Reintroductions
The presence of pine martens in Cumbria was confirmed in 2018. Will this rare and elusive mammal become more widespread?
Photo: Terry Whitaker 2020VISION
know whether pine martens will have any discernible effect on grey squirrels in northern England, and it could be many decades before any impact is seen here and in other parts of Britain where martens are slowly recovering or present in small numbers.
There have been suggestions of reintroducing the pine marten to areas of northern England to aid their recovery but, at this stage, we are waiting to see how successful the preferred option of natural re-colonisation will be. While it can be a necessary measure, reintroduction is oſten a thorny subject and never one that should be considered lightly or without thorough research. Before Vincent Wildlife Trust set up its Pine Marten Recovery Project in Wales to boost the dwindling extant population there, it spent time carrying out a comprehensive feasibility study, which took several years of discussions and consultations with stakeholders, landowners and managers, farmers and the local community in the release areas, and involved many cups of tea and biscuits. This effort has paid off with genuine support from many farmers, landowners and local communities, and has so far resulted in the success of the project.
August 2018:
Pine marten recorded on a trail camera in Cumbria
Now:
Work continues to monitor pine martens
Here, in the north of England, we are continuing to work with various partners to monitor the current situation and we are always looking to engage with further audiences. Please feel free to contact me for advice and assistance. I am particularly keen to hear from gamekeepers, land managers and anyone who can offer some time, knowledge and a cup of tea and a biscuit to help monitor the return of this British mammal.
caught on camera during squirrel monitoring work for the Red Squirrels United project around Kielder. Since then, with the help of volunteers and other organisations, we have recorded 36 unequivocal pine marten records, from camera trap images and videos to scats and hair samples. Whilst we currently don’t have a good idea of exactly how many pine martens there are, we are probably looking at just a handful of animals spread across the northern forests, but the good news is that, though still very rare, they are here, they are protected, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Inevitably, there will be concerns, but we can all help to ensure that any conflicts that may arise are minimised and responded to with discussion, evidence and fairness. Evidence shows that predators play a regulatory role in ecological communities, and recent studies in Ireland and Scotland have shown that where pine martens have recovered and reached a relatively high population density, grey squirrels decline, allowing red squirrels to recover. This phenomenon is clearly of great interest to many individuals and stakeholders, particularly foresters and those involved in red squirrel conservation. We don’t
The Back from the Brink programme is a partnership coordinated by Natural England and several wildlife conservation NGOs working to prevent the extinction of threatened species in England, including the pine marten.
HOT OFF THE PRESS:
The Forestry Commission, Cumbria and Northumberland Wildlife Trusts, and others will be involved in forum to share information about pine martens.
www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
