NatureSpy began searching for pine martens in Yorkshire in 2013. What started as a small initiative with a group of dedicated volunteers ultimately led to capturing the first-ever images of a pine marten in the North York Moors National Park. This success paved the way for launching a National Lottery Heritage funded project to delve deeper into the species’ presence and set out a vision for its return to the landscape. We are now embarking on an exciting phase of work, assessing the pathways to pine marten recovery in Yorkshire.

PATHWAYS TO PINE MARTEN RECOVERY

The pine marten remains one of Yorkshire’s rarest mammals. Despite an increase in recorded pine marten activity in the region in recent years, our monitoring shows that they are currently present in small, unsustainable numbers. 

The NE Yorkshire Pine Marten Pathways Project is a two-year initiative led by Forestry England, NatureSpy and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Running from 2024 to 2026, the project aims to assess whether the North York Moors National Park and surrounding area can support a self-sustaining and viable population of pine martens.

Key activities of our Pathways Project include stakeholder engagement, ecological monitoring, and a series of studies to understand the biological, ecological and anthropogenic factors affecting pine marten survival in the region. The project will identify actions to support pine marten recovery and long-term viability.

Yorkshire Pine Marten Project (2013-2018) 

We began our search for pine martens in Yorkshire in 2013. Funds were raised for our first camera traps through crowd funding, we recruited a team of fieldwork volunteers and started surveying forests on the North York Moors. In 2017, we captured the first ever images of a pine marten in Yorkshire. We realised it was time to scale up our project and learn more about Yorkshire's pine martens.

Yorkshire Pine Marten Support Programme (2018-2021) 

In 2018, we launched the three-year Yorkshire Pine Marten Support Programme in partnership with Forestry England and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Through a combination of trail camera surveys, DNA surveys, and reports of pine marten sightings, the project gained valuable insights into the status of pine martens on the North York Moors. Our engagement programme raised awareness about the pine martens' poor conservation status in the region, while the installation of den boxes enhanced habitat quality, providing safe dens for pine martens for many years to come.

Pine Marten Conservation Strategy for Yorkshire (2021–2024) 

The Yorkshire Pine Marten Support Programme evidenced that pine marten populations are not in a good state in Yorkshire, with six confirmed records and 25 unconfirmed sightings reported between 2017 and 2021. In 2021, we developed our Pine Marten Conservation Strategy for Yorkshire, setting out a vision for self-sustaining populations of pine martens in Yorkshire as part of the national restoration of the species. This phase focused on ongoing monitoring to track changes in pine marten presence, further installations of den boxes to enhance habitat quality, continued public engagement, and the development of our current collaboration with Forestry England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for a better future for pine martens in Yorkshire.

Public sightings are an important part of pine marten recovery, helping to build a picture of pine marten presence and guide our conservation work. It’s quick and easy to submit a pine marten sighting in Yorkshire. Simply email us at enquiries@naturespy.org and include the following information:

• Location

• Date

• Approximate time

• Any additional information if available (e.g. photo, description of animal and behaviours observed)