New study to support nature recovery through collaborative deer management in Affric Highlands

 

A collaborative approach

The study is a partnership between Rewilding Affric Highlands and Durham University, and further supported by the Association of Deer Management Groups. The research aims to support land managers in making informed decisions about how best to manage deer population densities, whilst effectively restoring Scotland’s natural landscapes at the same time.

This initiative will provide vital information to a diverse network of landowners within the Affric Highlands rewilding landscape, and further the knowledge of how red deer are interacting with a range of habitats, including native woodlands and peatlands.

“Red deer are a vital part of Scotland’s upland landscapes and rural economies – but increased populations have led to challenges in balancing ecological health, biodiversity, and land management objectives,” said Nicola Williamson, Affric Highlands’ field officer.

“Strengthening our understanding of how these iconic and ecologically important animals move across estates and habitats is key to recovering ecosystems and improving deer health. This in turn supports rural economies and livelihoods through skilled deer management, and sustainable sport and nature-based tourism.”

 

Innovative research

As Scotland’s largest surviving terrestrial mammal, the red deer is a keystone species that plays a crucial role in natural processes. These enigmatic herbivores shape the landscape by grazing grasses and sedges, browsing tree shoots and shrubs, and turning the soil through trampling and wallowing. Yet, without native predators such as wolves and lynx to manage their numbers, soaring red deer populations have become a major barrier to the large-scale natural regeneration of native woodlands. In some areas, deer densities exceed 40 animals per square km.

 

 

GPS-radio collars will be fitted to 22 male red deer in the South West Ross Deer Management Group area. There have been 12 deer collared to date, with a further 10 due to be fitted later this year. Six GPS-radio ear tags have also been deployed on red deer calves to provide data on female deer movements, and the partnership intends to tag more calves next spring.

“Through this innovative research, we’ll be tracking and mapping red deer movements to assess their seasonal migrations, home range sizes, and responses to human activities such as fencing, culling and commercial stalking,” says Dr Eilidh Smith, one of Durham University’s researchers.

“We’ll also conduct habitat surveys in areas where the GPS data reveals that deer have been foraging or sheltering, to analyse their environmental impacts.”

 

 

Sharing invaluable knowledge

The partnership aims to encourage a collaborative approach to deer management from those with varying land management practices, such as private estates and conservation organisations. So far, deer managers from 14 Scottish estates have contributed invaluable knowledge of deer behaviour and habitat use, built over decades of experience on the ground.

While deer management is a controversial topic in Scotland, gathering scientific data and ensuring that it is accessible to key stakeholders will support practical management of the species, whilst also improving deer welfare. In turn, nature recovery will be boosted at a landscape-scale by reducing grazing and browsing pressure.

 

 

“Taking part in the red deer collaring project with Nicola and Eilidh has been a great experience. We’ve worked together to locate, track, and fit GPS collars on the deer as part of this important conservation effort. This will give vital data about the deer’s habitat use and movement patterns, and it’s something I know a lot of stalkers will be very interested in,” said Arran Matheson, a contributing deer manager.

With support from the Association of Deer Management Groups, many land managers in the Scottish Highlands are now working towards more sustainable deer numbers. The data gathered during this research project will support an evidence-based approach. Rewilding Affric Highlands is working to secure additional funding for this inspiring initiative to provide and deploy more GPS-radio collars, and to process the data for use by land managers.

 

 

Invaluable support

Rewilding Europe’s work in our rewilding landscapes is supported by a wide range of highly valued partners. We would particularly like to acknowledge the German Postcode Lottery for their support and those providing core funding – notably the Ecological Restoration Fund, WWF-Netherlands, and Arcadia. Their longstanding support plays a critical role in enabling us to deliver and scale up rewilding impact.

 

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