Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments: An International Perspective examines the conditions where humans and martens are compatible and incompatible, and promotes land use practices that allow Martes to be representatively distributed and viable.

All Martes have been documented to use forested habitats and 6 species (excluding the stone marten) are generally considered to require complex mid- to late-successional forests throughout much of their geographic ranges. All species in the genus require complex horizontal and vertical structure to provide escape cover protection from predators, habitat for their prey, access to food resources, and protection from the elements. Martens and the fisher have high metabolic rates, have large spatial requirements, have high surface area to volume ratios for animals that often inhabit high latitudes, and often require among the largest home range areas per unit body weight of any group of mammals. Resulting from these unique life history characteristics, this genus is particularly sensitive to human influences on their habitats, including habitat loss, stand-scale simplification of forest structure via some forms of logging, and landscape-scale effects of habitat fragmentation. Given their strong associations with structural complexity in forests, martens and the fisher are often considered as useful barometers of forest health and have been used as ecological indicators, flagship, and umbrella species in different parts of the world. Thus, efforts to successfully conserve and manage martens and fishers are associated with the ecological fates of other forest dependent species and can greatly influence ecosystem integrity within forests that are increasingly shared among wildlife and humans.

We have made great strides in our fundamental understanding of how animals with these unique life history traits perceive and utilize habitats, respond to habitat change, and how their populations function and perform under different forms of human management and mismanagement. This knowledge enhances our basic understanding of all species of Martes and will help us to achieve the goal of conserving viable populations and representative distributions of the world's Martes, their habitats, and associated ecological communities in our new millennium.

Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments: An International Perspective examines the conditions where humans and martens are compatible and incompatible, and promotes land use practices that allow Martes to be representatively distributed and viable. All Martes have been documented to use forested habitats and 6 species (excluding the stone marten) are generally considered to require complex mid- to late-successional forests throughout much of their geographic ranges. All species in the genus require complex horizontal and vertical structure to provide escape cover protection from predators, habitat for their prey, access to food resources, and protection from the elements. Martens and the fisher have high metabolic rates, have large spatial requirements, have high surface area to volume ratios for animals that often inhabit high latitudes, and often require among the largest home range areas per unit body weight of any group of mammals. Resulting from these unique life history characteristics, this genus is particularly sensitive to human influences on their habitats, including habitat loss, stand-scale simplification of forest structure via some forms of logging, and landscape-scale effects of habitat fragmentation. Given their strong associations with structural complexity in forests, martens and the fisher are often considered as useful barometers of forest health and have been used as ecological indicators, flagship, and umbrella species in different parts of the world. Thus, efforts to successfully conserve and manage martens and fishers are associated with the ecological fates of other forest dependent species and can greatly influence ecosystem integrity within forests that are increasingly shared among wildlife and humans. We have made great strides in our fundamental understanding of how animals with these unique life history traits perceive and utilize habitats, respond to habitat change, and how their populations function and perform under different forms of human management and mismanagement. This knowledge enhances our basic understanding of all species of Martes and will help us to achieve the goal of conserving viable populations and representative distributions of the world's Martes, their habitats, and associated ecological communities in our new millennium.

Mammals in the genus Martes are mid-sized carnivores of great importance to forest ecosystems. This book, the successor to Martens, Sables, and Fishers: Biology and Conservation, provides a scientific basis for management and conservation efforts designed to maintain or enhance the populations and habitats of Martes species throughout the world. The twenty synthesis chapters contained in this book bring together the perspectives and expertise of 63 scientists from twelve countries, and are organized by the five key themes of evolution and biogeography, population biology and management, habitat ecology and management, research techniques, and conservation.

Recent developments in research technologies such as modeling and genetics, biological knowledge about pathogens and parasites, and concerns about the potential effects of global warming on the distribution and status of Martes populations make new syntheses of these areas especially timely. The volume provides an overview of what is known while clarifying initiatives for future research and conservation priorities, and will be of interest to mammalogists, resource managers, applied ecologists, and conservation biologists.

Contributors: Alexei V. Abramov, Russian Academy of Sciences; Jon M. Arnemo, Hedmark University College, Norway; James A. Baldwin, USDA Forest Service; Jeff Bowman, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; Scott M. Brainerd, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Richard N. Brown, Humboldt State University; Steven W. Buskirk, University of Wyoming; Carlos Carroll, Klamath Center for Conservation Research; Joseph A. Cook, University of New Mexico; Samuel A. Cushman, USDA Forest Service; Natalie G. Dawson, University of Montana; John Fryxell, University of Guelph; Mourad W. Gabriel, Integral Ecology Research Center; Jonathan H. Gilbert, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission; Evan H. Girvetz, Nature Conservancy; Rebecca A. Green, USDA Forest Service; Daniel J. Harrison, University of Maine; J. Mark Higley, Hoopa Tribal Forestry; Eric P. Hoberg, USDA Agricultural Research Service; Susan S. Hughes, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Neil R. Jordan, Vincent Wildlife Trust; Anson V. A. Koehler, University of Otago; William B. Krohn, University of Maine; Joshua J. Lawler, University of Washington; Jeffrey C. Lewis, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; Eric C. Lofroth, British Columbia Ministry of Environment; Robert A. Long, Montana State University; Paula MacKay, Montana State University; Bruce G. Marcot, USDA Forest Service; Ryuichi Masuda, Hokkaido University; Marina Mergey, Universite de Reims Champagne-Ardenne; Vladimir Monakhov, Russian Academy of Sciences; Takahiro Murakami, Shiretoko Museum; Anne-Mari Mustonen, University of Eastern Finland; Petteri Nieminen, University of Eastern Finland; Cino Pertoldi, Aarhus University; Roger A. Powell, North Carolina State University; Gilbert Proulx, Alpha Wildlife Research & Management Ltd.; Kathryn L. Purcell, USDA Forest Service; Catherine M. Raley, USDA Forest Service; Martin G. Raphael, USDA Forest Service; Luis M. Rosalino, Universidade de Lisboa; Aritz Ruiz-Gonzalez, Universidad del Pais Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Hugh D. Safford, USDA Forest Service; Margarida Santos-Reis, Universidade de Lisboa; Joel Sauder, Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game;Michael K. Schwartz, USDA Forest Service; Andrew J. Shirk, University of Washington; Keith M. Slauson, USDA Forest Service; Brian G. Slough, Yukon Territory; Wayne D. Spencer, Conservation Biology Institute; Richard A. Sweitzer, University of California, Berkeley; Craig M. Thompson, USDA Forest Service; Ian D. Thompson, Canadian Forest Service; Richard L. Truex, USDA Forest Service; Emilio Virgos, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Tzeidle N. Wasserman, Northern Arizona University; Greta M. Wengert, Integral Ecology Research Center; J. Scott Yaeger, USDI U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Andrzej Zalewski, Polish Academy of Sciences; William J. Zielinski, USDA Forest Service; Patrick A. Zollner, Purdue University"