Are some red squirrels hanging out in the wrong forests?
Current strategies to conserve red squirrels are likely to "negatively impact" the species, new research has warned.
Existing schemes promote the planting of non-native conifer trees to help red squirrels survive in Northern Ireland.
But the study, led by Queen's University Belfast and St Andrews University, contradicts that approach.
It shows that instead native predators in native woodland are key for the animal's survival.
The population of red squirrels has been in decline after their invasive non-native grey cousins were brought to Ireland more than 100 years ago.
Efforts have been under way in Northern Ireland to re-introduce the native species.
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