The Deer Initiative
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The Deer Initiative |
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Deer Collisions | ||||||||
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Best Practice |
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September 2008 |
News update from Jamie Cordery, South East England Deer Liaison Officer
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Deer Management Groups, stalker co-operation, deer management advice I always try to attend the meetings of active deer management groups and FC ranger meetings in the region which helps both to keep me updated on local happenings and hopefully means that groups are kept updated on topics of general interest. Two recurring comments have been the continued success with fallow in the region and how useful the extended season has been in getting to grips with them. A number of groups now coordinate daytime counts in their areas, sometimes together with thermal imaging counts. Many private estates have contacted me about a variety of deer issues and the DI helped on one estate to co-ordinate a collaborative cull of a large number of fallow by local stalkers. I have been working closely with the National Trust, their policy for fallow on one site has every chance of success and could become a case study for wider application.
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Priority Areas The early Spring of 2007 was an intensely busy period as all of the repeat monitoring work was carried out then. We can now say with some confidence that on two sites deer impacts are either less of an issue or that the site could now be considered “favourable” with respect to deer impacts. On the Butterwood site the new deer larder has been installed and will be available for collaborative use should the fallow return in numbers. In the Bernwood area the situation is about the same with much to do, although the work done over that last year should mean that there is every chance of a reduction in deer impacts in the future. I would also like to thank again the multitude of landowners, agents, game keepers, foresters, wardens and others who made access possible and helped in thermal imaging. I am preparing progress reports for each of the sites and a series of meetings will be arranged before the forthcoming female season begins. 2008 will see the start of two new projects: A deer element to the Tytherley Woods project Funding for the deer management element of the Ashdown Forest Deer Group All areas that fall outside priority sites will, of course, still receive help and advice as required.
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Arne Peninsula and Purbeck I have been involved with Norman Healy (DLO SW) and the Poole Basin Deer Group in exploratory talks on funding deer management work on the Purbecks. The fitting of radio collars to sika by Bournemouth University has now been completed and monitoring is in progress. More information on this project can be found on the Wareham and District Development Trust website and also on the Bournemouth University website. The RSPB Arne Deer Management Project is already half way through a 5 year plan to improve the condition status of both the reserve and the welfare of the deer. To maintain this progress they are now in partnership with Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Deer Initiative to achieve a reduction in the density of the sika which are having a huge impact on the habitat of the reserve. The partnership will pull together all aspects of the work already in progress and improve the infrastructure of the deer management and habitat monitoring. Huge progress has been made towards bringing sika numbers down to a post-winter level of 400 animals, which is similar to the number recorded in Spring 2002, when serious concerns were first mooted. A regular review of impacts based on our ecological monitoring will inform further culling targets until it is established that an acceptable level of impact by deer has been achieved. At that point, the population would be maintained at that level by maintenance culling and the situation confirmed by further monitoring.
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Deer Vehicle Collisions The Deer Collisions Project is to continue, please visit their website for more information.
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Ashdown Forest The annual DI Partnership meeting and field visit was based on Ashdown Forest. The field day was made all the more interesting by a visit to Pippingford Park courtesy of Mr Alan Morriss. The deer collisions count for 2007 (311) was slightly lower than for 2006 but this was probably due to a smaller reporting area and staff shortages amongst the Ashdown Forest rangers, in reality the scale of the problem is still the same. New “cricket score” posters have been added to the deer signs to keep drivers updated monthly on the deer accident total for the year. The “Deer Warden Scheme” developed in conjunction with E.Sussex County Council (Dale Foden) and the Police was successfully launched in May with really good uptake throughout the county. The scheme will involve the training of volunteer wardens who will help to deal with injured deer on the roads. A thermal imaging survey was repeated on the Forest on a wet and windy night and counted well over 700 fallow deer. Again we were not able to cover the entire Forest and all of the immediate surrounding area. The Deer Group is hoping to organise an extensive daytime count with wide local participation either during the autumn or next spring. More details on the Ashdown Deer Group’s objectives and minutes of meetings are available on the Conservators of Ashdown Forest website.
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Disease Bluetongue Voluntary vaccination for domestic livestock has been carried out in the South East. There have, as yet, been no confirmed cases of bluetongue in wild deer. See the Defra website for the latest information about this disease.
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Funding and Grants For up to date information on FC funded grants please check the Forestry Commission website. SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) are in the process of confirming contracts with a number of Local Action Groups (LAG) covering much of the southeast. If you have plans for a project involving deer in the LAG areas it is well worth investigating the potential for funding. The process seems complicated at first but the local project officers are very good at guiding you through what is possible and now you might integrate your plans with other projects. “SEEDA has awarded £27 million Leader funding which will be distributed directly to 13 Local Action Groups (LAG). Each Local Action Group will receive delegated funding of between £1.6 million and £2.6 million for the period 2008 to 2013. It is these local groups who will decide where the share of the money goes, to ensure it fits local priorities. Each project can receive a grant of up to £50,000.”
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Best Practice The first England and Wales Deer Best Practice Guides were published on this website in January 2008. More guides will be added so keep checking the site regularly, the complete guide set should be available by December 2008. Background Wild deer management and issues arising from the presence of deer encompass a wide range of sometimes highly technical or involved subjects. It can be difficult for even experienced deer practitioners to keep abreast of developments. The purpose of the Best Practice project is to provide a single source of information to help make practitioners aware of:
The guides should help practitioners to feel that when following the guidance they are acting humanely, responsibly and effectively, carrying out their activities in a rational and considered way based on the best current information. The guides are compatible with the Deer Commission for Scotland Best Practice guides, are designed to support the Deer Stalking Certificate levels 1 and 2 and to reflect the National Occupational Standards where applicable.
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Talks and Seminars I attend and/or speak at a many events, more recent ones including: Surrey Woodland Forum Hants Woodland Forum Wiltshire BAP Natural England Condition Assessment training I am available for talks on deer subjects. If you have any suggestions for talks or seminars please let me know. |
Updated September 2008 |
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Deer Collisions | ||||||||
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Best Practice |