A breakthrough in the battle against the grey squirrel invasion in Italy
In January, Ministers of the Environment, Agriculture and Economic Development in Italy signed a decree that forbids any trade, breeding or possession of North American grey squirrels and other alien species, such as Pallas squirrels, throughout the country. The development is significant because many of the alien grey squirrel discovered in the region of Lombardy, for example, are thought to have originated from the release of captive grey squirrels that were imported into the country via the pet trade. This an important result for the European Union LIFE project EC-SQUARE concerning the protection of the indigenous red squirrel. The project involves the coordination of three regions, three universities and a research institute – more details can be found on their website.