation Joint Nature Conservation Committee Protection Squirrels

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk