West Midlands nature lovers asked to help in hunt for one of our rarest woodland mammals – there may be only ten left
8 January 2010
Local residents are being asked to look out for one of the most elusive and severely threatened British mammals, which may venture out for food in the winter weather. There may now be only 10 pine martens left in the region.
The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT), which is based in Herefordshire, has received funding from Natural England to gather evidence and information about pine martens, before it is too late.
They are appealing to nature lovers and wildlife groups to report sightings or evidence of activity and to ring in with locations and photographs.
A relative of the stoat and the otter, pine martens were once a common woodland animal, but habitat loss and historic persecution have resulted in a severe decline in this native species. Numbers in England and Wales are now at worryingly low levels and sightings are extremely rare.
Neil Jordan, who has been appointed as pine marten project officer at the VWT said: “There are probably fewer than 10 individuals in the West Midlands now, although they are likely to avoid contact with humans so it is difficult to be sure. We are confident that there are more in Northumberland, Cumbria, and across mid Wales and Snowdonia but we are very anxious for local help in building up an accurate picture. We are hoping that in the cold weather one or two might venture out.
"Pine martens are about the size of a domestic cat have a bushy tail and distinctive cream bib. They live in ancient woodland and nest high up in tree cavities. They are omnivores and eat voles and small rodents as well as fruit.
It’s claimed that the village of Martley in Worcestershire was named after the pine marten, which may give us a clue as to how widespread and common they once were. In total we have received 70 reports of pine martens from the West Midlands during the last 12 years (to and including 2007). (Herefordshire 25, Shropshire (Salop) 22, Staffordshire 17, Worcestershire 6, Warwickshire 1) Neil added.”
The project’s grant from Natural England is channelled through the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund. 2010 has been designated the International Year of Biodiversity. The official launch is in Germany on 11th January.
In the UK The Natural History Museum in London hosted a press preview last month when guests heard Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity press for an urgent response to halt the current unprecedented loss of species.
As well as setting up local survey groups Neil will be using den box schemes, camera traps and baiting stations to detect martens and the data collected will help target future conservation efforts on those locations where numbers of pine martens are still holding on.
Roger Owen Regional Director of Natural England said: “We are delighted to begin the International Year of Biodiversity with this important work. The grant will enable the Vincent Wildlife Trust to gather vital information and to encourage nature lovers across the region to contribute.”
Anyone who thinks they have seen a pine marten locally should contact the Vincent Wildlife Trust
where there is an online reporting facility or ring 01531 636441
For press information contact:
Judie Kellie on 01299 896 555/ 07973 744161 judie@jkpr.co.uk or
Dean Gallen on Dean.G.Gallen@naturalengland.org.uk
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
Pine marten facts
Since the mid-1990s reported sightings of pine martens from England and Wales have been evaluated and the studies pose a number of important questions, including what is the status and distribution of the pine marten in England and Wales and why has its recovery not yet occurred outside Scotland.
The pine marten's rarity in Britain and Ireland owes much to its valuable fur and historical conflicts with gamekeepers. However, as pine martens have been fully protected since 1988, when the species was added to schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, other factors may be more important in determining the 'health' of the population today. Of these, the scarcity of prey-rich woodland and natural den sites are perhaps the most important current threats to their recovery.
A native mammal of Britain and Ireland, the pine marten (Martes martes) is a medium-sized mustelid (or member of the weasel family) and is related to the mink, otter, badger, stoat and weasel. Adult pine martens are similar in size to a small/medium-sized domestic cat, and the species was often called the 'marten cat' in the past, with males about a third larger than the females.
The pine marten has a slim body and a long tail that is thick and bushy in its winter coat. Rich brown fur contrasts with a creamy-yellow 'bib' on the throat and chest, and with the pale fur within the prominent, rounded ears (the bib varies in size and in some individuals is almost absent).
The pine marten probably arrived in Britain and Ireland soon after the end of the last glaciation, about 9,500 years ago. An animal of woodland, it would have been most numerous when Britain and Ireland had greater tree cover. It has been suggested that 6,500 years ago, pine martens were the second most common carnivore in Britain.
For further information visit the Vincent Wildlife Trust’s pine marten website.
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment.
