Plans to reintroduce Pine Marten to Derbyshire gain pace

Plans to reintroduce Pine Martens to the Derbyshire countryside have taken a step closer to becoming reality.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has just announced they have recruited a member of staff dedicated to the mammal thanks to funding from the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund. This new role seeks will see the Trust carry out feasibility studies to see if it is possible to reintroduce Pine Martens.

Pine Marten could be returning to Derbyshire (Ron Marshall).

The studies will include looking at the numbers that could be sustained, the best locations and mapping out which woodlands need to be more connected in order to help martens thrive. The Trust hopes to reintroduce them if the feasibility studies are successful.

Hollie Fisher at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said: "We would love to see Pine Martens return to Derbyshire. Pine Martens need woodlands that are well connected and full of a mixture of species and food sources such as small rodents, birds, eggs, insects and fruit in order to thrive. We're working hard to ensure there are more, connected, wild places across Derbyshire for these special mammals, especially within the Dark Peak and lower Derwent Valley."

This role is funded by the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The fund is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

The last confirmed sighting of Pine Marten in Derbyshire came in 2018 when one was found roadside between Belper and Ripley. Prior to that, there had been no records since 2002.