The Save Our Reds campaign says “the evidence is in, the public has spoken, and the time for managed decline is over”

A major new conservation policy briefing released today, on the first national Save Our Reds Day, warns that England still has no clear delivery plan to prevent red squirrels disappearing from mainland England within approximately 25 years.

The warning follows the publication of Natural England’s Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy (NECR669) on 14 April: a six-year scientific assessment produced with the Zoological Society of London, which concluded that under current “do nothing” modelling, red squirrels face extinction across mainland England by around 2051.

Now, Save Our Reds CIC, the conservation campaign backed by more than 80,000 petition supporters, has published a new Conservation Action Framework setting out what it describes as the “critical gap between protection on paper and enforcement on the ground.”

The campaign says the Natural England strategy is an important scientific document, but warns that science without delivery will not save England’s remaining red squirrels.

Natural England’s 140-page strategy contains no implementation timetable, no named national delivery body, no committed funding pathway for squirrelpox vaccine deployment, and no legally binding habitat protection mechanism for known red squirrel strongholds.

It also leaves unresolved questions around who will oversee delivery, how progress will be measured, what enforcement powers will exist in areas facing active habitat loss, and how woodland protection decisions will be audited nationally.

The strategy itself states that its “next step” is determining which long-term recovery approach should be pursued.

Save Our Reds CIC argues that, after six years of consultation, England cannot afford further delay while red squirrel strongholds continue to shrink.

The campaign’s new framework calls for:

• Immediate legal protection for nationally important red squirrel woodlands

• Proper enforcement of existing wildlife legislation

• Independent auditing of biodiversity set-aside commitments

• Accelerated squirrelpox vaccine and fertility control research

• Greater deployment of dedicated wildlife rangers in northern England

The framework also draws on findings from a national awareness survey of 1,590 respondents, which found:

• 99% support stronger enforcement of habitat protections

• 97% support mandatory wildlife impact assessments before woodland felling

Marie Carter-Robb, Founder of Save Our Reds CIC, said:

“The scientific evidence is already there and the public concern is overwhelming. Yet six years of consultation have still not produced a clear national delivery plan.

“We are not solving the problem. We are managing decline.

“That has to stop. We are not calling for endless further discussion. We are calling for practical action before England loses one of its most loved native mammals.”

Wildlife filmmaker Terry Abraham (pictured left), whose multi-award-winning documentaries helped inspire the campaign and who now becomes Save Our Reds CIC’s first official ambassador, said:

“Our native red scamps are part of the soul of our northern woodlands. They’re iconic and are a national favourite species. We cannot continue warning about decline while allowing vital habitat to disappear without meaningful protection or accountability.”

The full Save Our Reds Conservation Action Framework has been released today to mark the first national Save Our Reds Day.

A new interactive decline map released by Save Our Reds CIC, now live at saveourreds.netlify.app, traces the dramatic long-term retreat of Britain’s native red squirrel across the UK and forms part of the campaign’s growing push for a coordinated national recovery plan.

Want to help?

There are simple, practical ways everyone can support red squirrel conservation, both on Save Our Reds Day and throughout the year:

• Sign and share the petition to help keep red squirrels in the national conversation
• Report red squirrel sightings to your local conservation group or wildlife trust
• Clean bird feeders regularly to help reduce the spread of disease between squirrels
• Remove feeders immediately if you spot any signs of squirrelpox in visiting wildlife
• Support local woodland and wildlife volunteers working to protect native habitats
• Help keep the conversation alive by talking about red squirrels with friends, family and your community

Every small action contributes to a bigger movement, and with 80,000 supporters already standing behind the campaign, the call for action is only growing louder.

Main photo credit: Al Milby Animal Photography