South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project

03/06/2026

Paired camera trap images of red squirrels and pine martens visiting the same feeders are common in the Scottish Highlands, but we now also have increasing evidence of coexistence across our project area in Cumbria. These photos are from the red stronghold of Thirlmere where, after a long absence of martens, these two native species are thriving once again as part of a healthy woodland ecosystem. It is too early to predict what impacts pine martens might have on non-native grey squirrels and we will continue to monitor squirrel/marten interactions, but we are encouraged by the results of our dietary analysis of pine marten scats from the project area which consistently include the remains of grey squirrels.

Thanks to RSNE for sharing these camera trap images.



University of Cumbria
Restoring Hardknott Forest
Grizedale Forest - Forestry England

07/05/2026

Come and join us this weekend to celebrate the brilliant work of the conservation community in our county at the Cumbria Nature Festival in Rivendell near Workington. Keynote speakers, interesting stalls, good food, great music and much more....

Confirmed : it'll be a great privilege to have the South Cumbria pine marten Recovery project team on site .Led by the University of Cumbria ,hear how and why their project aims to restore a self-sustaining population of pine martens .Alongside their information stand Dr mic Mayhew and Jess Stevens will be giving a project presentation on Saturday evening .




50% of tickets now filled so please help us by booking in advance . No entry without a pre booked ticket
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cumbria-nature-festival

27/04/2026

Meet John, the guardian of pine martens and one of the unsung heroes of the pine marten recovery effort in south Cumbria. As a member of the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery project he works with a fantastic team who are recovering nature in all its glorious complexity, and as a self-confessed marten addict, he has an extraordinary connection with these mischievous mustelids. Thank you for your support with all aspects of our project over the years.

You can read John's brilliant new blog here.

https://bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/restoring-hardknott-forest/blogs-and-more/the-return-of-the-missing-marten/

Restoring Hardknott Forest University of Cumbria University of Leeds Grizedale Forest - Forestry England

13/04/2026

Big thanks to Liz and Jo from Cumbria Wildlife Trust for inviting us to contribute to a great podcast about the return of pine martens to Cumbria and the work of the South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project partnership, featuring Jon Beardsley from Grizedale Forest - Forestry England and Julia Sier from the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Project.

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/podcasts

31/03/2026

Brilliant fortnight of population recovery surveys in the Highlands with abundant evidence of pine marten occupancy at the the 2024 trapping sites in Sutherland and Easter Ross. A real pleasure to work with friends and colleagues from the SCPMRP partnership and special thanks to Aigas Field Centre for hosting us at their pine marten hide which will support the development of a wildlife viewing hide in south Cumbria.

Restoring Hardknott Forest
Grizedale Forest - Forestry England
University of Cumbria

31/01/2026

After a long absence it's brilliant that we can witness these scenes again in the heart of the Lake District National Park . This is the first evidence we have of carrion feeding in one of our martens. The roadkill red deer carcass attracted the pine marten as well as a red fox and the camera trap video was kindly shared by our partners at United Utilities


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17/12/2025

What a treat this year to be joined by and his team of pro filmmakers from Rewilding Europe to showcase our work, leave us with some very special memories and to remind us of all the native species reintroduction initiatives across Europe that are restoring nature by building more intact and resilient ecosystems.

Just over a year after releases began, the local population has grown from a handful of animals to more than 30, with the first wild born kits already spotte...

21/11/2025

Brilliant week with Michael Shafer, a professor of mechanical engineering at Northern Arizona University, trialling drone mounted telemetry systems to track our 2025 cohort of translocated martens. Flying at up to 400 feet with minimal noise disturbance, the drone was able to simultaneously pick up signals from multiple collars at long range where signals to the ground based telemetry systems were blocked by the mountainous topography of the Lakes. Lots of exciting applications to study and help protect our pine martens; watch this space.

Big thanks to Jess Stevens from University of Cumbria for pulling this together and to our partners , and for granting forest access.

hardknott.forest forest

16/10/2025

Another exciting step for nature recovery in Cumbria with the successful translocation and release of 16 radio-collared pine martens from donor sites in the Scottish Highlands. SCPMRP is part of a dynamic group of projects aiming to restore this species to its former range right across the UK.

Impossible without the support and total commitment of our friends from University of Cumbria, University of Leeds, Grizedale Forest - Forestry England, the team from , Cumbria Wildlife Trust, National Trust, the local area team from Natural England, the The Lifescape Project and the Lake District National Park.

Also very grateful to our Scottish collaborators from Forestry and Land Scotland, NatureScot, Euan, Ben and the team from , Stewart from Altyre Estate and the vets from Strathspey Veterinary Centre. Generous funding from Rewilding Europe, and the The National Lottery Heritage Fund

09/09/2025

To showcase some of the great talent at the University of Cumbria, we’re excited to share this fantastic comic strip designed by Emily Ford who is completing a Fine Art degree!

Our monitoring stations are fitted with cameras and baited with peanut butter, enabling us to identify individuals and do basic health checks without causing disturbance. The martens have shown a real love for the peanut butter and gobble it up in one go! This creative piece is a playful and heartfelt nod to that simple treat and the joy of welcoming martens back to our woodlands.

Emily’s artwork is on display in our free exhibition at Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre!

Follow Emily on Instagram .art or visit her website: https://emilyfordart.wordpress.com/