Red squirrels ‘to vanish from England’ unless vaccine against squirrelpox funded

Conservation group warns species threatened by exploding populations of grey squirrels who carry lethal virus Donna Ferguson Sat 16 Nov 2024 21.29 GMT

Red squirrels will soon disappear from England unless the government funds a vaccine against squirrelpox, one of the biggest groups set up to protect the species has warned.

Conservationists say the English population of non-native grey squirrels has exploded this year, triggered by warmer winters which enable mating pairs to feed and breed all year round, and estimate that 70% are carrying squirrelpox, a virus which is lethal only to red squirrels.

“We’re facing a huge surge of grey squirrels,” said Robert Benson, founder of Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group, which covers 600 square miles of Cumbria.

“We think they are breeding three or four times a year, and having four or five kits each time, leading to a massive expansion in grey squirrel numbers: 15 or 20 young grey squirrels are moving through the countryside [each year], from each breeding pair.”

A short stroll from Beatrix Potter’s former farmhouse in the Lake District are the waters of Cunsey Beck, nestling in the breathtaking landscape that inspired the tales of childhood favourites Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddle-Duck.

Campaigners say the once clear waters are regularly blighted by raw sewage from a nearby works. New figures obtained by the Observer reveal the Near Sawrey plant is alleged to have illegally discharged untreated sewage on 56 days from 2021 to 2023.

Matt Staniek, from the campaign group Save Windermere, said: “Beatrix Potter was in awe of this natural landscape. If she was alive today she would be campaigning to stop what has become a national disgrace.”

People are being asked for their views on the reintroduction of wild beavers in Gloucestershire as a population has been spotted close to the county's borders.

Currently, there are three enclosed beaver colonies in Gloucestershire and no beavers living in the wild.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) said there is a "real possibility" wild beavers could establish in the area as they have been seen close by, including on the River Avon.

Conditions in a Manx marshland wallabies escaped to in the 1960s proved "almost perfect" for an expansion in the population to 1,000, a conservation charity has said.

Only a small number managed to break out of a nearby wildlife park, but recent surveys of the Ballaugh Curragh and its surrounding areas show numbers have swelled.

Manx Wildlife Trust chief executive Leigh Morris said the habitat was similar to Tasmania, which was one of the places the species is native to.

That allowed the wild population to grow in the north-west of the island, before migrating to other glens and forests over the past six decades, he said.

About 91,000 new trees will be planted in new woodland areas after a council agreed to sell land to the National Trust.

Sefton Council said about 193 acres (78 hectares) of disused farmland around Lunt Village, near Maghull, could now be used to create "more diverse, nature rich" habitats.

The project, partly funded by The Mersey Forest’s Trees for Climate programme, is also intended to increase flood defences and could even provide a home for red squirrels.

Trees will be planted between January and March, the council said.

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The council hopes the project will connect existing pockets of wetland and woodland and provide homes to a variety of wildlife.

See also:

• Mersey Forest marks 30 years and nine million new trees

A forest is marking its 30th anniversary after the first plan to "bring forests nearer to people" was developed for parts of Merseyside and Cheshire.

Millions of trees have been planted as part of the Mersey Forest project, bringing a host of benefits for people and wildlife in urban areas.

In the last 18 months alone about 260 hectares of new woodland have been established on plots of land throughout the Liverpool City region and Cheshire - the equivalent of about 400 football pitches.

A “rescue mission” for native crayfish is under way in Northumberland after a population were found dead with mysterious patches on their shells.

The Environment Agency is working to save the internationally important species of native white-clawed crayfish in the River Wansbeck by searching for females with eggs to be taken and reared in a hatchery.

At least 100 individuals of the endangered species, which is the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish, have been found dead since the end of September and environment experts are perplexed as to what is causing the “concerning” mass die-off.

New Forest residents have been treated to a flyover from the United Kingdom’s biggest bird of prey.

