Pine martens were once widespread in Cumbria and across the UK, but suffered a near catastrophic decline due to extensive habitat loss and being hunted. However, in Cumbria, a growing movement of landowners and conservation groups share a vision to restore nature by returning native species as the building blocks of healthy ecosystems.
A project led by the University of Cumbria, and partially funded by Ozone has released 13 healthy adults (eight females and five males) in Forestry England’s Grizedale Forest and the Rusland Valley. The animals were moved recently under licence from strong populations in the Scottish Highlands.
Pine martens now share the landscapes with other reintroduced species such as red kites and beavers with researchers believing that they will assist another native species – the red squirrel. Despite much good work by local groups, the species is declining and threatened by squirrel pox virus – a deadly disease transmitted by the growing number of non-native grey squirrels.
Dr Mic Mayhew, University of Cumbria researcher and lead of the South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project (SCPMRP), said: “To save our red squirrels we will have to use all available methods to control grey squirrels including ongoing culling and the development of oral contraceptives, but pine martens are a vital nature-based part of the solution… Despite concerns by some about the impact of pine martens on remaining red squirrel populations, all the evidence indicates that where pine martens co-exist with red and grey squirrels, they can reduce grey squirrel numbers and allow the reds to thrive.”
The released pine martens will be monitored by volunteers, vets and students from the University of Cumbria using radio-tracking techniques and remote camera traps to assess their health, establish how far they travel and identify breeding events. A network of den boxes has been installed throughout the region to provide secure breeding sites for the pine martens next spring.