After 100 long years, European pine martens are back in southwest England.
According to the Good News Network (GNN), fifteen pine martens were reintroduced into the wild in 2024. Recent camera footage proved the reintroduction, dubbed the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, was a success.
Tracey Hamston, the project's leader, told GNN, "When our volunteers discovered the footage of pine marten kits on one of our trail cameras we were ecstatic. This is a historic moment for the return of a native animal and for the future of the southwest's woodlands."
The footage showed about three kits playing and exploring their home.
These nocturnal mammals are a protected species, primarily confined to the Scottish Highlands and Ireland, per the Wildlife Trusts.
They were once prevalent throughout Britain, according to Rewilding Britain, but deforestation and hunting shrank their population greatly, making them locally extinct in both England and Wales since the early 20th century.
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Their absence has affected other woodland species. While more research is needed, BBC Wildlife reports that pine martens could act as a biological control for grey squirrels, allowing red squirrels to repopulate British woodlands.
Every species has its part to play in a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem. If one species goes extinct, this delicate balance is thrown off-kilter, hurting humans in the process. For example, studies show that India's declining vulture population led to half a million human deaths over the course of five years.
Thankfully, organizations around the world, like the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, are dedicated to revitalizing endangered species. Pygmy pigs returned to the wild after decades of work by Indian conservationists, and researchers partnered with Tristan da Cunha's government to use parasitic wasps to save the Wilkins' finch.
Now that pine martens' repopulation is on the horizon, the Two Moors Pine Marten Project is taking things up a notch. They plan to release around twenty more pine martens into southwest England this upcoming fall.
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