We will move to the short debate, and today's debate is to be moved by Darren Millar on iconic Welsh wildlife—the plight of Wales's red squirrels. I call on Darren Millar.

Diolch, Llywydd. I've agreed to give one minute of my time to Rhun ap Iorwerth. 

As the red squirrel species champion here in the Senedd, I'm proud to speak up for these incredibly amazing animals, and I thank God that the Wales Environment Link paired me with such a cute and iconic symbol of Welsh wildlife. I can well remember the faces of colleagues as their species were unveiled in the Senedd back in 2016. There were smiles from Paul Davies as he was appointed as the species champion for the puffin, relief from Janet Finch-Saunders as she was paired with the harbour porpoise, jaws aghast as Kirsty Williams was paired with the brown trout, and a sense of injustice as Jeremy Miles was appointed as the champion for the common toad.

The Deputy Presiding Officer took the Chair.

But being a species champion is something that I've taken very seriously and, for me at least, it really has awakened a genuine interest in the plight of Welsh wildlife. Globally, the conservation status of the Eurasian red squirrel is 'least concern' but, of course, this is not the case here in Wales, because the red squirrel is thriving elsewhere across Europe—in fact, as far west as Spain, and all the way across to Siberia in the east—but here in Wales the red squirrel has been under threat for over a century. 

As the only native squirrel species in Wales, the red squirrel is an iconic symbol of Welsh wildlife and our natural heritage. For over 10,000 years, red squirrels have populated the vast majority of the British isles. As recently as 1945, the red squirrel was the primary and dominant squirrel species in Britain, including here in Wales, yet today that squirrel population has been decimated, and there are two primary reasons for this alarming decline: habitat loss and the arrival of the grey squirrel into Britain in the 1800s. There are records of releases, most of which were from private or pet collections, dating as far back as 1828, when one single squirrel was apparently released near Llantysilio Hall in Denbighshire. There is also a record of five squirrels from Woburn being released in Wrexham in 1903, and a number from London Zoo being released in Aberdare in 1922. And from these small beginnings, red squirrels rapidly lost ground to their larger, more aggressive American cousins, as they simply could not compete for habitat or food. And on top of this, the grey squirrels brought disease—squirrel pox. This relatively harmless disease to greys, which had built up immunity over tens of thousands of years, proved to be devastating and deadly to our native reds, which have no natural immunity to the virus, and it has killed many.

It's no wonder, then, that the colonisation of Wales by the grey squirrel was largely complete by the 1980s. Incredibly, populations of red squirrel in Britain have fallen from an estimated high of 3.5 million to a current estimated population of just 120,000. As we approached the end of the millennium, the only squirrels that remained in Wales were confined to just three places. Fewer than 50 survived on Anglesey, a few hundred remained in Denbighshire and a few hundred had beaten the odds in mid Wales, too. By the late 1990s, these population centres were deemed to be at significant risk, and the future for the red squirrel was undeniably bleak.

But it's not all doom and gloom. In 1998, the fightback began. The initial conservation efforts were started in Anglesey. They were led by Menter Môn with EU funding and later landfill tax grants. And Ynys Môn may very well be the most encouraging success story for any conservationist looking the turn the tide of species decline. When those conservation efforts on Anglesey began, just around 40 squirrels were left on the island, but due to the leadership of Craig Shuttleworth and the Red Squirrels Trust Wales, these efforts have paid dividends. Together, today, there are around 800 of our red squirrel friends on that island alone, and the population is so large that a number of red squirrels have even escaped Anglesey, crossing the Menai straits, to form a small population in the Bangor area. By 2013, all grey squirrels were removed from the island, and by 2015 it was declared to be a grey-squirrel-free zone. However, as with any conservation effort, there have been some setbacks. In the last five years, seven grey squirrels have been caught on the island, and had those squirrels not been caught by the dedicated conservationists, their efforts to protect our furry friends would have been undone. 

I'm proud to be able to say that my own constituency is also home to one of the three refuges for red squirrels in Wales. In the late 1990s, the Clocaenog forest in Denbighshire appeared to be the home of what was the largest population of red squirrels in the country. But by 2011, it became quite clear that the numbers had declined significantly as a result of a growing population of grey squirrels in the area. It was clear that the red squirrels in the Clocaenog forest were under threat and that something had to be done. 

I’m pleased to say that conservation efforts that were led by Natural Resources Wales and supported by Red Squirrels Trust Wales have seen great success in recent years. Through careful forest management and by the releasing of captive-bred red squirrels into the area to bolster the indigenous population, we’ve seen a slow and steady recovery in the numbers of reds in the area. This work has been helped along by the Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust, of which I must declare my membership. It has forged a strong relationship and partnership with NRW and the Red Squirrels Trust Wales in order to turn the tide on the fortunes of these wonderful animals.

