Species
(Cervus elaphus)
Conservation plan
In the Highlands, deer stalking is the primary source of revenue for some sporting estates. Very high local densities of more than 10 deer per square kilometre have been allowed to build up in upland environments and these depend on seasonal movements to low ground in winter. Afforestation and fencing of traditional wintering ground has led to conflicts of interests between forestry and stalking.
Additionally, the impact of red deer on the regeneration of native pinewoods and on heather moorland has increasingly become a conservation issue (6). Not only does their grazing significantly affect the ground cover but this, in turn, reduces the number of insects which form the staple diet of the chicks of many birds, especially gamebirds (6). Unfortunately, using fencing to protect the trees from deer can be counter-productive as fence wires are also a major cause of mortality for woodland grouse (7).
In parts of Devon and Somerset, it is argued that local support for stag hunting with hounds allows a large deer herd to be maintained. There is also a greater degree of tolerance to farming damage than would otherwise be the case. Elsewhere deer take a lower place in land management priorities because of the damage they cause to forestry and farm crops.
Both deer stalking on the open hill and stag hunting have an accepted and substantial value to the local economy. Red deer in low-ground forestry tend to have a high reproductive rate and grow to a large size (75% larger than upland animals and with correspondingly bigger antlers). This gives them value in terms of sport (trophy) fees and in the returns from venison.
This can justify:
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Designing the forest so that deer stalking for sport or control can be done efficiently
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Managing the deer herd at a slightly higher density than would be tolerable if they were regarded purely as pests.
However, the price of venison varies and it has been shown by modelling that managing deer at low densities is not incompatible with maintaining revenue from forest
stalking (8).
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Research needs
In Britain, less is known about the effects of management on red deer populations than about natural processes of population regulation (2),(9). The management practice that most directly affects deer populations is culling and there is an urgent need for management-orientated research to address the following issues.
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Practical demonstrations are needed to show that lower hind densities are beneficial to the deer herd and to the habitat, as has been shown in theory (8). Currently, to reduce over-grazing, sporting estates are being asked to increase their hind culls. However, owners are concerned that this may result in fewer stags and a loss in revenue and capital value.
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The effects of population density on dispersal of both stags and hinds requires study. Movement of deer into areas of low density created by heavy culling or movements of mature stags to areas of high hind densities may disrupt current stalking practice.
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The effect of reduction in deer numbers, currently practised on many estates, on vegetation recovery needs investigating.
Conservation actions
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Deer-managers need to define optimum stocking levels, taking account of conservation needs as well as sporting requirements. Current numbers of red deer are generally too high so vegetation is being damaged and forest regeneration prevented.
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The development of local Deer Management Groups is essential and must be fostered. Red deer are highly mobile and individual populations inevitably cover many separate land ownerships. This system is already in place in much of Scotland.
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Greater control is needed at the point of sale of venison. Using a mandatory tagging system would reduce unacceptable levels of poaching.
Sources and references
1 Clutton-Brock, T.H., Guinness, F.E. & Albon, S.D. (1982) Red deer: Behaviour and Ecology of Two Sexes. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
2 Clutton-Brock, T.H. & albon, S.D. (1989) Red Deer in the Highlands. BSP Professional Books, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
3 Ratcliffe, P.R. (1987)Red deer population changes and the independent assessment of population size. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London, 58: 153-65.
4 Staines, B.W. & Ratcliffe, P.r. (1987) Estimating the abundance of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) and their current status in Great Britain. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London, 58: 131-52.
5 Anon. (1984) Red Deer and the Natural Heritage: SNH Policy Paper. Scottish Natural Heritage, Edinburgh.
6 Baines, D. (1986) The implications of grazing and predator management on the habitats and breeding success of black grouse Tetrao tetrix. Journal of Applied Ecology, 33: 54-62.
7 Baines, D. & Summers, R.W. (1997) Assessments of bird collisions with deer fences in Scottish forests. Journal of Applied Ecology, 34: 941-948.
8 Buckland, S.T., Ahmadi, S., Staines, B.W., Gordon, I.J. & Youngson, R.W. (1996) Estimating the minimum population size that allows a given number of mature red deer stags to be culled sustainably. Journal of Applied Ecology, 33: 118-30.
9 Mitchell, B., Staines, B.W. & Welch, D. (1977) Ecology of Red Deer. A Research Review Relevant to their Management in Scotland. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Cambridge.
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