Pine martens were most abundant in Ireland when tree cover was at its maximum, and before our Neolithic ancestors started clearing woodland for agricultural purposes around 6,000 years ago.

The pine marten’s distribution then retracted in step with decreasing woodland, initially due to climate change, then widescale clearance of woodland by people. Pine martens suffered further declines from hunting for their valuable pelt, restriction and fragmentation of woodland, and over the last few hundred years, targeted killing by gamekeepers and people who perceived the marten as vermin.

The pine marten is now one of Irelands rarest mammals.