THE CONSERVATION OF THE RED SQUIRREL IN ITALY

PROGETTO LIFE+ EC-SQUARE ROSSOSCOIATTOLO

Bertolino Sandro & Task Force EC-SQUARE

Università di Torino

• European red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris

• The only native squirrel in most of Europe

• Common in forested areas

• American grey squirrel S. carolinensis

• From north America

• Ecology and behaviour similar to the European species

The Actors of this story

A Conservation Issue: in UK and Ireland the grey squirrel is outcompeting the native red squirrel to extinction

The red squirrel is nearly extinct in England and Wales and at

risk in Scotland and Ireland

The grey squirrel in Italy

A Conservation Issue: The red is also

losing in Italy!

The red squirrel went extinct in an area of about 1700 km2

In red: Red squirrel distribution area in Piedmont

In grey: Area occupied by grey squirrels where

reds have gone extinct

Dotted line: border of the grey squirrel

distribution area

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1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

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The red is also losing in Italy! It went extinct in an area of about 1,700 km2

Bertolino et al. Biological Invasions (2014) 16:53–62

From 1970 to 2010 Red squirrel went extinct in 62 % of 2x2km2 (ca. 1,689 km2)

The grey squirrel in Italy is a threat for Europe

Grey squirrel in South Europe 2096 Based on a predictive model

France

Switzerland

Bertolino et al. Biol. Cons., 2008 Bertolino et al. 2008. Biological Conservation 141: 2564-2575

European projections of grey squirrel’s climatic niche calculated

in Maxent using records from native and invasive range. Map taken from the results presented in Di Febbraro et al. 2013. PLoS ONE 8(7):

e66559. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066559

After 3 Recommendatios from The Bern Convention calling Italy to action (78/1999, 11/2005, 123/2007) The 28th Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (2008) opened a ‘case file’ on Italy

A European ‘Case file’ against Italy

LIFE09/NAT/IT/00095 “EC-SQUARE”

www.rossoscoiattolo.eu

In the ECSQUARE project we will develop methods to remove grey squirrels in different socio-ecological contexts. We have to consider:

Aim of the project

• Pubblic opinion (i.e. human dimension)

• Ecology of the species and how to remove the animals (field work: e.g. trappability at low densities)

extermination

In many urban parks, the public is accustomed to see and feed the grey squirrels

The grey squirrel: a cute and charismatic species

Managing introduced species we must struggle against ...

Walt Disney and associated imagery!

Do they want to kill the squirrels of Nervi?

Human dimension …. reduce conflict

from

to

We produced a Communication Action Plan with a main message:

The red is our squirrel

The red squirrel is threatened

We have to save our species

To save the reds, we have to control the

greys

A Brand identity of the Project to raise the image of the Red squirrel www.rossoscoiattolo.eu

• 91 meetings with Stakeholders

• 57,000 visit to the web site

• 100,000 contacts on facebook

• > 200 article on newspapers and magazines

• 1 Video

• 30.000 copies of a Brochure

• > 3,000 students involved

Communicate and …..mediate

Attività di opposizione al progetto

Raccolta firme Interpellanza

CAMERA

INTERROGAZIONI

Consiglio Regionale Lombardo

Consiglio Regionale Piemontese

Consiglio Regionale Ligure

Petizione al

Parlamento Europeo

Manifestazioni in parchi urbani

3 Ricorsi

al TAR Interpellanza

SENATO 2 Commissione

Ambiente

Provincia di

Milano

Richieste accesso agli atti

Lombardia

Piemonte

Liguria

Province

Parchi

Mail bombing 2 Ricorsi

al CdS

Danneggiamenti delle trappole

Opposition to the project

Prevention: banning the grey squirrel from Italy

Grey squirrel management actions were linked with the population size and the extent of the distribution area at a given grey squirrel site

Lombardy: many populations that can be managed independently Eradication with live-trapping and euthanasia Piedmont: a single very large population long-term control with live-trapping and euthanasia Liguria: a small population in an urban park eradication with live-trapping and surgical sterilization

Methods and strategies

In year 2013, trading, raising and keeping of grey squirrel and other two squirrel species (Sciurus niger, Callosciurus erythraeus) has been forbidden in Italy

Prevention: Banning alien squirrels form Italy

Grey squirrel in Lombardy

Areas where alien squirrels are recorded

We are working in four of these areas

First results

Toward the eradication of grey squirrels in a macro-area

C01-02 C01-06

Evaluate data: trends in catches

Evaluate data: captures vs. estimates

Good news!