It is these strong partnerships between conservation groups, Government agencies and volunteers that have set such a strong blueprint for future conservation efforts. I want to thank the many volunteers that I’ve met whilst visiting the Clocaenog forest, including Chris Bamber, the chair of the Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust, Dave Wilson and Vic Paine. Their conservation efforts have made a huge difference. And, of course, conservation is not confined to Anglesey and it’s not confined to Denbighshire. They’re also under way in the Tywi forest in mid Wales. Around 300 red squirrels now call the forest their home, thanks to the efforts of the Red Squirrels United project—a three-year conservation programme funded by the heritage lottery fund. So much work has been done to conserve our red squirrel population, but, of course, we’re very far from finished. The future of red squirrel conservation has the potential to be bright and bold—indeed, bushy-tailed and bright-eyed as well.

In north Wales, the Magical Mammals project is just about to begin. This is a five-year project, which is being developed to bring together NRW, Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust and Red Squirrels Trust Wales to form a leading conservation effort in and around my own constituency. But these conservation efforts are not just confined to forests; the work is going on in other places too. As the red squirrel champion and a proud patron and life member of the Welsh Mountain Zoo, I’m incredibly proud of the red squirrel breeding programme that is based in Colwyn Bay. In 1989, the zoo embarked upon its longest running conservation project, which, to this day, is dedicated to the conservation of red squirrels across the British isles. And by working on a UK-wide basis, that breeding programme has led vital research into wildlife reintroduction and the impact of squirrelpox. Our national zoo took a leading and early role in the reintroduction of an iconic part of Welsh wildlife on Anglesey and in Clocaenog, and I want to take this time to pay tribute to the zoo for all of the conservation work that it has done with red squirrels, and, indeed, other species, because there is no doubt that, without our national zoo, our wildlife would be less diverse and less rich than it actually is.

As well as the breeding programmes that take place in captivity, other methods of conservation have also been successful. From 2015 to 2017, the Vincent Wildlife Trust released over 50 pine martens near Devil’s Bridge in Ceredigion. As a natural predator of the grey squirrel, the introduction of the pine martens has helped to keep the population of greys back and in check. It’s this type of holistic conservation effort that we need to embrace if the red squirrel population across Wales and the rest of the UK is to recover further. In addition to the threat from grey squirrels, tree felling also poses a significant long-term threat to our furry friends. As things stand, red squirrels are thankfully afforded a number of legal protections. It’s illegal in law to deliberately kill or cause injury to a red squirrel, it’s illegal to interfere or obstruct squirrel nests that are actively being used, and, of course, it’s illegal to disturb a squirrel while it’s in its nest. And while these protections are very welcome, they’re not enough, because while the law does protect individual trees inhabited by squirrels from being felled, it does not protect the surrounding habitat, which, of course, is just as important for the long-term survival of the species. Forest habitat managements, at their very core, need to be at the heart of this conservation effort, and as much as NRW may want to protect our wildlife, I’m afraid that, at the moment, they simply do not have sufficient powers to be able to do so.

As things stand, the only reason that NRW can reject a felling licence is for poor forest management practice. The law does not allow NRW to refuse a licence, even if that licence will knowingly cause significant harm to the natural habitat of red squirrels. And I know, Minister, that this is something that we have corresponded on in the past in relation to these current arrangements. I do regard them as wrong, and I don't think that they reflect the value that people across Wales put on our wildlife, and, in particular, on the red squirrel. So, I would urge you, and your Welsh Government colleagues, to introduce a different model of licensing, which would allow NRW to be able to refuse felling licenses that have an unacceptable adverse impact on wildlife habitat. This is the case already in Scotland, and I think that that's a model that we ought to adopt. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, the plight of the red squirrel, and other species in similar situations, has flown under the radar for too long. Without the appropriate action to protect our wildlife here in Wales, we risk causing irreparable damage to our natural heritage. Here in Wales, we've been blessed to inherit some wonderful countryside and some marvellous wildlife, and we owe it to future generations to pass that abundant thing that we've inherited on in better shape than we found it. In the words of a wonderful Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher,

'No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy—with a full repairing lease.'

And I want to encourage all Members of the Senedd, and our Welsh Government, to live up to that life tenancy. It's our duty to safeguard our environment and to support the plight of the red squirrel and other iconic Welsh wildlife. Thank you.

I'd like to thank Darren Millar for adopting the red squirrel as a topic for his short debate. As we've heard, it's an animal that is very much associated with Anglesey. It's an icon on Anglesey, and if I'm honest, I am very sensitive to the fact that it wasn't a Member for Anglesey that was chosen as the red squirrel champion. But, as it happens, we have a number of iconic species on Anglesey, so, I'm very proud to be the champion for the chough. So, you look after the squirrel, Darren.

