Both forest cover and land management practices explain variation in recovering pine marten densities

Both forest cover and land management practices explain variation in recovering pine marten densities | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Wildlife Biology This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 20 August 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Both forest cover and land management practices explain variation in recovering pine marten densities Authors : Keziah Hobson , Chris Sutherland 0000-0003-2073-1751 , Cristian Navarro Waggershauser , Deborah Dawson , and Xavier Lambin 0000-0003-4643-2653 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175573320.09056969/v1 Published Wildlife Biology Version of record Peer review timeline 355 views 171 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Robust monitoring of wildlife populations to guide interventions is fundamental to conservation and wildlife management. Understanding how landscape characteristics are influencing recovering predator population dynamics is often vital to inform recovery strategies, management, and policy. The pine marten is recovering in the UK, however, spread and expansion has occurred at different rates across the country. We investigate how spatial variation in density of recovering pine marten populations is influenced by key habitat and human-related factors. Using genotyped non-invasively collected pine marten hair samples collected through standardised surveys covering four landscapes in Scotland over three seasons, we apply a multi-session, sex-structured, spatial capture-recapture model to estimate within- and between-landscapes spatial variation in density. We identify larger areas being used by individuals in recently recolonised areas compared to more established populations. We find significant differences in the spatial variation of density across landscapes ranging from 0.05 marten/km2 (CI: 0.03-0.07) in the recently colonised Borders region of southern Scotland to 0.21 (CI: 0.10-032) in the Trossachs region of central Scotland. There was substantial variation in marten density within landscapes. The amount of forest had a positive effect on population density, but not in the most recently recolonised population. Closer proximity to large gamebird shoots had a significant negative effect on marten density in one landscape suggesting that, despite being protected in law, martens suffer sufficiently elevated mortality close to some pheasant pens to locally depress their density. We did not find an effect of distance to nearest major road on spatial variation in population density in any landscape. While the mechanistic processes driving these patterns are not clear, our work highlights the importance of elucidating the processes underlying these effects of forest and land management. Supplementary Material File (figures and tables submission.docx) Download 972.58 KB File (pine marten secr density_submission.docx) Download 380.48 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 20 August 2025 Peer review timeline Published Wildlife Biology Version of Record 17 Feb 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Wildlife Biology Keywords carnivore conflict density pine marten recovery spatially explicit capture recapture Authors Affiliations Keziah Hobson University of Aberdeen View all articles by this author Chris Sutherland 0000-0003-2073-1751 University of St Andrews View all articles by this author Cristian Navarro Waggershauser University of the Highlands and Islands View all articles by this author Deborah Dawson The University of Sheffield View all articles by this author Xavier Lambin 0000-0003-4643-2653 [email protected] University of Aberdeen View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 355 views 171 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Keziah Hobson, Chris Sutherland, Cristian Navarro Waggershauser, et al. Both forest cover and land management practices explain variation in recovering pine marten densities. Authorea . 20 August 2025. 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