Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2006 | Page 50

ISLE OF WIGHT - WILDLIFE

The Isle of Reds

Your local Wildlife Trust

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works to create a better future for wildlife and wild places in Hampshire
and the Island. As the leading local wildlife conservation charity, it looks after 61 wildlife reserves, has 27,000 members
and 1,000 volunteers. The Trust manages its own land and advises other landowners how to manage their land with
wildlife in mind. Staff and volunteers also carry out surveys and gather data to monitor how our local wildlife is doing.

They’re agile, cute and furry,
and we’re nuts about them! Red
squirrels are one of the most
loved animals in the UK.
While the red squirrel may be
under threat elsewhere in the UK,
on the Isle of Wight it’s a different
story. A combination of factors
have combined to create the perfect
conditions for this native species to
thrive.
Anyone who wishes to see a true
British native thriving in its natural
habitat need look no further than
the Isle of Wight. While grey
squirrels and the deadly virus,
parapox have decimated numbers
elsewhere, it has not been the case

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here. The Island’s combination of
lowland broadleaved woods and
conifer plantations gives a greater
choice of foods throughout the year,
while the warm climate and absence
of the feral deer that eat young
plants mean conditions are ideal
for the reds’ preferred trees such as
hazel.

The Trust has promoted good
managementforexistingwoodlands
for red squirrels since 1998,
while the Forestry Commission’s
JIGSAW scheme has promoted the
planting of new woods to reduce
the fragmentation of ancient
woodlands.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust, alongside other
relevant organisations, is committed
to maintaining these favourable
conditions. The efforts are in
partnership with the local authority,
English Nature and the Forestry
Commission as well as volunteers
including the Wight Squirrel Project.

How successful have we b Y[