I very much welcome the effort that Murdo Fraser has put into this subject and congratulate him on securing the debate.

As some members will know, although I live in the Highlands now, I was brought up on the edge of Hawick in the Borders.

Outside our house was a large beech tree and, as a child, I used to watch red squirrels occupying it in the late summer and autumn.

I remember being fascinated and enthralled by these delicate, agile creatures as I watched them collecting, storing and eating beech nuts.

The town park just beyond where I lived was full of red squirrels.

It was not uncommon to see them in that community when I was a child; they were part of the fabric of the Scottish countryside in which I grew up.

I am now fortunate to live on the edge of woodland outside Inverness.

I still see red squirrels there, but only occasionally.

I would hate to think that the day could come when there were no red squirrels left in this country—that is an appalling thought.

The Highlands and Islands—the Highland mainland in particular—have some of the last sanctuaries for red squirrels but, as Murdo Fraser said, even that is potentially threatened.

My dilemma in all this is that I also quite like grey squirrels.

When I walk to work through Princes Street gardens—which I do not infrequently—I like to see grey squirrels, which are among the few wild mammals we see in a city centre.

I remember vividly being in a pub—a rare occurrence for me, as all members know—in London in which all the windows were open and, lo and behold, a grey squirrel came in, hopped on to the bar and started eating the peanuts.

Most people fled, screaming, but I found it fascinating.

Seeing grey squirrels is one of the few ways of getting close to nature in a cityscape.

However, as the motion states correctly, the sad truth of the matter is that the reds and the greys simply cannot co-exist.

In the end, the greys will win out and the reds will lose out.

The sad reality is that if we want to see red squirrels in Scotland in the long term, we have to take action.

So, what is to be done?

First, we must ensure that the issue stays at the top of our list of priorities in nature conservation.

As Murdo Fraser said rightly, a long-term strategy should be part of that approach.

This issue crosses all the political parties. It is a subject that gets widespread local coverage and action on it is taken by people throughout the country who have an interest in it.

Rhona Brankin called for action on the issue back in 2006 when she was a minister, and the red squirrel had been identified as a conservation priority in the UK biodiversity action plan in 1995.

The Scottish red squirrel action plan was designed to try to reduce the decline in distribution and numbers of red squirrels in Scotland.

As others have said, SNH and the Forestry Commission are working closely on the matter.

The Highland area is going to be critical to the long-term survival of the red squirrel.

Part of the fight, notwithstanding what is happening properly in the south of Scotland, is about protecting the Highlands and maintaining its near integrity against grey squirrels.

As the motion states, the grey squirrel has reached far north in Perthshire; perhaps the mountains prevent it getting further up the A9.

In the east, they have been sighted in Alford in Aberdeenshire.

The Grampian squirrel group is taking action to reduce grey squirrel numbers.

As Murdo Fraser said, there has been a sighting of a grey squirrel in Inverness.

To the south and west, grey squirrels have been seen at the Rest and be thankful in Argyll.

That is important, because there could be incursions into the Highlands from Argyll.

The motion calls for research on immunocontraception.

I have no problem with that and I hope that such research progresses, but other actions are also needed.

We must ensure that there is more habitat that is suitable for reds, which will allow them to survive.

That is a big part of what needs to happen.

If there is a case for culling in selected areas to prevent intrusion, that might have regrettably to be undertaken.

However, if there is to be targeted culling as a last resort, it needs to be humane.

I hope that the minister will consider the practices that currently exist in that regard.

I look forward to the minister's summing up. Murdo Fraser has asked important questions, which I hope the minister can answer.

The minister will know that I do not generally wish his Government well, but I do wish it well on this issue.

I would like to think that my granddaughter, who arrived only last weekend, will have the same opportunity to look at red squirrels in Scotland that I had as a child.