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Red squirrels ‘at risk of disappearing from England in 25 years’ - campaign calls for urgent national plan

  • Writer: Hayley O'Keeffe
    Hayley O'Keeffe
  • 6 days ago
  • 3 min read

Britain’s native red squirrels could vanish from mainland England within a generation, experts have warned, as a stark new map lays bare the scale of their long-term decline.


A government-backed report has concluded that, under a “do nothing” scenario, the species could disappear from England within 25 years, prompting urgent calls for a coordinated national rescue plan.


The warning comes as the Save Our Reds campaign unveiled a new interactive map charting the dramatic retreat of red squirrels across Britain, revealing just how little suitable habitat remains.


Backed by more than 75,000 supporters, the grassroots campaign says the situation is now critical and demands immediate, joined-up action from government, conservationists and landowners.


Campaign founder Marie Carter-Robb said:“The map is shocking. It makes the reality impossible to ignore. This is not theoretical. Without action, we will lose our red squirrels.

“We don't have a single-solution problem. We have a series of urgent actions that need to be brought together into one joined-up national plan.


“At the moment, these efforts are fragmented. Otherwise, we are simply managing decline.”


Once numbering in the millions, red squirrels have suffered a devastating collapse. Today, just 140,000 to 160,000 remain across the UK, with as few as 15,000 left in England. In contrast, grey squirrels, introduced from North America, number around 2.7 million.


Greys outcompete reds for food and habitat and carry squirrelpox, a disease that is usually harmless to them but often fatal to native populations. Habitat loss and weak enforcement of existing protections continue to compound the crisis.


The extinction warning is set out in Natural England’s Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy, published on April 14, which concludes that without intervention the species faces disappearance from mainland England within a generation.


The Save Our Reds campaign is calling for a practical national plan built around coordinated ranger funding, humane grey squirrel management in red squirrel areas, urgent investment in a squirrelpox vaccine, support for fertility control research, stronger habitat protection and greater backing for landowners and volunteers.


Marie added: “Volunteers and local groups are doing extraordinary work, but they cannot be expected to hold the line alone.


“We need government, conservation bodies, landowners, scientists and campaigners around the same table. The tools exist or are being developed. What is missing is coordination, funding and urgency.”


Filmmaker and red squirrel advocate Terry Abraham said:

“Our native red squirrels really ought to be the ambassadors of nature conservation within the UK.


“As many of us know, us humans have caused lots of harm to nature within our beautiful and renowned green isles and just as we have caused issues, we must now seek to address it. And that includes our precious native flora and fauna-of which our delightful and cute native red scamps are a part of.”


Sue Fowler, a conservationist based in County Durham, warned that local efforts alone are not enough to save the species.


“Without local eyes on the ground, many red squirrel habitats would be lost without anyone noticing. Volunteers are doing everything we can-but we need proper policy and protections in place before it's too late.”


Campaigners argue that while it is illegal to kill a red squirrel, habitat destruction in known strongholds continues with too little scrutiny or enforcement.


In a bid to bring the crisis into sharper focus, the campaign is launching Britain’s first Save Our Reds Day on Friday May 15, aligned with Endangered Species Day.


Marie said:“This is not about losing a colour. We are losing a native species.


“Red squirrels are part of Britain's ecological and cultural inheritance. They belong in our woods, in our folklore and in our future.


“Save Our Reds Day is about making sure people understand the truth, and that we act before it is too late.”


 
 
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