Innovative mammal conservation
A main aim of the Martens on the Move project is to establish a National Pine Marten Monitoring Programme for Britain, which includes volunteers monitoring pine marten den boxes to establish the presence and status of pine martens in a woodland. The Martens on the Move Team, led by Dr Stephanie Johnstone (Project Manager), has Read More
7th June 2024
Who knew looking for the perfect tree to install a pine marten den box would be so tricky? This was something that Rowie Burcham, Marten’s on the Move Communications and Engagement Officer, discovered as she joined the rest of the Martens on the Move Team for three days of training in den box installation with Read More
4th May 2024
Citizen science is built into much of VWT’s conservation work on threatened mammals in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. It provides a way for anyone, regardless of experience and background, to get involved in the scientific process of research — at VWT, this is particularly through gathering information on the species we focus on. Citizen Read More
2nd May 2024
Towards the end of 2023 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to represent VWT at an international conference in Western Australia. As part of my role at VWT, I oversee all our work on conservation translocations and reintroductions. Notably, in recent years, this has included returning pine martens to Wales, as well as research Read More
30th January 2024
Katherine Morley, Carnivore Conservation Officer, shares an account of her first four months with Vincent Wildlife Trust. Why did you want to work for VWT? At a time where almost one in six species in Britain is threatened with extinction, I was feeling a pull back towards working for a charitable organisation and making a Read More
23rd November 2023
Ben Atkinson, North Dorset Reserves Warden for Dorset Wildlife Trust, explains why Bracketts Coppice Nature Reserve is so special for Bechstein’s bats. Tucked away down the country lanes of northwest Dorset, the 46 hectares of Bracketts Coppice contains ancient woodland, streams, wood pasture and hay meadows. The reserve is a designated Special Area of Conservation Read More
26th October 2023
A day in the life of one of Vincent Wildlife Trust’s volunteer camera trappers, Matthew Davies, who first volunteered during the Pine Marten Recovery Project (PMRP) in Wales from the start. Now he is an experienced camera trapper for VWT and the Woodland Trust. Matthew is skilled and passionate about capturing evidence and records of Read More
10th October 2023
How volunteering helped Andrew Lewis move into a new job My name is Andrew, and I am a volunteer with Vincent Wildlife Trust. Some years ago, I completed a degree in Environmental Studies with the intention of changing career from engineering into the environmental and ecology sector. However, a large element of ‘career inertia’ led Read More
5th April 2023
But we couldn’t let her go without one final blog… What are your first memories of joining VWT? When I joined the Trust, VWT was embarking on a new project to search for evidence of any remaining pine marten populations in England and Wales. I cut my teeth looking for pine marten scats in Read More
28th February 2023
Generally, I quietly work behind the administrative scenes and am known more for my style (as in writing guidelines) than my natural science. However, I was drawn to the work of Vincent Wildlife Trust because of my fondness – call it obsession – for all-things Mustelidae. In January 1977, a second-year (Yr 8) form teacher Read More
22nd September 2022