Red Squirrel Mitigation

Red Squirrel Mitigation

Legal protection of red squirrels

Red squirrels and their dreys (resting places) receive full protection under Schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

Good Ecological Practices Followed on the A9 Project

Prior to construction commencing, a full protected species survey was undertaken across the scheme to highlight constraints to works. During this survey a number of red squirrels dreys were logged and hence a scheme licence was required to undertake work as part of site clearance works and associated construction. The licence follows a Species Protection Plan (SPP) which has site specific details on works and methods.

Once a scheme licence as been agreed with the statutory regulator (Scottish Natural Heritage/SNH), then works could legally proceed under the licence conditions. An ECoW (Environmental Clerk of Works) was employed on a full-time basis to monitor the works under licence, and to report to SNH on the mitigation and procedures being undertaken to minimise impact to the local squirrel population.

The programming of works, and time of year could have had a potential impact on how and when the works were undertaken, so as to minimise impact on work the following recommendations were followed in regard to the protection of the local red squirrel population:

• Obtaining a pre-construction survey and associated licence before works commenced
• All staff were made aware of ecological buffers and exclusion zones through a series of toolbox talks
• Site clearance was carried out between October-January out with the red squirrel breeding season
• Intrusive work required within the breeding season was undertaken in tandem within depth surveying to confirm if potential red squirrel dreys were active for breeding purposes.