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Sciurus vulgaris - Red Squirrel Mabie Forest Relatively common in some parts of Scotland, with isolated pockets remaining in Northern England and on the Isle of Wight, but still in decline. |
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Once common in forests and woodland throughout the British Isles, Red Squirrel numbers have fallen dramatically since native populations were seriously depleted by a viral epidemic in the 1920s. Since then it has been largely replaced over its former range by the Grey Squirrel. An endangered species, Red Squirrels are largely confined to Scotland and coniferous forests, where they may just be holding their own against the invading greys. |
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Bufo calamita - Natterjack Toad |
'Biodiversity' is the new buzzword used by everyone concerned with wildlife conservation today, but what exactly does it mean? Biodiversity can be defined as 'the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur'. Put simply, biodiversity is the 'variety of life'. The sum of all the various organisms, from the mammals, birds and plants to the insects, fungi and bacteria, inhabiting a given area, be it the whole earth, the British Isles, an Oak forest, a woodland clearing, or a rotting tree stump. |
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Very few species can be described as truly independent, i.e. able to survive in total isolation within their chosen environment, most rely, to a certain extent at least, on the presence of other species. It is the huge range and complexity of species living in a given environment that gives an ecosystem its stability. Understand the concept of biodiversity and you realise why the conservation of habitats is vital for the preservation of endangered species and likewise why the protection afforded one species can also cover many others. |
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Photos - Top: D. Heward, centre left: B. Soames |
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