World distribution and status of the genus Martes in 2000

Abstract

The genus Martes is comprised of 7 species of martens, sables and fishers, most of them forest-dwelling animals with valuable fur, distributed throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The pine marten (Martes martes) is indigenous over most of Europe, from Mediterranean biotopes to Fennoscandian taiga, and to western Siberia and Iran. It is found in insular wooded areas, shrublands, and coniferous forests. The stone marten (M. foina) occurs from Mongolia and the northern Himalayas to most of Europe. It frequents forests, woodlands and pastures, and is expanding in suburban and urban areas. The sable (M. zibellina) occurs in Russia, Mongolia, China, North Korea, and Japan. Over most of its distribution, the sable inhabits coniferous taiga forests with late seral attributes. The yellow-throated marten (M. flavigula; including the Nilgiri marten, M. gwatkinsi) occurs in sub-tropical and tropical forests from the Himalayas to eastern Russia, south to the Malay Peninsula and Sunda Shelf to Taiwan. The Japanese marten (M. melampus) occurs in forests of the main Japanese archipelago and the Korean peninsula. The American marten (M. americana) occurs in large contiguous populations in forested habitats of North America north of 35° latitude. It is associated with mesic coniferous and mixed forests with overhead cover and structural complexity near the ground. The fisher (M. pennanti) occurs in large contiguous areas across Canada, and in disjunct areas within the United States, north of 35° latitude. Whereas the distribution of Martes significantly expanded in many parts of the world over the last 20 years, largely due to several reintroduction programs, many populations are threatened by habitat loss and alteration. There is a need to develop cost-effective survey methods, monitor populations and fur-harvest activities, and assess the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance agents on habitat use by Martes species.