Sharing Good Practice SNH 27/04/17 ECCLR Committee findings on - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Local Authorities and Lowland Deer: issues, priorities and problems

Sharing Good Practice – SNH 27/04/17

ECCLR Committee findings on lowland deer management

• There should be:
• better group structures and improved collaboration
• more proactive approach by LAs and Agencies
• Better supply chain for venison processing & marketing
• Robust data on numbers, densities, and impacts
• Concerned about:
• variation in levels of Local Authority engagement
• “encouragement” based approach, in terms of LA resource

prioritisation – more “statutory rigour” needed?

• DMGs and their representation through LDNS

South Lanarkshire Approach

• Essentially, not much of one!
• In common with many LAs, South Lanarkshire

Council has no formal policy on managing deer.

• However:
• we do recognise the issues
• we have an active local deer group with whom we

engage

• we are working to develop improved understanding of

deer issues through our Biodiversity Implementation Plan and Open Space Strategy

What do we know?

• Roe are widespread throughout South Lanarkshire
• Various control regimes in rural / peri-urban areas
• Most available, urban territories probably occupied
• C. 20 DVCs on M74 each year (Transport Scotland)
• Anecdotal and visual evidence of recent poaching
• Evidence of significant browsing impact in some

urban woodlands and protected sites

• Most people seem to view urban roe as positive

evidence of an “improving environment.”

What do we not know?

• Next to no formal data on population or distribution
• No consistent data on DVCs away from Trunk Roads
• No consistent data on habitat impacts
• No consistent data on crime & welfare incidents
• Little solid information on roe population dynamics

in urban settings In short: Little evidence that there is actually a problem (though there may well be one!)

Issues for Local Authorities

• Policy prioritisation: LA and partners (e.g Police)
• Resources: human and financial
• Decision making: legislation – clarity and defensibility
• Decision making: sensitivity of urban deer control
• Decision making: risk management
• Lack of supportive, empirical evidence
• Lack of in-house expertise
• Methodology - how do we actually manage urban

deer effectively, humanely and sustainably?

Issues - Ecology

• Roe Populations hard to estimate
• Woodland dynamics and management histories are complex

and it is often hard to isolate impacts of deer from other factors

• Red and roe deer differ greatly in ecology and behaviour and

require different policies and prescriptions. This must inform the concept of a “deer management system for Scotland.”

• The impact of urban habitat connectivity on roe population

dynamics and dispersal needs to be better understood.

Nocturnal count in Feb 2013 indicated about 47 roe

• ccupying South Lanarkshire

side of M74 corridor in Hamilton (c.165 ha)

• 20 DVCs per annum
• Poaching now increasing
• Woodland in poor condition

Possible Ways Forward

• Formalise LA engagement with and membership of DMG
• Develop LA level reporting system for DRIs: Roads &

Transportation; Cleansing; Environmental Protection; Police; SSPCA

• Improve collation of Wildlife Crime incident reporting across

LA, Police, SSPCA, etc.

• Recognised Habitat Impact assessment methods (challenging)
• Formalise Deer Management issues through inclusion in

biodiversity plans and open space strategies, etc.

• Planning and Land management: improve habitat

connectivity and green corridors