Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
I commend John Mason for securing the debate and the work of Scottish Environment LINK, not just for selecting MSPs but for the support that it gives to MSPs with their particular species. A measure of LINK’s success was the event last year, which I had the pleasure of sponsoring on its behalf, and where we had more than 100 MSPs.
I started off life as the champion for the freshwater pearl mussel, which is now getting its second mention of the evening, as I inherited it from Mary Scanlon. I am sure that Audrey Nicoll is looking after that species as well as the pair of us did. I am not sure whether promotion is the right word, but I am now the champion for the red squirrel, which, if nothing else, is certainly more photogenic and one of Scotland’s most iconic species, given that we have 80 per cent of the UK’s red squirrel population, which has declined by about 90 per cent in the past 150 years as grey squirrels have taken over, no more so than in Scotland.
However, in Aberdeenshire, we have a chance to eradicate the grey squirrel. Some individuals—no doubt they were well intentioned—took some grey squirrels from the central belt and released them in Aberdeen, where they then spread out along the Dee and the Don. In the past decade, we have had successful projects to trap grey squirrels and push them back into Aberdeen. We have a chance to remove grey squirrels and give red squirrels the best opportunity of surviving. Grey squirrels carry squirrel pox, which is a terrible disease, and they also compete with the red squirrels for food and habitat.
I will not go into my culinary skill of serving up grey squirrels, as it is already in the Official Report, but I urge people to do whatever they can to help organisations such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust and its saving Scotland’s red squirrels project by trapping and reporting sightings. On 21 January, it was red squirrel appreciation day, which marked a milestone of nearly a quarter of a million recorded sightings. Everyone can play a part in helping that particular species. To continue that good work, these organisations need reliable funding cycles and a new Scotland strategy for red squirrel conservation, as the current one is just drawing to a close. We could also see improvements to the forestry grant system to better support grey squirrel control.
I end by wishing the nature champions initiative every success for the new parliamentary session. I hope that we can see improved support from the next Government for protecting our red squirrels.