Pilot pine marten reinforcement in mid-Wales, UK

Summary

Pine martens were once widespread across Britain but persecution eliminated them from most of southern Britain by the nineteenth century, leaving only remnant populations in north west Scotland and isolated pockets of northern England and Wales too sparse to recover on their own. The Vincent Wildlife Trust's Pine Marten Recovery Project began in 2014 with habitat modelling to identify suitable reinforcement sites, settling on the well-connected woodland of the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales after public and stakeholder consultation found broad support. Between 2015 and 2017, 51 pine martens (28 males and 23 females) were trapped in Scotland, given full veterinary health screening, fitted with radio collars and GPS loggers, and soft released in mid-Wales from temporary pens sited so each male was near a female but well separated from other males. Following release, animals were intensively radio-tracked to find home ranges and, from the following spring, denning sites, with hair tubes and camera traps used to confirm breeding. At least four females bred successfully in the first year and at least three more in the second, and all recaptured animals have been in good condition. The project rates itself as on track but not yet judged a full success, since pine martens breed slowly and it will take roughly 15 years of continued monitoring, community engagement and adaptive management before long-term population growth can be confirmed.