Where Grey squirrels are removed Red squirrels are coming back!

Take home message from Lombardy

Grey squirrel eradication is possible, And this will bring reds back!

Piedmont

Control aims to stop further spread of the alien species in Piedmont and toward neighbouring countries and to protect red squirrels populations

Large expansion of the grey squirrel in Piedmont > 2000 sqkm in the Po Plain and hills, with reduced forest cover

• Maintain red squirrel in strongholds (large forests in the plain between Turin and Cuneo) • Removing grey squirrels in private parks of historical estates

In Piedmont we are collecting information for a long-term grey squirrel control plan

Pushing back grey squirrels expanding along rivers to maintain red squirrels in these ecological corridors

In most of the grey squirrel’ area the forest cover is greatly reduced and private parks are strongholds for the species

Removing grey squirrel in private parks of historical estates

In these areas (with high local densities 10-20 squirrels/ha) the sub-populations could be removed in a few weeks

Pushing back grey squirrels expanding along rivers

Checking for grey squirrels that

passed the barrier

R² = 0,9168

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Trapping weeks

Grey squirrel barrier

(trapping and

removal)

Take home message from Piedmont

Long-term management is needed!

I NUMERI ! NUMBERS !

Euthanasia of squirrels ... a comparison

Red squirrels

removed by

grey squirrels Grey squirels

removed by

humans

Euthanasia of squirrels ... a comparison

Genoa Nervi

About 200-300 squirrels in an urban park inside Genoa

In particular situations, such as Genoa Nervi park inside urban areas, where the public is accustomed to see and feed the grey squirrels, a removal method that implies killing the animals may not be accepted, carrying to a strong opposition to the whole project. In these situations, with small populations, the eradication with surgical sterilisation should be considered a possible alternative.

Liguria: a new approach to reduce conflict

The solution proposed to the Stakeholders: 1.Live-trapping

2.Surgical sterilization

3.And….

Maintain in captivity

Release in other urban parks of the city

Release on a island

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

Grey squirrels at Genoa Nervi

Visual census

Distance sampling

Toward the eradication at Genova Nervi

Removed in the

park at Nervi

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Squirrels removed from Genoa

Totally removed: 322 squirrels

• Park of Nervi 309

• Other areas 13

Sterilization: how much does it cost?

Planning Live-trapping Transportation to

the clinic

Surgical

sterilization

Release Monitoring and

supporing

released animals

Monitoring

eradicated area

Euthanasia

Surgical sterilization

Effort (cost)1.9-2.4

more

100 €/squirrel

30.000 euro

Animals removed in accordance with the

availability of the clinic to operate

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Area A 49 squirrels Area B 68 squirrels Area C 57 squirrels

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Squirrels removed

Removal effort with livetrapping and Euthanasia or Sterilization

Euthanasia

Neutering

Sterilization: how much does it cost?

Planning Live-trapping Transportation to

the clinic

Surgical

sterilization

Release Monitoring and

supporing

released animals

Monitoring

eradicated area

Euthanasia

Surgical sterilization

Effort (cost)1.9-2.4

more

100 €/squirrel

30.000 euro

Animals removed in accordance with the availability

of the clinic to operate (generally 4-5/day)

Eradication trial

47 squirrels removed in 1 day

188 squirrels removed in 8 days

Not possible with neutering !!

Take home message from Liguria

Prepare a management plan, but consider also some alternative options if the initial position is too strongly fought.

However, be clear and firm about what can not be changed.

We did only the first steps along the way to stop the grey squirrel in Italy!

The red squirrel: the only native

tree squirrel in Europe