Pine marten plan gets £200,000 cash boost

The Pine Marten Recovery Project, which has been set up by The Vincent Wildlife Trust, will re-introduce the creatures to our region over the next six years.

This autumn will see the first pine martens brought from Scotland, where they are thriving, to an area of Mid Wales that still retains a tiny but struggling pine marten population.

The pine marten recovery project plans to move the first 20 to Mid Wales this autumn, the trust said, with a further 20 possibly being brought in next year.

Reasons for their decline include the loss of habitat, fur hunting and a cull by gamekeepers in the early 1990s.

There have been sightings of pine martens in Mid Wales in recent years, and in 2012 a carcass was discovered. But experts believe they are on the verge of extinction here.

The project has secured a total of £200,000 from four partners. Half the money has come from Chester Zoo and the rest from the Woodland Trust, People's Trust for Endangered Species and a private company called Polecat. The windfall is a significant proportion of the £800,000 match funding needed to finance the project.

Natalie Buttriss, chief executive of the Vincent Wildlife Trust, said "We are delighted to have these four new partners on board.

"Not only have they provided a welcome early financial boost to the project, but will also bring with them additional expertise and resources."

Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, added: "Pine martens are an iconic woodland species, once common throughout the UK.

"Successful reinforcement of pine marten populations in previously occupied areas will be a major step towards improving the conservation status and genetic diversity of pine marten in England and Wales.

"The protection and expansion of woodland and trees outside woods will be an important consideration to ensure pine martens, which need a diverse woodland habitat, survive and flourish."

Initially, the funding will be used towards community engagement, the transporting and releasing of the animals to Wales and on-going research to monitor the animals' movements. The trust will be fundraising for the remaining £600,000 needed for the project over the coming year.