Pine marten plans for Devon could cause harm, says NGO

A scheme to translocate pine martens does not meet guidelines for species reintroductions, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) believes. 

It has written to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) regarding the allocation of £1.8million to the Two Moors Project, which aims to translocate the mustelids to Devon. 

The NGO urges the NLHF chief executive, Eilish McGuinness, to reassess its funding criteria to better assess the ecological implications of reintroductions and to take into account the views of local communities. 

Tim Weston, the NGO’s director for environment, policy and politics, told Shooting Times: “The NGO is not against relocations and reintroductions as long as they are the right species, in the right place, for the right reasons and that the project doesn’t cause harm to other species in the area that are vulnerable. 

“With regards to this specific project, it seems that a full consultation of local landowners was not done properly. The fact that some very rare wading bird species are present — and could easily be prey for pine marten, which are without doubt an apex predator — is highly concerning to us.”