£200k pledged towards Pine Marten Recovery Project
The Pine Marten Recovery Project, established by The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT), has secured vital financial support, helping to ensure the long-term funding of this six-year project aimed at restoring the pine marten to England and Wales.
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. This is the culmination of almost two years of feasibility research, careful groundwork and community liaison. Over time it is hoped that a viable, thriving pine marten population will once again flourish in the woodlands of mid Wales.
The project has secured a total of £200,000 from four partners: Woodland Trust, People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), a private company called POLECAT and including £100,000 over six years from Chester Zoo. This is a significant proportion of the £800,000 match funding needed to finance the project.
Natalie Buttriss, Chief Executive of the VWT, 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, said:
"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 this much-needed 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 funding partners will bring a wealth of expertise to the project including animal welfare and behaviour research from Chester Zoo, woodland management and landscape knowledge from the Woodland Trust, mammal information from PTES and risk intelligence from POLECAT.
Vincent Wildlife Trust will be fundraising for the remaining £600k needed for the project over the coming year, and has welcomed the early financial commitment from these four funding partners which it is hoped will stimulate further support.
