Mark Hamblin
Bringing back pine martens
Pine Martens Bounce Back: The Two Moors Pine Marten Project
Shy, curious and playful. The pine marten is a stealthy, acrobatic woodland hunter, perfectly adapted to life among trees. Once a familiar part of our woodlands, pine martens became critically endangered in England and Wales and disappeared entirely from the South West.
Their loss left a gap in our woodland ecosystems. As predators of small mammals, pine martens play an important role in maintaining balance in nature and supporting healthy woodland habitats.
Now, that story is beginning to change.
The Pine Martens Bounce Back: Two Moors Pine Marten project is restoring pine martens to to the South West, reconnecting people with one of the UK’s most fascinating native mammals.
Following two successful translocations, pine martens are once again living wild on Dartmoor and Exmoor for the first time in more than 150 years.
Watch the story of how the first pine martens were released on Dartmoor after an absence of 150 years.
Local people made the reintroduction possible
This film celebrates just some of the volunteer efforts and community engagement that made this project a success and brought pine martens back to the South West.
Have you been lucky enough to spot a pine marten?
Send us your videos and images, including information about when and where you saw them!
If you have access to a woodland and a wildlife camera, you can also get involved with our Citizen Science: Woodland Wildlife Survey.
Credit: Devon Wildlife Trust
Catch up on the whole story
Years of planning, fundraising and collaboration have helped bring pine martens back to Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Working alongside partners, local communities and landowners, the project successfully released 34 pine martens into the South West — and now they’re breeding and exploring their new homes!
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Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Stay up to date
Sign up to follow the exciting project bringing pine martens back to the South West and discover how you can get involved.
From family events and community grants to exclusive videos and project updates, Pine Marten Diaries will keep you connected with the return of these remarkable animals.
Follow their progress and be part of the journey!
Are you ready for a pine marten adventure?
Get your kids the Pine Marten Picnic Activity Pack! This FREE downloadable pack includes colouring sheets, games and lots of ideas for things to do inside and out!
Photo of sample resources & pack.
Free Pine Marten School Resources
We have created four key stage curriculum linked resource packs, which are available to download for FREE! These packs have been designed to be used by teachers as part of curriculum delivery and are themed around woodlands and pine martens.
Working with Young People
The Youth Pathways Project provides exciting opportunities for young people (13-25) from harder to reach audiences to make a positive difference in the natural world.
Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
What is a pine marten?
Pine martens are members of the weasel family of animals. They are around the size of a small cat and are wonderful tree climbers. This makes them ideally suited to living in woodlands.
They are mainly nocturnal and most of the time they live alone in sparse populations – so you’re unlikely to see one unless you are very lucky!
Much of the pine marten’s diet is made up of voles, but they will also eat other small animals including mice, squirrels, birds and insects. In autumn they also consume a lot of wild fruits.
We’ve put together more pine marten facts to help you get to know these fascinating animals.
Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Are any further pine marten releases planned?
Not at present. The pine martens released on Dartmoor and Exmoor will gradually increase in number over the coming years.
We’ve put together a brief timeline of what the project has done already and what will happen next.
Monitor your own woodlands
Wildlife cameras give us a rare glimpse into the secret lives of pine martens and other woodland wildlife, without disturbing them. This is how we monitor and track our pine martens as they explore the South West - and you can be part of it.
We’re looking for volunteers with access to woodland to run their own camera traps, capture wildlife activity, and contribute to this exciting citizen science effort. Get involved in our Woodland Wildlife Survey today!
Who is involved in the Two Moors Pine Marten Project?
The project is led by Devon Wildlife Trust and is a partnership between seven conservation organisations: Dartmoor National Park Authority, Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, Forestry England, National Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust.
The project is made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and with thanks to the National Lottery players. This project is also supported by The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Norman Family Trust, Turnstyle Designs, Devon Environment Foundation and The Benindi Fund and other generous donors.
This project has received expert advice and guidance from Vincent Wildlife Trust, NatureScot and the Zoological Society of London.
We’ve put together some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help you learn more about the project and how it will work.
Pine Martens Bounce Back: The Two Moors Pine Marten Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project aims to restore healthy populations of pine martens to the South West of England.
Alongside the animal’s return will be an ambitious programme of community activities which will engage thousands of people in exploring, learning about and caring for the region’s woodlands.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
