Author Description

The Newfoundland marten (Martes americana atrata) has been declining in numbers and distribution since the early 1900s and has been assigned the status of a threatened species. This report reviews the factors involved in this decline, including diseases, competing species and predators, accidental mortality, and habitat loss. The report then explains the role of martens in the Newfoundland ecosystem and assesses the potential for recovery of species populations to a degree that would ensure continued survival. The report concludes with an outline of a marten recovery plan that would have the ultimate goal of achieving a total fall population of about a thousand individuals in at least two discrete populations. Aspects of the plan include establishment of reserves and protected areas, monitoring of marten populations, modify snaring and trapping regulations, protection of habitat, and initiating a captive breeding research program.