Save Our Reds: Protect Britain's native red squirrels before it's too late
Save Our Reds: Protect Britain's native red squirrels before it's too late
The Issue
Red squirrels are disappearing from much of the UK and, in England, they are now close to being lost altogether.
This is what red squirrel habitat loss looks like:
Once common across the UK, these shy, iconic mammals now cling to survival in just a few woodland strongholds. Red squirrels are now classified as Endangered on the Great Britain Red List. In England and Wales, they are Endangered. In much of England, they are all but gone.
They are more than a countryside symbol: they are a national favourite. His Majesty King Charles III has called them “ambassadors for nature”. Their cultural importance is so widely felt that they now feature on the UK’s new commemorative 2p coin.
Once numbering in the millions, red squirrels are now confined to a handful of northern strongholds. See the Save Our Reds interactive app to view the shocking decline since introduced by the Victorian's in the 1870s: saveourreds interactive map
It is only thanks to tireless volunteers, local groups and small charities that red squirrels survive in England at all.
While it is illegal to kill a red squirrel, destroying its habitat is still allowed, and it is happening. Ancient plantations known to support reds are being felled with no meaningful mitigation, no reassessment, and no consequence.
Those efforts are being quietly undone.
If we do not act now, we risk losing red squirrels from England altogether.
This petition calls on the UK Government and devolved authorities to act urgently to protect and restore red squirrel populations. Read on for our plan to help save Britain's reds.
WHY IT MATTERS
Core red squirrel populations remain in Cumbria, Northumberland, County Durham, Lancashire and parts of North Yorkshire. Their range has shrunk drastically due to habitat loss and the spread of the non-native North American grey squirrel, which outcompetes reds and carries the deadly squirrelpox virus.
DEFRA data shows grey squirrels now outnumber reds in both Cumbria and Northumberland.
These regions represent the last realistic opportunity for long-term recovery, if we act now to properly protect reds and restore habitat.
THE QUIET CRISIS
Despite some conservation success stories, such as the recovery of reds on Anglesey (albeit now, very sadly, under threat), serious challenges remain.
Forestry England is reportedly planning to clear-fell one of the largest remaining red squirrel strongholds in northern England. At Killhope, County Durham, a thriving red squirrel plantation has already been razed. At Pow Hill Bog, reds cling to a fragile strip of woodland under increasing pressure from recreation and nearby habitat loss. In Northumberland, several red-supporting conifer plantations have already been heavily or entirely felled. These are just a few of the many examples.
Current forestry guidance recommends biodiversity set-aside within woodland schemes, but campaigners argue implementation and enforcement remain inconsistent.
THE GREY SQUIRREL PROBLEM
Grey squirrels, a completely separate species, are not at fault: they were introduced from North America by the Victorians. However, their impact is severe.
They carry squirrelpox, which is fatal to red squirrels.
They strip bark from hardwood trees, causing widespread environmental and economic damage - estimated by The Forestry Commission at around £38 million annually.
They outcompete reds for food and habitat across much of England.
We already have wildlife protections in law, but too often they are weakly enforced or ignored altogether.
A PRACTICAL EVIDENCE-BASED PLAN TO SAVE BRITAIN'S RED SQUIRRELS
Click HERE to view our Conservation Action Framework
In April 2026, Natural England published its landmark Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy (NECR669), confirming what campaigners have long warned: under current conditions, red squirrels face extinction across mainland England within 25 years.
Alongside this, we had produced a detailed map showing red squirrel decline over the past 150 years.
The science is clear. But the strategy contains no delivery plan, no timetable, no named body responsible for action, and no funded pathway for the tools that could change the outcome.
This framework sets out what must happen next - across Britain.
"The evidence is there. It is very clear. Now is the time to act, not tomorrow, because tomorrow will never come for the reds in England."
Marie Carter-Robb, founder, Save Our Reds CIC
OUR FIVE-POINT EMERGENCY PLAN
These actions are practical, cost-aware, and implementable within existing policy frameworks. They do not require new primary legislation. They require political will and institutional accountability.
- Legally protect red squirrels and their woodland habitats - Add red squirrels to The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (like beavers in 2022). Designate all known red squirrel habitats as protected zones. No large-scale felling without mandatory wildlife impact assessment, independent oversight and enforceable penalties.
- Enforce existing wildlife law with named accountability - Red squirrels are already protected in law, but that protection is too often ignored. Government must properly enforce existing legislation across all red squirrel areas, with clear responsibility placed on Forestry England, land managers and relevant authorities.
