England's native red squirrel population faces extinction within a quarter of a century unless measures are taken to control grey squirrels, a newly published report has warned.
Ministers have received warnings that inaction would likely see the species vanish entirely by 2051.
The decline has been dramatic – over the past five decades, red squirrel numbers have collapsed from approximately three million to fewer than 40,000 across England.
Meanwhile, the non-native grey squirrel population has swelled to an estimated 2.7 million throughout the UK, placing enormous pressure on their smaller, native cousins through competition for food and living space.
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Grey squirrels pose a particularly lethal threat through squirrel pox, a disease to which they are immune but which proves fatal to red squirrels.
The larger, more aggressive grey species also outcompetes reds when foraging for food and securing habitat.
Victorian aristocrats bear responsibility for introducing grey squirrels to England during the late 19th century.
What began as an exotic novelty has become an ecological disaster for native wildlife.
Ministers have received warnings that inaction would likely see the species vanish entirely by 2051
| PABeyond threatening red squirrels, greys cause significant environmental damage by stripping bark from trees and consuming songbird eggs.
The Government estimates this tree damage alone costs up to £37million annually.
The Natural England report concluded there was a "high probability" of red squirrels disappearing from England without intervention to suppress grey populations.
Culling was identified as the most effective method for allowing reds to recover.
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However, the report acknowledged significant obstacles to this approach.
A nationwide grey squirrel suppression programme would prove the costliest option, whilst generating the greatest animal welfare concerns and attracting minimal public backing.
Public appetite for lethal control appears limited, with the report's estimates indicating that over half of people would consider shooting grey squirrels either "highly unacceptable" or "unacceptable".
An oral contraceptive for squirrels remains under development as an alternative solution.
The larger, more aggressive grey species also outcompetes reds when foraging for food and securing habitat
| PATim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, argued that conservation priorities should take precedence over public sentiment.
"We need to make conservation decisions on the basis of what works for threatened species, not just because of public opinion," he said.
Mr Bonner emphasised that protecting red squirrels requires reducing or eliminating grey populations in areas where native squirrels still survive, noting that gamekeepers and wildlife managers are already dedicating considerable effort to this cause.
A Defra spokesman confirmed the department was intensifying efforts to address the grey squirrel threat, describing red squirrels as "iconic" while acknowledging they are now classified as endangered.
The department is collaborating with landowners and conservation partners to improve grey squirrel management.