Pine Martens Reintroduction on Exmoor: A Hopeful Return
In September 2025, the pine martens reintroduction project quietly brought 19 animals into select woodland areas across Exmoor National Park. The Two Moors Pine Marten Project, together with Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, National Trust, Forestry England, and local landowners, managed the release with care and forethought.
This event feels like a growing thread in Exmoor’s evolving nature story. It joins recent returns like the white-tailed sea eagles now moving through our skies (read White-Tailed Sea Eagles on Exmoor) and the beavers shaping waterways at Holnicote (see Exmoor’s Beavers).
Rediscovering a Woodland Friend
Pine martens once lived more widely across Exmoor, but gradually vanished from the landscape through habitat loss, persecution, and forest change. Now, their reintroduction aims to restore a piece of woodland character — bringing back a species that functions quietly within forest ecology.
These mammals are naturally shy and nocturnal. They favour dense woodland and tend to steer clear of human disturbance. Their diet is broad: small mammals, birds, insects and wild fruits. Over time, they may help re-balance woodland ecosystems without overwhelming them.
Pine Marten Release: Gentle, Monitored, Thoughtful
The process was designed with patience:
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The 19 pine martens (9 females, 10 males) were relocated under licence from healthy wild populations in Scotland.
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Upon arrival, each marten spent time in acclimatisation pens where they could adjust slowly, with shelter and food, before doors opened to the wider forests.
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Each animal carried a lightweight radio collar (designed to drop off after 6–9 months) so that the team can track movement, survival, habitat choice, and behaviour.
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This project builds on experience from the Dartmoor release in 2024, where early indications showed successful breeding and dispersal.
Before the release, extensive habitat surveys, landowner discussions, community engagement and ecological planning were undertaken — so that this reintroduction is about place as much as species.
Acknowledging Gentle Concerns
Even in hopeful projects, it’s wise to listen. Some landowners and local residents have expressed caution over possible impacts on poultry or sensitive species. The project has opened dialogue and offered mitigation advice (for example, improving coop security), with monitoring built in to respond should any issue arise.
Because pine martens are discreet, largely nocturnal, and avoid human activity, many believe direct conflict will remain rare — though flexibility is part of the plan if interventions become necessary.
What to Watch in the Coming Years
In the next seasons, keep an eye (or ear) out for:
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Signs of breeding and kit survival
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How martens use and move through different forest habitats
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Behavior in proximity to human or farming areas
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Whether populations spread or connect (for example between Exmoor and Dartmoor)
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How local communities and conservation groups engage with and observe them
If conditions are favourable, Exmoor’s woodlands may gradually reacquire a quiet presence of pine martens — a living thread added back into the forest tapestry, alongside the eagles above and the beavers shaping the streams.
Tracking
If you’re keen to try your hand at tracking pine martens, go gently and aim to find evidence rather than the animal. Move slowly at dawn or dusk, keep voices low, dogs on short leads, and stick to paths so you don’t disturb den sites. Scan for tell-tale signs: twisted, rope-like scats on prominent rocks or bridge edges (often with berry pips or feathers), paired “bounding” footprints with five toes in soft mud, hair caught on wire or rough bark, and plucked bird remains beneath perches. Snap clear photos of any signs, note the location and habitat, and add them to iNaturalist (with the date and a quick description) to help build the Exmoor record. If you’re lucky enough to see a marten, keep your distance, avoid playback or baiting, and let it melt back into the trees undisturbed.
Closing Thought
This pine martens reintroduction is a hopeful, slow return — a chance to restore a missing woodland presence with care, humility, and community in mind. It’s part of a wider story on Exmoor: of species reappearing, landscapes healing, and people re-connecting with nature.
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What is the pine martens reintroduction project on Exmoor?
This is a conservation initiative led by the Two Moors Pine Marten Project (with Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, and partners) to bring pine martens back to Exmoor after more than a century of absence.
Nineteen animals (9 females, 10 males) were translocated from healthy wild populations in Scotland.
Yes. They are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it illegal to intentionally trap, injure or kill them, or disturb their dens.
If predators can access poorly secured enclosures, pine martens may attempt to prey on poultry. The project works with landowners to advise on mitigation measures (secure pens, removing overhanging branches, etc.)
Their territory (home range) is typically 5–10 km² (depending on habitat), and many individuals may disperse up to 50 km or more from their release site.
Report the sighting to the project (e.g. via email with location, date, and photos if possible). This helps monitoring and understanding population spread.