Pine Marten (Martes martes)
There was a time in Ireland, around the turn of the 19th century, when recording the place, time and date of an encounter with a wild animal was the activity of a small group of gentlemen who had the time, means and interest to travel the countryside.
The publication of the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland 2010-2015 by the National Biodiversity Data Centre in 2016, based on many records submitted by members of the public or citizen scientists, highlighted the important role now played by members of the public in documenting the changing distribution of the country’s mammals.
By submitting your observation of a pine marten using the sightings facility on this website, you will be contributing to the ongoing collection of data on the species which, when forwarded to the National Biodiversity Data Centre, will help to inform future decisions on its conservation.
The All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey launched in March 2019. Zoology researchers from the Ryan Institute in NUI Galway have teamed up with Ulster Wildlife and Vincent Wildlife Trust in seeking to determine the latest distribution of red and grey squirrels and the pine marten in Ireland. The full report and distribution maps from the survey will be available in the coming months and will allow the team to compare the current status of the animals with previous surveys conducted in 1997, 2007 and 2012. The preliminary results show that the dramatic decline in grey squirrel populations in the midlands of Ireland has continued and extended into new areas. Further information and maps are available on the project’s Facebook page.
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