- Deliver and audit biodiversity set-aside properly - The 20% biodiversity set-aside already exists in forestry guidance. It must now be implemented in reality, with demonstrable habitat retention for red squirrels, transparent monitoring and public reporting across all publicly funded woodland schemes.
- Fund vaccine and fertility control research now - Fully fund the squirrelpox vaccine, and publish a clear timetable for grey squirrel fertility control, where APHA (funded by the UK Squirrel Accord) has achieved a world-first laboratory breakthrough that now needs resourcing to reach the field.
- Deploy rangers on the ground now, not next year - Dedicated, trained wildlife rangers must be deployed immediately across red squirrel strongholds in Great Britain to monitor populations, support volunteers and respond rapidly to threats. Protection on paper means nothing without presence on the ground.
Read the full framework: View the complete Conservation Action Framework (PDF), including our detailed analysis of Natural England's Recovery Strategy, the enforcement gap between law and reality, and the public mandate for action. saveourreds.framework.pdf
TIME TO PUT RED SQUIRRELS ON THE NATIONAL AGENDA
Over time, the campaign has evolved, and so has our understanding of the scale of the challenge.
Red squirrels do not recognise political boundaries.
Most people do not realise the true impact grey squirrels have, or how close we are to losing red squirrels from England entirely.
But there are no walls between England, Scotland and Wales. No border controls in our woodlands. No barriers stopping squirrelpox, habitat fragmentation, woodland loss or grey squirrel expansion across mainland Britain.
The ecological reality is that red squirrel populations across Great Britain are interconnected.
And that means fragmented responses are no longer enough.
As the campaign has grown, it has become increasingly clear that the ecological realities facing red squirrels extend far beyond administrative boundaries.
While policy remains fragmented, the ecological pressures facing red squirrels do not stop at political borders. Woodland loss, disease pressure, habitat fragmentation and grey squirrel expansion continue across Great Britain as a connected ecological landscape.
Our call to government: We are calling on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to respond to NECR669 with a published implementation timetable, named delivery body and funded action plan within 12 months of publication, by April 2027.
To find out more about the campaign, visit: saveourreds.uk
We are proud to work alongside a growing network of organisations and individuals, including:
• Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
• South Lakes Red Squirrel Group
• Northumberland Red Squirrels
• County Durham Red Squirrel Group
• Anglesey Red Squirrel Project
• Canny Hill Woodland Project
Thank you for helping protect our precious reds.
84,368
The Issue
Red squirrels are disappearing from much of the UK and, in England, they are now close to being lost altogether.
This is what red squirrel habitat loss looks like:
Once common across the UK, these shy, iconic mammals now cling to survival in just a few woodland strongholds. Red squirrels are now classified as Endangered on the Great Britain Red List. In England and Wales, they are Endangered. In much of England, they are all but gone.
They are more than a countryside symbol: they are a national favourite. His Majesty King Charles III has called them “ambassadors for nature”. Their cultural importance is so widely felt that they now feature on the UK’s new commemorative 2p coin.
Once numbering in the millions, red squirrels are now confined to a handful of northern strongholds. See the Save Our Reds interactive app to view the shocking decline since introduced by the Victorian's in the 1870s: saveourreds interactive map
It is only thanks to tireless volunteers, local groups and small charities that red squirrels survive in England at all.
While it is illegal to kill a red squirrel, destroying its habitat is still allowed, and it is happening. Ancient plantations known to support reds are being felled with no meaningful mitigation, no reassessment, and no consequence.
Those efforts are being quietly undone.
If we do not act now, we risk losing red squirrels from England altogether.
This petition calls on the UK Government and devolved authorities to act urgently to protect and restore red squirrel populations. Read on for our plan to help save Britain's reds.
WHY IT MATTERS
Core red squirrel populations remain in Cumbria, Northumberland, County Durham, Lancashire and parts of North Yorkshire. Their range has shrunk drastically due to habitat loss and the spread of the non-native North American grey squirrel, which outcompetes reds and carries the deadly squirrelpox virus.
DEFRA data shows grey squirrels now outnumber reds in both Cumbria and Northumberland.
These regions represent the last realistic opportunity for long-term recovery, if we act now to properly protect reds and restore habitat.
THE QUIET CRISIS
Despite some conservation success stories, such as the recovery of reds on Anglesey (albeit now, very sadly, under threat), serious challenges remain.
Forestry England is reportedly planning to clear-fell one of the largest remaining red squirrel strongholds in northern England. At Killhope, County Durham, a thriving red squirrel plantation has already been razed. At Pow Hill Bog, reds cling to a fragile strip of woodland under increasing pressure from recreation and nearby habitat loss. In Northumberland, several red-supporting conifer plantations have already been heavily or entirely felled. These are just a few of the many examples.
