A feasibility study for the recovery of pine martens in south Cumbria

This feasibility study was administered by the University of Cumbria as part of the Back On Our Map project to evaluate the social and biological feasibility of reintroducing pine martens to the forests of south Cumbria. The study is aligned with the IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions and Scottish/English Codes for Conservation Translocations and includes outputs from modelling, field work, ecological risk assessments and community engagement. Study findings demonstrate that there is suitable habitat, widespread public support and relatively low risk for a pine marten reintroduction in south Cumbria. As such, it provides a robust evidence base that the reintroduction of pine martens is likely to be successful and is the appropriate approach to expand the regional metapopulation and support the recovery of this mustelid in the North-West of England. We recommend that a translocation project should be developed, in partnership and without delay, that will strengthen networks with local stakeholder groups, explore ecotourism opportunities, and establish mitigation strategies, a release methodology, and a post- release monitoring programme. The translocation of pine martens from Scotland should follow best practice protocols to minimise risks to donor populations, and founder animals should be sourced from areas with robust pine marten populations that have not been trapped for translocation purposes within the last five years.