Major £299,986 boost to help protect Formby’s red squirrels following deadly pox outbreak

The fight to protect Formby’s much-loved red squirrels has received a major boost, with almost £300,000 secured for conservation work across Merseyside and the wider region.

The Merseyside and Lancashire Red Squirrel Project has announced that £299,986 has been secured through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme.

The announcement comes at a particularly important time for Formby following the recent outbreak of deadly squirrel pox along the Sefton coastline.

Conservationists raised the alarm last month over the outbreak, with particular concern for Formby, which remains one of the most important strongholds for red squirrels in England.

The new funding will support a number of measures designed to give the remaining red squirrel population a more secure future.

Importantly, it will fund a new Red Squirrel Ranger, providing additional resources on the ground to help protect populations across the region.

The project will also research more effective ways of managing grey squirrels over the long term across different landscapes.

Grey squirrels are one of the biggest threats facing native reds. As well as competing for food and habitat, grey squirrels can carry squirrel pox without becoming ill themselves and transmit the virus to red squirrels.

For reds, the disease can be devastating.

Squirrel pox causes painful lesions and shivering and can make it increasingly difficult for affected squirrels to eat, drink and move. It is usually fatal within around two weeks.

Formby knows only too well how devastating an outbreak can become.

A Red Squirrel with Squirrel Pox

During the major squirrel pox outbreak in 2008, Formby’s red squirrel population fell by an estimated 80%.

The new funding will also introduce a community tree-planting initiative, helping to improve connections between habitats while increasing the natural food available to red squirrels.

Heather Harris, from Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said: “Following the recent squirrel pox outbreak in Merseyside, we are reminded just how vulnerable our red squirrel populations remain, and how quickly decades of conservation efforts can be put at risk.”

“Natural England’s funding will strengthen our ability to respond rapidly to such threats and work to create more resilient habitats.”

Red squirrels have suffered a catastrophic decline across Britain over the past century, largely because of competition from introduced grey squirrels, habitat pressures and disease.

Once numbering in their millions, there are now estimated to be around 287,000 red squirrels remaining across Britain, with approximately 70% found in Scotland.

Those that remain are increasingly living in fragmented and isolated populations, making places such as Formby incredibly important to the species’ future in England.

The project has warned that without sustained conservation efforts, red squirrel populations could disappear from some areas within the next decade.

The £299,986 will strengthen existing work being carried out as part of the Red Squirrel Recovery Network, which is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with support from National Lottery players.

For Formby, the timing of the announcement could hardly be more significant.

Our red squirrels are one of the area’s most treasured sights and have been part of Formby’s woodlands for generations. After the enormous losses suffered during the 2008 outbreak, the latest cases of squirrel pox have understandably caused considerable concern.

A Healthy Red Squirrel

The hope now is that this major investment, a new dedicated ranger, improved habitats, further research and faster intervention will help ensure that future generations can continue to see red squirrels thriving in Formby’s woodlands.