Action Plans for Mammals
There are 26 species of land mammals present in Northern Ireland compared to 52 in Great Britain.
One theory to explain this is that before the rising sea levels after the last Ice Age cut of the land bridge between Scotland and Ireland only a few species were able to reach Ireland.
Check out these introductions to land mammals found in NI (.PDF 352Kb) 
and mammals 2 (.PDF 890Kb).
Some of our mammals have declined in numbers due to changing agricultural practices resulting in habitat loss. There are 12 threatened land mammals in Northern Ireland which are protected under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and some of these priority species such as the red squirrel have NI species action plans. Other mammals such as rabbits, rats and foxes may be considered pests and their numbers are controlled.
Will the red squirrel become extinct in NI?
The red squirrel was once abundant in the UK but has drastically reduced in numbers and distribution over the last 50 years. Habitat loss and fragmentation and disease are among the reasons why numbers have declined (.PDF 5.48Kb). However the most important factor
appears to be fierce competition with the grey squirrel. This North American invader was introduced to Ireland in the early 20th century and has become widespread exploiting mixed and deciduous woodlands with higher adult survival and breeding success than the red squirrel. Within 15 years of the arrival of grey squirrels in a woodland our native red squirrels disappear.
For an update on the plight of our red squirrels see this Queens University report(.PDF 508Kb).
To get involved in conserving our red squirrels join the Glens Red Squirrel Group.
