Background
Photo: Neil McIntyre
The majestic red deer is a famous icon of Scotland’s natural heritage and plays an important role in the sustainability of rural economies. However, increasing densities of deer in some areas has had detrimental impacts on valuable habitats. The most obvious example of this is the prevention of natural regeneration of native woodland due to heavy browsing pressure.
Deer densities, and their impacts, are influenced by weather, habitat quality and competition with domestic stock as well by deer management approaches. Currently, we do not know how the health and performance of deer populations in Scotland is affected by these factors. As a result we cannot predict what impact changes in climate and land management will have on deer populations themselves or on the habitats that they affect. It is therefore very difficult to provide advice on what constitutes sustainable deer management.
To predict how deer populations across Scotland will respond to future changes in both climate and land use, we first need to monitor their performance and health under a wide range of current environmental conditions and deer and habitat management approaches. The resulting data can be used to build models that will allow the prediction of deer health and population dynamics under a given climate, habitat quality and land management regime.
Research
Photo: Neil McIntyre
In 2008, The Scottish Government, via the Scottish Natural Heritage (formerly the Deer Commission for Scotland), commissioned the Macaulay Institute and Forest Research to develop a suite of measures of deer performance and health. The project focused on open-hill red deer populations in Scotland and the information was to be collected by stalkers from culled deer.
The project team identifed those measures that could be measured with the greatest consistently and that provided the most useful management data. This information has been used to produce a robust monitoring system that can be easily used by stalkers.
Nineteen estates have taken parting the project and their stalkers have been trained and audited in the use of the protocol. To provide the background management information, each estate is asked to complete a questionnaire annually and to collect information on deer numbers and calf:hind ratio.
The project team is advised by a Steering Group consisting of individuals with many years of experience of research and deer management.
Contact
Dr Helen Armstrong
Centre for Human and Ecological Sciences
Forest Research
Northern Research Station
Roslin
Midlothian EH25 9SY
Tel: +44 (0)131 445 6954
Fax: +44 (0)131 445 5124
Email: helen.armstrong@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
