MORE than £1 million of National Lottery grant funding has been awarded to a project seeking to reintroduce pine martens on Exmoor after an absence of more than a century.
The Two Moors Pine Marten Project hopes to start releasing up to 40 pine martens on Exmoor and Dartmoor later this year.
The critically endangered species was last known to have lived on Exmoor nearly 150 years ago in the late 1800s.
The project is part of a partnership of leading conservation organisations which has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £1.2 million.
The reintroduction of the pine martens sits alongside efforts to boost the recovery of Westcountry woodlands with an ambitious programme of community activities to engage thousands of people in exploring, learning about, and caring for them.
The project is led by the Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) working with Exmoor and Dartmoor national park authorities, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, the National Trust, and the Woodland Trust.
The pine martens, which are being sourced under license from existing healthy populations in Scotland, will be released over the next two years.
The return of the animals will signal the start of community engagement over the following three years when hundreds of opportunities will be available for people to help, including:
Woodland and hedgerow creation and restoration activities
Citizen science and nature spotting, monitoring pine marten behaviour and other woodland wildlife
Woodland-themed nature-based activities and events in communities local to pine marten release sites
Small grants for community-based projects to help nurture local woodland wildlife
A free digital download pack focussed on pine martens and woodlands, containing wildlife spotter sheets, self-guided discovery trails, and craft activities
The project will have a strong focus on creating pathways for young people to become involved in conservation through volunteering and traineeships.
DWT conservation manager Ed Parr Ferris said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players.
“The return of pine martens to the South West of England is an exciting development and follows other successful reintroductions of the animal in the Forest of Dean and Wales.
Like the rest of our countryside, our region’s woodlands have seen a recent decline in the community of wildlife they support.
“This makes the prospect of bringing back an animal which was once a common part of that community so exciting.
“This project will ensure that people from lots of different backgrounds are able to play a part in the return of pine martens and to celebrate our region’s wonderful woodlands.”
National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Stuart McLeod said: “We are delighted to be supporting a project which will not only see the reintroduction of pine martens to the South West but inspire local communities to enjoy and care for their woodlands.
“This is an important initiative that fits with our ambition to help habitats and species thrive, reducing and mitigating the impacts of climate change, while helping people connect to our unique natural heritage.”