Daily Echo Camera Club member Jordan Callaghan managed to capture a white-tailed eagle soaring over Holbury, carrying what appears to be a rabbit through the air.

One photo managed to snap the bird’s huge wing span, which can reach up to 2.5 metres, in all its glory.

The UK's largest bird of prey could soon be flying through the skies over Exmoor National Park, after an absence of more than two centuries.

Exmoor National Park Authority has proposed to reintroduce white-tailed eagles to the area, in a collaboration with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England.

It's part of a wider initiative to restore the species to the skies of southern England.

I just thought it worth noting that as far as the UK goes, tonight's full moon - a supermoon - which, at this time of year is known as the beaver moon according to some traditions, will be the most beavery beaver moon for 4 centuries, given the number of reintroductions and kits born around the UK over the last 12 months (building on decades of previous work towards these reintroductions, of course).

A group of UK nature charities have written to Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP and Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP calling for action to protect the UK’s chalk streams in planning reforms.

The letter is headed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and signed by various river, water and wildlife charities including The Rivers Trust, Angling Trust, River Action, Wild Trout Trust and The Wildlife Trusts. The letter leads on from the March for Clean Water earlier this month, when over 15,000 people including charities, campaigners and celebrities gathered in London calling for Government action to improve the health of rivers, lakes and seas.

The charities writing today urge the UK Government to integrate enhanced protections for chalk streams into reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). During the Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the NPPF (30th July – 24th September), more than 700 people urged action on protecting chalk streams.

A project to restore 213 hectares of rare coastal habitat in County Durham has been launched with nearly £1m of funding.

Durham County Council has partnered with the National Trust and Durham Wildlife Trust to deliver the Coastal Grasslands Reconnected Project.

The project, which has received £975,000 from the Government’s Species Survival Fund, will create and restore the wildflower-rich Magnesian Limestone grasslands along the county’s coastline from Noses Point, near Seaham, to Horden.

The colours, bangs and excitement of fireworks thrill many of us but what looks pretty comes with a pollution penalty, harming air and rivers.

A network of three UK university research observatories have revealed the complexity of the unique air pollution that fireworks create.

Guy Fawkes fireworks and bonfires are rarely confined to the marking of the gunpowder plot on 5 November, as often people celebrate early. This year peaks in particle pollution were seen on the preceding Saturday evening, especially across the West Midlands and London, perhaps due to the combination of Diwali and Guy Fawkes fireworks events.

In most places the worst air pollution was measured on the night of 5 November, reaching level seven on the government’s 10-point scale across Yorkshire. Notable peaks in particle pollution were also seen across Merseyside, as well as north-east England, Worthing, Norwich, Bristol and Cardiff.

Wildlife charities have condemned a decision by Scotland’s nature conservation agency to dilute a new law designed to combat the illegal killing of birds of prey.

NatureScot, a government agency, has decided to greatly reduce the area of land affected by a new licensing regime for grouse moors after legal threats from shooting estates and land owners.

Campaign groups including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) and Revive Scotland have said they are furious, and have called on the Scottish government to close the loophole urgently.

The UK government has admitted in court that the country's largest untapped oilfield, Rosebank off Shetland, was approved unlawfully.

The move came during a case brought by climate campaigners against both Rosebank and the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.

At the Court of Session in Edinburgh Chris Pirie KC, for the government, accepted that assessments did not include “the effects on climate of the combustion of oil and gas to be extracted from the fields.”

Fifty years of change on iconic limestone pavements has revealed mixed fortunes for one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK.

The landscapes - which will be familiar to visitors to the Yorkshire Dales and fans of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film – have, in many places, seen reductions of specialist species and more common less desirable species become more abundant.

However, it is not all bad news as the picture is very mixed across the UK’s areas of limestone pavement with some areas increasing in plant biodiversity.

