Is habitat loss a factor in red squirrel decline?
Habitat for red squirrels in Scotland is increasing overall as large commercial conifer plantations continue to mature to cone-producing age. However, despite this, red squirrels are being lost in many local areas as small-scale forests are removed for development or changes in land-use take place. This leads to habitat fragmentation, where areas of woodland and forestry become ever smaller and increasingly segmented and isolated. These fragments of woodland cannot sustain viable populations of wildlife, including red squirrels. Poor habitat quality is another problem faced by red squirrels. Many of the larger commercial forests are dominated by a single species of conifer and, although of large extent, often do not support many red squirrels. The addition of even small areas of tree species favoured by red squirrels and small changes in felling regime can make all the difference to the health of the local red squirrel population. SSRS aims to directly address these problems by working
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