Pine martins given boost for future
A project that has restored the native pine marten to mid Wales has been given a £20,000 lottery boost.
The Postcode Local Trust, has given the grant to the Pine Marten Recovery Project, Vincent Wildlife Trust.
Over the last three years, more than 50 martens have been brought from Scotland, where they are thriving, to mid-Wales where they were on the brink of extinction.
The project is helping to build new colonies of pine martins in the mid-Wales forests and countryside.
The Trust is a grant giving charity funded entirely by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Its grant will mean that the Vincent Wildlife Trust will be able to extend its work in informing local communities about the return of the pine marten to Wales. It will also be used by the Trust to seek volunteers to monitor the pine martens and their offspring.
Dr Jenny MacPherson from the wildlife trust said “This funding from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery will make a big difference to our pine marten conservation work. This grant will fund a series of events that will include the provision of training for volunteers in the various techniques used to monitor pine martens. This is good news for people interested in helping to conserve the pine martens of mid-Wales and good news for the pine martens.”
The Pine Marten is a native British mammal and one of the rarest mammals in the UK. Pine Martens are a member of the mustelid family, which includes the weasel, stoat, otter and polecat. They are the size of a small domestic cat, with rich brown fur, a creamy yellow bib, prominent rounded ears and a long bushy tail.
They eat a wide variety of food, including small mammals, fruit, birds, insects and carrion and, while they prefer woodland habitats and use tree cavities as breeding and resting sites but will also use craggy areas. They are mainly nocturnal.
Dr Macpherson said: "By the early part of the 20th century, the pine marten had become extinct throughout much of Britain. Small populations survived in some isolated areas, including parts of northern England, but relatively strong populations were still to be found only in areas of the Scottish Highlands where predator control pressures were less.
"Recent studies show that the pine marten in Scotland is making a good recovery and now we have signs of martens spreading south from their Scottish stronghold into Northumberland and Cumbria. In addition, there is now a growing marten population in Wales as a result of the Pine Marten Recovery Project."
If you would like to find out about becoming a pine marten volunteer and taking part in one of the training courses, please contact Josie Bridges at josiebridges@vwt.org.uk or on 07377 335229.
