Squirrel ‘superhighway’ needs £8 million

Red squirrel ‘superhighway’ needs £8 million. A conservation charity has launched an appeal for funds.

The conservation charity Woodland Trust Scotland wants to connect habitats in Scotland. They hope to create a red squirrel “superhighway”. The superhighway would be used by squirrels and other animals too.

Woodland Trust Scotland needs £8 million to buy the Couldoran Estate in Wester Ross. The estate has 4.5 thousand acres. It neighbours with other land that the charity already owns.

If successful, the trust would plant native trees on the new estate. They hope to create a “mosaic of habitats”. This would allow animals to move freely between the two areas.

At the moment the Couldoran Estate does not have many trees. Red squirrels would be able to “move more freely” between trees and cross from one area to the other in the future. This can only happen if the trust can link the Shieldaig Pinewood Site of Special Scientific Interest with Rassal Ashwood Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Alastair Seaman is the trust director for Woodland Trust Scotland. He commented: “Next door at Shieldaig, we see birds such as golden eagle, peregrine, red-throated diver, greenshank and golden plover.

“Pine martens, water voles, badgers, red squirrels and mountain hares have also been spotted.

“If we can improve (tree) canopy cover at Couldoran, we expect to find many of these species moving in as their range and habitat improves and expands. Wildcats were in the area until the 1960s and we’ve heard of potential sightings more recently too.”

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