A conservation group has been awarded funding to buy CCTV cameras which will allow volunteers working remotely to help protect England’s few remaining red squirrels.
The Upper Coquetdale Red Squirrel Group (UCRSG) is using an £18,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to buy 50 motion-activated devices which will be installed across some of the most remote parts of Northumberland.
The “virtual ranger” project will also involve the recruitment of community volunteers who will monitor the live footage remotely and map red squirrel populations.
UCRSG chair Ian Glendinning said: “It allows older residents who might find physical fieldwork too challenging to become wildlife defenders.”
“The inspiration for the project came directly from Coquetdale residents,” he said.
“During community presentations many older people with limited mobility expressed a passionate desire to help.”