Marten Map National Pine Marten Monitoring Programme

An important part of Martens on the Move is setting up a National Pine Marten Monitoring Programme where participants will monitor den boxes and bait stations using trail cameras and thermal imagers. Data will be shared with VWT through a GIS-based data recording system. 

Pine martens are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and disturbing a pine marten is illegal. These non-invasive monitoring methods allow the gathering of valuable information without disturbing the animals, such as the arrival of new martens and the number of kits born.

The information collected will allow conservation managers to have a Britain-wide understanding of the species’ recovery. This will help to prioritise conservation activities and resources where and how they will be most effective to support the recovery of pine martens across the three nations.