Current forestry guidance recommends biodiversity set-aside within woodland schemes, but campaigners argue implementation and enforcement remain inconsistent.
THE GREY SQUIRREL PROBLEM
Grey squirrels, a completely separate species, are not at fault: they were introduced from North America by the Victorians. However, their impact is severe.
They carry squirrelpox, which is fatal to red squirrels.
They strip bark from hardwood trees, causing widespread environmental and economic damage - estimated by The Forestry Commission at around £38 million annually.
They outcompete reds for food and habitat across much of England.
We already have wildlife protections in law, but too often they are weakly enforced or ignored altogether.
A PRACTICAL EVIDENCE-BASED PLAN TO SAVE BRITAIN'S RED SQUIRRELS
Click HERE to view our Conservation Action Framework
In April 2026, Natural England published its landmark Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy (NECR669), confirming what campaigners have long warned: under current conditions, red squirrels face extinction across mainland England within 25 years.
Alongside this, we had produced a detailed map showing red squirrel decline over the past 150 years.
The science is clear. But the strategy contains no delivery plan, no timetable, no named body responsible for action, and no funded pathway for the tools that could change the outcome.
This framework sets out what must happen next - across Britain.
"The evidence is there. It is very clear. Now is the time to act, not tomorrow, because tomorrow will never come for the reds in England."
Marie Carter-Robb, founder, Save Our Reds CIC
OUR FIVE-POINT EMERGENCY PLAN
These actions are practical, cost-aware, and implementable within existing policy frameworks. They do not require new primary legislation. They require political will and institutional accountability.
- Legally protect red squirrels and their woodland habitats - Add red squirrels to The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (like beavers in 2022). Designate all known red squirrel habitats as protected zones. No large-scale felling without mandatory wildlife impact assessment, independent oversight and enforceable penalties.
- Enforce existing wildlife law with named accountability - Red squirrels are already protected in law, but that protection is too often ignored. Government must properly enforce existing legislation across all red squirrel areas, with clear responsibility placed on Forestry England, land managers and relevant authorities.
- Deliver and audit biodiversity set-aside properly - The 20% biodiversity set-aside already exists in forestry guidance. It must now be implemented in reality, with demonstrable habitat retention for red squirrels, transparent monitoring and public reporting across all publicly funded woodland schemes.
- Fund vaccine and fertility control research now - Fully fund the squirrelpox vaccine, and publish a clear timetable for grey squirrel fertility control, where APHA (funded by the UK Squirrel Accord) has achieved a world-first laboratory breakthrough that now needs resourcing to reach the field.
- Deploy rangers on the ground now, not next year - Dedicated, trained wildlife rangers must be deployed immediately across red squirrel strongholds in Great Britain to monitor populations, support volunteers and respond rapidly to threats. Protection on paper means nothing without presence on the ground.
Read the full framework: View the complete Conservation Action Framework (PDF), including our detailed analysis of Natural England's Recovery Strategy, the enforcement gap between law and reality, and the public mandate for action. saveourreds.framework.pdf
TIME TO PUT RED SQUIRRELS ON THE NATIONAL AGENDA
Over time, the campaign has evolved, and so has our understanding of the scale of the challenge.
Red squirrels do not recognise political boundaries.
Most people do not realise the true impact grey squirrels have, or how close we are to losing red squirrels from England entirely.
But there are no walls between England, Scotland and Wales. No border controls in our woodlands. No barriers stopping squirrelpox, habitat fragmentation, woodland loss or grey squirrel expansion across mainland Britain.
The ecological reality is that red squirrel populations across Great Britain are interconnected.
And that means fragmented responses are no longer enough.
As the campaign has grown, it has become increasingly clear that the ecological realities facing red squirrels extend far beyond administrative boundaries.
While policy remains fragmented, the ecological pressures facing red squirrels do not stop at political borders. Woodland loss, disease pressure, habitat fragmentation and grey squirrel expansion continue across Great Britain as a connected ecological landscape.
Our call to government: We are calling on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to respond to NECR669 with a published implementation timetable, named delivery body and funded action plan within 12 months of publication, by April 2027.
To find out more about the campaign, visit: saveourreds.uk
We are proud to work alongside a growing network of organisations and individuals, including:
• Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
• South Lakes Red Squirrel Group
• Northumberland Red Squirrels
• County Durham Red Squirrel Group
• Anglesey Red Squirrel Project
• Canny Hill Woodland Project
Thank you for helping protect our precious reds.
84,368
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Petition created on 6 August 2025