The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
SNH publishes critical review of deer management
REVIEW: SNH highly critical of current measures and hints that it may intervene
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has warned landowners that unspecified “additional measures” are likely to be required to prevent further damage being done to the environment by wild deer.
In a critical review of the effectiveness of current deer management published yesterday, SNH said the “mixed level of commitment” to cutting deer numbers did not provide confidence that desired environmental or wider public benefits would be achieved in the timescale required by the Scottish Government.
The review said recent efforts by the network of deer management groups across Scotland had improved performance and planning, and acknowledged that deer made an important contribution to the Scottish economy, particularly in rural areas.
However, it added that wider costs such as road traffic accidents caused by deer are high and have yet to be fully quantified.
The review states that deer population targets had only been met in half of the areas where agreements had been made to reduce numbers, and some deer management groups had not managed to deliver change on the ground.
It states: “Unless this is addressed, their capacity to deliver improvements to natural heritage outcomes through the implementation of effective deer management plans will be limited.”
In a hint that SNH may be considering more direct intervention in deer management, the report adds: “While we recognise that implementation of improved deer management planning will take time to lead to corresponding changes to the natural environment, the review indicates that longer-term improvements may not be forthcoming without additional measures to enhance sustainable deer management in Scotland.
“Work on options to address current deficiencies will require further discussion and collaboration with the deer sector and a range of stakeholders.”
The Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG) said it didn’t share SNH’s lack of confidence that the deer sector could meet the Scottish Government’s 2020 biodiversity targets.
Referring to the SNH report as “rather negative”, ADMG chairman Richard Cooke said the Government body had failed to use its statutory powers and had reduced funding for best practice initiatives.
He added that the merger of the Deer Commission for Scotland with SNH in 2011 and the break-up of the SNH wildlife unit had resulted in a distancing between practical deer management on the ground and those who advise the Scottish Government on policy.
Anne Gray, a senior policy officer at the landowners organisation, Scottish Land & Estates, appealed for more time to prove current measures were working.
She said: “Although the report does not provide definitive answers for how management should be progressed in future, deer management groups will be disheartened if their collaborative work is already being viewed as fruitless.”