The pine marten has returned to the woodlands of Mid Wales, thanks to a pioneering project to restore the native mammal to a region in which it once thrived.
Between 2015 and 2017, more than 50 martens were brought from the Highlands in Scotland to the forests of the Cambrian Mountains where they were on the brink of extinction.
The Pine Marten Recovery Project has been led by the Vincent Wildlife Trust under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage.
The animals are breeding successfully in the Welsh mountains as they settle into their new home.
The project’s success is due in part to the dedication of over 100 volunteers who have worked with The Trust to track and monitor the pine martens as they established their territories.
The Vincent Wildlife Trust is now launching a survey to collect information on the spread of this new pine marten population across Wales and the Marches. The survey needs enthusiastic volunteers to collect data on pine marten distribution, collecting scats (droppings) and using remote trail cameras. To help new volunteers, Vincent Wildlife Trust will be running training courses during the spring and will provide all you need to carry out the surveys.
Vincent Wildlife Trust’s Dr Jenny MacPherson, said: “Volunteers were crucial in helping us to collect data from the first phase of the Pine Marten Recovery Project and we are, once again, looking forward to working with volunteers to help us understand more about how pine martens expand their territories and how their populations grow. This is a great opportunity for members of the local communities to become involved in scientific research that will inform other projects nationally.”
Aline Denton, volunteer, said: “It has been such an exciting project to be involved with and I feel very privileged to have been able to volunteer for Vincent Wildlife Trust. It has been fantastic to be part of something that will leave a lasting legacy to mammal conservation in Wales.”
To find out more, visit the Vincent Wildlife Trust and Pine Marten Recovery Project
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