Remote volunteers use CCTV to save red squirrels

A conservation group has been awarded funding to buy CCTV cameras which will allow volunteers working remotely to help protect England's few remaining red squirrels.

The Upper Coquetdale Red Squirrel Group (UCRSG) is using an £18,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to buy 50 motion-activated devices which will be installed across some of the most remote parts of Northumberland.

The "virtual ranger" project will also involve the recruitment of community volunteers who will monitor the live footage remotely and map red squirrel populations.

UCRSG chair Ian Glendinning said: "It allows older residents who might find physical fieldwork too challenging to become wildlife defenders."

"The inspiration for the project came directly from Coquetdale residents," he said.

"During community presentations many older people with limited mobility expressed a passionate desire to help."

Many conservation groups believe England's red squirrel population is close to extinction and the data captured by the cameras during the two year project will detect threats from invading greys early.

Originally from North America, the larger and more aggressive grey squirrel is classified as an invasive non-native species, and it is not illegal to kill them humanely.

The greys carry - but are not affected by - a pox which kills red squirrels.

Rothbury councillor Steven Bridgett said the initiative put the local community "at the heart of conservation".

"It will produce real-life data that will enable strategic conservation measures to be directed at areas most in need, a great example of what can be achieved by teamwork between those monitoring and those on the ground," he said.

Volunteers will also regularly share the best wildlife clips online, allowing even completely housebound residents to experience and enjoy the secret life of Coquetdale's woods.

The £18,000 grant completely funds the project's infrastructure over the next two years, including the purchase of the cameras, memory cards, a video-processing laptop, and travel expenses.

Volunteers being recruited only need a mobile phone to take part and do not have to live in the area.

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