Use of multi-modelling methods to inform conservation and reintroductions of pine marten Martes martes in Britain.

Abstract

The successful onset of recovery of the European pine marten (Martes martes) in some parts of Britain through range expansion and, more recently translocation for reintroductions, has resulted in a strong interest in reintroduction projects throughout the country. However, the geographic scope and conservation goals of these initiatives are often local and lack consideration of how they fit within the wider context of national-scale pine marten conservation. Here, we aim to maximize conservation benefit strategically at a national level by developing a simple, transparent, and transferable framework based on landscape modelling methods and spatially explicit population viability analyses. Abstract photo. Two pine martens photographed in Scotland (^© Robert Cruikshanks). Our new methodology has been developed specifically to inform decisions involving the spatial targeting of pine marten conservation measures. We began by applying habitat suitability and connectivity modelling at a national scale. Then, we performed spatially explicit life history simulations to assess the natural recovery of the species. This information was used to identify regions of interest for future reintroductions, and we performed subsequent simulations to assess the viability of a reintroduced population within each region. From all the regions assessed, we identified two that should be prioritized for further consideration based on our analyses of habitat suitability, connectivity and the viability of reintroduced populations. While our framework can be used to identify and prioritize regions of conservation value generally, our focus here is on the biological considerations associated with identifying suitable landscapes for pine marten reintroduction.