Innovative mammal conservation
Vincent Wildlife Trust’s (VWT) nationally significant Martens on the Move project has launched three new digital channels to help the rare pine marten as it recovers and returns to its former ranges in Scotland, England and Wales, thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Martens on the Move’s new website, TikTok account and National Pine Marten Monitoring Programme will provide up-to-date information on pine martens in Britain; offer ways for individuals and community groups to engage; and capture on-the-ground sightings and records of pine martens that will help inform future conservation actions to ensure that pine martens once again thrive in Britain.
Although once widespread, pine martens were almost extinct in Britain by the beginning of the 20th century — but thanks to legal protection in 1988 and the work of conservationists and land managers, populations have slowly made a comeback in many areas of Scotland. This success has been repeated in parts of England and Wales thanks to recent successful translocation projects
Over the next four years, the Martens on the Move Team will work with local communities to build on these successes by improving habitat for the expanding populations of pine martens, monitoring the animals as they move into new areas and providing opportunities for a diverse range of community groups, landowners and organisations to find out more about the species and how they can play a role in its recovery.
In particular, these new digital channels will help to engage and communicate this work with a wider audience as well as provide ways for individuals and groups to share their findings and to engage in volunteering activities in the key recovery areas across England, Scotland and Wales.
The Martens on the Move website contains a wealth of information on pine martens and the Martens on the Move project and is where individuals can report a pine marten sighting or register an interest in volunteering. The website also highlights our work with four national Pine Marten Haven Site partners and the visitor resources due to launch in summer 2025.
The TikTok account will share visual stories about the work Martens on the Move is carrying out with volunteers, community groups and organisations across the key recovery areas as well as footage of pine martens captured on trail cameras in woodlands across Britain.
The National Pine Marten Monitoring Programme, that provides the data for our Marten Map, is a new national programme where participants can report a pine marten sighting or get involved in monitoring den boxes and bait stations using trail cameras and thermal imagers. Volunteers can share their data with VWT through a GIS-based online recording form. The Marten Map will help land managers and conservationists build a picture of pine marten recovery across Britain, supporting informed decisions on how and where to take action for pine marten conservation.
Dr Stephanie Johnstone, Martens on the Move Project Manager, said, “We are delighted to have these new digital tools as part of the Martens on the Move project. They will help us to communicate and collaborate with a much wider audience of individuals, community groups and organisations to help the recovery of pine martens into their former ranges.”
Martens on the Move is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to create these new digital channels as an important part of the project work on pine marten recovery.
New VWT and VWT ireland websites are being developed to launch early in 2025.
Photo: ©Robert Cruickshanks