But some very important points have been made here. The red squirrel wasn't saved by accident. It was saved through very hard work. I'm very grateful to Craig Shuttleworth and his team of conservationists. I am grateful to Menter Môn, but we do need to ensure that everything is done to safeguard the future of the red squirrel, in legislation where that is possible, and by securing funding for ongoing work in years to come. But thank you for the opportunity to say a few words, and I look forward to hearing assurances of that support from the Minister. 

I now call the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to reply to the debate. Lesley Griffiths. 

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I too would like to thank Darren Millar for choosing this topic for his short debate, and Rhun ap Iorwerth for his contribution. I'm not going to get into an argument about who's who in species champions, but I think choughs would also be a good topic for a short debate. 

I, of course, recognise the importance of the red squirrel as an icon of our countryside, and, sadly, as a symbol of the loss of our biodiversity over the last half century. As evidenced by the 'State of Mammals' report, which I launched last week, a third of our native mammals are currently at risk of extinction in Wales, and that includes the continuing losses of many of our most iconic species, such as the red squirrel. However, local interventions have turned the tide in some locations, where local populations are recovering, using methods that are now becoming tried and tested. As referred to, the key threat to the red squirrel is a viral disease known as squirrelpox, and this does little harm to the non-native invasive grey squirrel, but is usually lethal to red squirrels. Grey squirrels can readily infect red squirrels where populations overlap. 

The natural habitat of red squirrels is Wales's native deciduous woodland. However, much of that is heavily populated now with grey squirrels. They damage trees making them more vulnerable to disease, and then are a serious threat to our native and commercial woodlands, reducing their ability to regenerate and their value as habitat, and also for timber. Plantations of non-native conifers favour red squirrels over grey, but these are detrimental to many other aspects of nature conservation, including the quality of water in our rivers fed from coniferous areas. The red squirrel population on Anglesey is recovering strongly, and individuals are now spreading on to the mainland of Wales, and also dispersing through Arfon. This is thanks largely to the efforts of the Squirrels Trust Wales, which has substantially eradicated grey squirrels from the largely coniferous Newborough forest on Ynys Môn and reinforced the residual red squirrels population by introducing captive-bred red squirrels from elsewhere. Following a range of operations on the mainland to control grey squirrels, red squirrels from Anglesey are now dispersing into the woods on the mainland. And further south, under the stewardship of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, the mid Wales red squirrel population, which seemed close to extinction, has also stabilised and may be increasing.

The current three-year Healthy Reds project received just under £0.25 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and just under £50,000 from Welsh Government's landfill disposal tax community scheme to continue the aims of monitoring red squirrel populations and raising awareness. The Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust is reinforcing low numbers in the forest by releasing captive-bred red squirrels. They're supported by the Welsh Mountain Zoo, and there is some early evidence that red squirrels from Clocaenog are dispersing into the wider landscape. Grey squirrel control is crucial for the health of both red squirrels and their native natural habitat. However, control operations are unpopular among some animal lovers, as they involve trapping and euthanising grey squirrels. Grey squirrels are not shot by conservation or major forestry organisations, but a number of individuals are known to use this method, mainly for timber protection. Pine martens are generalist apex predators that are known to reduce grey squirrel populations, and Vincent Wildlife Trust has successfully reintroduced a number of pine marten to mid Wales. The ensuing reduction of grey squirrel numbers may create opportunities for the red squirrel to naturally recolonise or be reintroduced. Further captive breeding of red squirrels was discussed at the last Wales squirrel forum, on 7 October. My officials encouraged Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust and other members of the forum to draw up proposals, including identifying potential release sites further south, following the UK Squirrel Accord breeding and translocation protocol. Whilst no proposal has yet been received, I do understand it is in hand.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Welsh Government has continued to prioritise action to support the creation of resilient ecological networks that will benefit a range of species, as set out in the refreshed nature recovery action plan for Wales. This will provide more and better connected habitats, to support a diversity of wildlife, including red squirrels and other mammals. And we've launched a grant scheme, focused on actions to help restore our most important habitats, and the Natura 2000 network, which was established to ensure the long-term survival of our most threatened habitats and species. Our national forest programme will create and enhance woodlands across Wales, again helping to improve and join up woodland and other habitats. This will also enable the dispersal of red squirrels to new areas, and address issues of population and habitat fragmentation. However, we do need to do more to improve our evidence and understanding, and embed transformative action for biodiversity across all sectors. To help us with this, the recently established Natur am Byth partnership, which I'm supporting, will have a large-scale communications programme that will celebrate a wide range of rare and vulnerable species across Wales. However, it is notable that the project will not include the red squirrel in its list of around 70 target species because of the wealth of partnerships and initiatives, some of which we've heard about today, that are taking forward action for this species in Wales. Thank you.

Thank you very much. That brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you.

The meeting ended at 18:28.