Two Moors Pine Marten project timeline

Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Project timeline: the journey to bring back pine martens

2021 - A report ‘Long-term strategic recovery plan for pine martens in Britain’, commissioned by Natural England, NatureScot and Vincent Wildlife Trust, highlights the South West of England as the most suitable place for a future release of the animals.

2021 - The Two Moors Pine Marten Project is formed by leading conservation organisations Dartmoor National Park Authority, Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, National Trust and Woodland Trust. Its purpose is to explore how, where and when pine martens could be reintroduced in the South West of England.

Spring 2022 - The Two Moors Pine Marten Project team began conversations with local stakeholders including landowners, farmers and shooting estates about the potential benefits and impacts of pine marten release

July 2022 - The Two Moors Pine Marten Project was launched publicly, helping to raise awareness among the wider public. Read the news article.

Autumn 2022 to 2024 - The Two Moors Pine Marten Project appoints project staff. They are responsible for leading the work to identify and assess the ecological impacts on other native species, consider the socio-economic impacts on businesses that might be affected and establish broad support for the project from local communities.

Between March and July 2023, two studies were undertaken to understand the perceptions of pine marten reintroduction in South-West England. Read the results here.

Spring/summer 2024 - In May 2024 we announced that the Pine Martens Bounce Back: The Two Moors Pine Marten Project had received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £1.2 million. Read the news.

This was a welcome boost to the project. It ensured that the reintroduction of pine martens to the South West of England could take place, and enabled us to launch an ambitious programme of community activities which engages people in exploring, learning about and caring for the region’s woodlands.

Autumn 2024 - The project successfully reintroduced 15 adult pine martens (eight females and seven males) to secret locations on Dartmoor. The animals were moved under licence from healthy populations in Scotland. Each animal was fitted with a radio collar which will allow the project to track their dispersal and welfare. Read the news article.

Summer 2025: The project celebrates first kits. Camera trap footage has revealed the first glimpses of kits, recorded at a secret site in Devon. The kits are among the first to be born wild in Devon for more than a century. A further release of pine martens is planned for carefully selected sites in Exmoor. Read the announcement. Watch the footage

September 2025: The project successfully reintroduced a further 19 adult pine martens (nine females and ten males) to secret locations on Exmoor. The animals were again moved under licence from healthy populations in Scotland. Read the announcement.

Watch behind-the-scenes footage

The project’s experts anticipate that the South West’s population should now grow gradually over coming years.

Spring 2026: The project reports that the pine martens are "doing well" following the two reintroductions to Dartmoor and Exmoor. Pine martens are starting to breed and are exploring their new home. Read more.