A unique collaboration between the Met Office and The Wildlife Trusts has driven a series of projects examining the impacts of weather and climate change on wildlife and their habitats across the UK.

Dr Debbie Hemming is a Met Office scientist who oversaw the projects. She said: “A couple of years ago Met Office staff voted for The Wildlife Trusts to become our corporate charity.

“Building on this success and popularity of this relationship many of our colleagues – including climate scientists – realised they could use their expertise and time to help understand more about the impacts of weather and climate change on threatened species.

Natural England is pleased to announce the successful launch of a pioneering habitat restoration project aimed at supporting breeding seabirds in the Solent. The initiative, part of the broader Solent Seascape Project, focuses on creating vital nesting habitats for terns and other seabirds.

The project aims to provide suitable nesting sites for four species of terns - common, sandwich, little, and roseate - and other breeding seabirds. Initial trials with a single shingle-topped raft in April 2024 proved successful, attracting the first common terns to successfully breed on the national nature reserve for over 20 years. The new shingle islands are expected to benefit both breeding seabirds in spring and summer, and overwintering wading birds.

A “unique” site for nightingales and other wildlife on farmland left to go wild decades ago has been saved following a £1.5 million appeal.

Conservationists are celebrating the success of saving Strawberry Hill in Bedfordshire, which saw nearly £500,000 raised by more than 3,800 individual public donations plus a substantial private donation and contributions from trusts and funds.

The previous owner of the 377-acre site stopped farming his land 37 years ago – decades before “rewilding” became a trend.

The planned reintroduction of beavers to a county after 400 years has been delayed by "extreme flooding".

It had been hoped that a £180,000 habitat for the dam building creatures in the Nene Wetlands nature reserve, near Rushden in Northamptonshire, would be completed last month.

But the local Wildlife Trust, which is working with Anglian Water to release a family of beavers into a new enclosure at Delta Pit, said it was now aiming to complete work "before Christmas".

Wild bird numbers in the UK are continuing to fall despite government promises to halt nature decline by 2030.

Data released by the government on Tuesday shows that over the past five years, all bird species have faced population decline after suffering from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate breakdown and bird flu. Overall, bird species have declined in number UK-wide by 2% and in England by 7% in the five years since 2018.

Faring the worst are farmland birds, which have declined in number severely – by about 61% over the long term (since 1970) and 9% in the short term (the five years 2018-2023) – and woodland birds, whose numbers have fallen by about 35% over the long term and 10% in the short term.

Bathing waters in England and Wales could be tested all year round in a government shake-up to water pollution rules.

At the moment, designated bathing sites are only tested for dangerous pollution that could make swimmers sick during the “bathing season”, which runs from May to September.

Campaigners have long argued that people use waterways for recreation such as swimming, fishing and boating throughout the year, so the testing should be consistent. Additionally, the May-September period is often the driest of the year, so it is likely for there to be fewer spills from sewers during that time.

Five UK research projects have each received a share of £14.5 million under phase two of the Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People programme.

The UK’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 have been significantly boosted thanks to a £14.5 million investment by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and government partners.

This latest funding marks phase two of the Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People programme (LUNZ).

It supports five ambitious research projects that aim to revolutionise agricultural practices, land use change and soil health in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.

Contractors who will clear up 35,000 tonnes of dumped waste from a Kent woodland have been appointed.

The waste from illegal fly-tipping in Hoads Wood, near Ashford, covers a 100x60m area and is 4m deep in some spots.

Campaigners had threatened the Environment Agency with legal action in August unless they urgently cleared the site following a ministerial directive in May.

Humber Forest has planted its first trees of the new tree planting season, last week, with over 1,000 saplings planted at sites across the region.

The trees were planted in a range of projects across the county, including at a primary school in Skidby, and farmland in Goole and Holderness.

The volunteers educated the children at Skibdy Primary School on the essential role trees play in preserving our local environment, and in helping to prevent soil erosion, and providing habitats for wildlife.