Pine martens were once widespread across Europe but were extirpated from much of their range by persecution and habitat loss. Their recovery has unexpected welfare and ecological benefits throughout the food web.
Pine marten recovery illustrates how the welfare of one species connects to the wider ecosystem. Their predation on grey squirrels creates indirect welfare benefits for red squirrels, which face intense competition from the invasive grey squirrel that has displaced them across most of Britain. From a welfare perspective, restoring natural predator-prey dynamics is preferable to intensive culling programs for grey squirrels - though both have welfare costs for individual animals involved. Pine martens themselves benefit from legal protection and habitat restoration after centuries of persecution. Their recovery represents a population-level welfare improvement for a species that was functionally eliminated from much of its native range through human activity.