Science Zone
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Making waves
This new initiative aims to protect marine mammals along the Kent coast and we need your eyes on the water.
© Thea Taylor
There’s a new wave of marine conservation making a splash along the Kent coast, and you can be part of it. The Kent Dolphin Project, a collaborative effort between the Sussex Dolphin Project and Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants (part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group), is working to better understand and protect whales, dolphins and porpoises (known collectively as cetaceans) in the county’s waters. By combining research, conservation, and community power, the initiative aims to give Kent’s marine life a voice, and a future.
Making sense of marine mammals in Kent
The main goal of this project is to identify the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Kent, which can then be used to inform effective strategies to protect Kent’s marine environment and its cetacean population.
While Kent may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of whales and dolphins, sightings are becoming increasingly common. Bottlenose dolphins have been seen navigating the River Medway and a humpback whale was even spotted off the coast of Deal. Past reports include pilot whales and minke whales cruising the coastline.
Building a baseline
The Kent Dolphin Project is currently conducting landwatch surveys to gather a baseline understanding of cetacean activity in the region. These surveys rely on volunteers who scan the sea from key coastal locations, helping to paint a clearer picture of marine mammal presence and behaviour.
Join the effort
The Kent Dolphin Project is seeking to build a network of trained volunteers along the coastline to help us collect vital data. Whether you’re a seasoned wildlife watcher or someone who loves a walk by the sea, you can help.
All you need to do is:
- Sign up for our short online training course
- Head out along the coast and start recording sightings
- Submit your data
Max’s work is primarily focussed around coastal and marine surveying and restoring important coastal habitats. Max also runs the Wildlife Trusts citizen science initiative Shoresearch, and is project lead for the Kent Dolphin Project, supporting Sussex Dolphin Project.
Returning pine martens
Once widespread across the country, pine martens have been missing from the South East for over a century. We hope that’s going to change. In a collaboration between Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Ashdown Forest and Forestry England, the South East Pine Marten Restoration Project is assessing the potential for restoring these secretive tree-dwellers in our region. As part of this, Kent Wildlife Trust’s Data and Modelling Officer Ella Lewis has been working to answer the critical question: is our landscape ready to welcome pine martens back?
What is a connectivity model?
The project began with a habitat suitability model, identifying which habitats in the South East would allow pine martens to find enough food, cover and space to live. One place stood out: the High Weald National Landscape, with its extensive mosaic of woodland habitats. But finding habitat is just part of the story. The next step is to create a connectivity and population viability model. Through data and mapping tools, we can determine how connected the woodland habitats are and how easily pine martens could move across the landscape, forming a resilient, connected population over time.
What have we found?
The model suggests that the High Weald has not just enough habitat to support a viable population, but also, in the longterm, a potential springboard for natural expansion westward into areas like the Sussex South Downs National Park. The model highlighted key natural corridors, such as hedgerows, riverside woods, and narrow woodland strips as important for facilitating long-distance movement across the landscape. To determine whether road traffic may be an issue for pine martens, we are conducting a road mortality survey this year.
Model results showing the average % likelihood that pine martens would occupy a woodland area across 100 years after being released into the High Weald.
Model results showing individual movement paths that could be taken by five pine martens in East Kent.
What happens now?
Now we know where pine martens could go, the project can start mapping their potential movement routes through the South East if reintroduced. If further ecological and social assessments confirm the feasibility of reintroduction, we can then prepare by identifying where we have strong wildlife corridors but also gaps where connectivity is lacking. This information will help us work with landowners and local communities to link habitats in the landscape, laying the groundwork for pine martens to successfully return.
Get involved
Welcoming pine martens back would be a landmark moment for wildlife in the South East, and we’ll need a community of passionate people to make it happen.
With a background in ecological modelling and GIS, Ella provides data support across various landscape projects including the South East Pine Marten Restoration project as well as Nature Based Solution opportunities through the Wilder Carbon scheme.
