A grant of approximately £2.5 million will help enlist hundreds of volunteers to make sure of the long-term survival of the populations of the Scottish red squirrels. SWT (The Scottish Wildlife Trust) was awarded the funds from HLF (the Heritage Lottery Fund).
This project aims to help train hundreds of people as well as land managers to protect the fluffy endangered animals. The SSRS is developing a community action project which will run for more than five years. Scotland is currently the home for less than 120k red squirrels. This is approximately three-quarters of the United Kingdom population.
The project manager of SSRS, Dr Mel Tonkin stated that their work since 2009 shows that it is possible to reverse the decline of the furry creatures and help them go back to their former territories. According to him, this can happen through targeted control of grey squirrels. There is no need to mention that the Reds are one of the most-loved species in Scotland. Thanks to the HLF, SSRS will have the opportunity to empower communities to help to protect not solely their local red critters, but also major populations of this species in the entire Scotland. Moreover, they will contribute to making sure that our future generations will be able to see these incredible animals.
The project also hopes to create a widespread understanding as well as an appreciation of the current risks that concern red squirrels and even demonstrate the methods that they use to successfully protect them.
