Ulster Wildlife say pine martens in NI undergoing 'phenomenal resurgence'

Ulster Wildlife has said pine martens in Northern Ireland, a priority species, are currently undergoing a "phenomenal resurgence", with its population having almost doubled in the past five years.

The pine marten is one of the province’s rarest native animals, a cat-sized carnivore related to the stoat.

It is reportedly hoped that the resurgence of pine martens will boost the endangered red squirrel population, since what is called the ‘pine marten effect’ causes grey squirrels, one of the biggest threats to the red squirrel’s existence, to retract.

Ulster Wildlife's 2022 survey of pine martens and squirrels was carried out across 218 woodlands in Northern Ireland using camera traps and feeders with participation from 15 partners including National Trust and Mourne Heritage Trust.

It found that pine martens were present in almost double the number of sites compared to a previous survey five years ago.

The survey also shows that the number of woodlands surveyed with red squirrels present remains comparable to 2017, suggesting that the population is holding steady.

Ross McIlwrath from Ulster Wildlife said: "It's fantastic to see pine martens spreading and returning to areas where they haven't been seen for many years."

He hopes the pine marten's recovery will boost the red squirrel population, which is endangered by the dominant grey squirrel.

Research from Queen's University Belfast shows that the presence of the grey squirrel has declined slightly since 2017, most notably in woodlands surveyed in the west.

Ross continued: "We are seeing that in areas with a strong pine marten presence, greys [squirrels] are retracting”.

However, he warned against complacency as red squirrels are still threatened by the dominant presence of the grey squirrel, which can result in the former species’ habitat destruction.

"Many red squirrels have disappeared from small areas of woodlands and urban areas, and have become increasingly isolated and fragmented," he said.

"We need to continue to work with landowners and local conservation groups to control the spread of greys, create a more connected landscape to allow reds to spread and recover, and ensure continued long-term monitoring of these three species.”