Fifteen pine martens are darting through the woods of Dartmoor for the first time in 150 years after the rare but recovering species was reintroduced into south-west England.
The nimble, tree-climbing mustelids were released last month at secret locations in the steep, tree-lined valleys of Devon in what conservationists are hailing as a historic step in the restoration of the region’s woodlands.
“We haven’t had pine martens here for 150 years, and to see them moving out into this landscape to explore it and find their way is really exciting,” said Ed Parr Ferris, conservation manager at Devon Wildlife Trust, which is leading a partnership of seven conservation organisations returning the marten to south-west England.
The eight adult females and seven males were caught from resurgent populations in Scotland, meticulously checked for health, and driven to 10 woodland pens, where they were released under the cover of darkness well away from people and busy roads. The threat of road traffic is a big risk for the mostly nocturnal animals.
Fitted with GPS or radio tags depending on their size (lighter radio tags were used on the smaller individuals), the animals were fed in the pens for three days to acclimatise, before the doors were opened and the martens slipped away into the night.
Pine martens were driven to extinction in England at the turn of the 20th century by the loss of forests and persecution, with gamekeepers in particular targeting the animals for preying upon pheasants and poultry.
They returned naturally to Shropshire in 2015 and populations have since spread, boosted by hugely successful official reintroductions in Wales and in the Forest of Dean. Unofficial rogue releases have also resulted in the species turning up in the New Forest and even in London.
Food availability studies have identified plenty of food in Dartmoor’s woods for the omnivorous predators, which take whatever is easiest and most abundant in a forest – berries, at this time of year, and mostly field voles at other times. Studies have also shown the pine martens are effective predators of grey squirrels, giving hope that they may provide a natural control for the introduced squirrel, which damages trees in commercial plantations and has virtually wiped out the red squirrel in England.
But the pine marten still needs a helping hand to establish viable populations across England, according to conservationists, and well-planned official releases – this one took six years of preparation and consultations – using large numbers of health-screened animals are much more likely to succeed.
Maverick releases of one or two animals have led to the individuals being found dead on roads, according to Parr Ferris. “Pine martens are solitary but they like to live near other pine martens, and when it gets to breeding season they look for mates and if they are on their own they travel across the landscape and are vulnerable to roadkill,” he said. “We need a number of animals to form a population that’s resilient and sustainable.”
In this release, all 15 animals are being tracked via GPS or radio by volunteers for the project partners, which include Dartmoor national park authority, Forestry England, National Trust and the Woodland Trust. So far, none have strayed near roads or into situations that might cause them danger.
Next year the project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will translocate another group of Scottish pine martens to Exmoor with the support of the national park and Somerset Wildlife Trust. Previous reintroductions have shown that releasing 30 to 40 animals slowly creates a viable population of 70+ animals, which live at low densities as they further expand their range.
The martens’ impacts on rare woodland birds and bats in Devon will be carefully monitored, with advisers also available to meet any farmers or shooting estates that encounter problems with predation.
“On the whole, landowners have been really supportive,” said Parr Ferris, who added that small tweaks to standard non-lethal predator controls could stop the martens causing problems for shooting estates.
“We are asking people to adapt to a new species coming back in the landscape but a lot of these communities want to see a vibrant, natural environment and the return of a species they’ve lost and we want to help people adapt to having that. The whole point is to build a really great woodland environment that supports pine martens and supports other things as well.”
Abigail Parravani, forest planner for Forestry England, said: “Restoring a native predator doesn’t only conserve the species itself but helps to restore entire woodland ecosystems by reinstating natural processes that humans have interrupted. I’m excited to watch the project unfold and see the positive impact of pine martens on the health and resilience of these important landscapes.”
Alex Raeder of the National Trust, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the return of the pine marten to Dartmoor, which is a significant step in restoring the ecology of these very special oak woodlands so characteristic of the ancient landscapes of the south-west.”
