Pine marten
In Autumn 2024 fifteen pine martens were translocated to Dartmoor as part of the multi-agency Two Moors Pine Marten project. This is an exciting project that is aiming to see Pine Martens return to the South West. A huge congratulations and thanks to Dartmoor National Park, Devon Wildlife Trust, The National Trust, The Woodland Trust, Forestry England, Exmoor National Park and The Lottery Heritage Fund... and all those players of the National Lottery that have funded the return of this iconic species. The Two Moors Pine Marten Project has been a great example of the interdependency and interconnectedness of transformative human action to help nature in these times of biodiversity crises. With pine martens now released on Dartmoor and the next release on Exmoor it is hoped that these animals will 'overspill' into Devon Wildland, this means that people living in Devon Wildland can get 'pine marten ready' and learn to co-exist with these remarkable creatures. There are some great resources available at Vincent Wildlife Trust's website that can help us learn to live with pine martens, also if you are planning on building or upgrading a poultry pen in the next two years there are some useful guides here>>
Over the years there have been numerous reported sightings of pine marten across the Haldon ridge and Teign valley. In this article from DevonLive in 2019 Ash Symons from Christow found a dead pine marten on the road.
Soundscape of Devon Wildland project
We have been steadily recording the soundscape of Devon Wildland over the last year. This is not necessarily to record all the sounds of the wildlife that already live in Devon Wildland but more to record the anthropogenic noise that impacts the landscape. It has been fascinating to learn how humans effect the soundscape and what wildlife 'hears as it moves' but also where the barriers and high levels of noise occur. You can find our recordings on the Aporee map website here: https://aporee.org/maps/
If you have a keen interest in sound recording and would like to get involved please tag Devon Wildland when you upload your recording. Together we can build a bigger picture of the soundscape of Devon Wildland.
Archive of wildlife projects that have worked within the Devon Wildland area.
There have been so many inspiring projects that have occurred along the Haldon ridge and Teign valley where over the years conservation organisations have worked hard to conserve key species. Here you can find links to the archive of the RSPB Cirl Bunting project and the Devon Wildlife Trust's Greater Horseshoe Bat project. Whilst these projects may now be completed and the teams reassigned, it is important to acknowledge all the hard work of these individuals and organisations. The fact that these species are found in the Devon Wildland is a testament to their commitment. The links that have been forged over the years lives on and this peer-to-peer networking and determination to create more connectivity were building blocks for the movement to create Devon Wildland. Here are the links to a couple of projects, if you were involved in any more projects working in our area that you feel should be recorded and shared please get in touch:
