ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WILD DEER
IN ENGLAND: CONSULTATION LAUNCHED
Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and
the Forestry Commission are beginning a public
consultation, on
future strategies for managing wild deer in England.
Deer are our largest wild terrestrial animals and a much valued part
of our natural heritage. In recent decades deer
have flourished, and
most of our wild deer species are increasing in
numbers and
geographical range. With a lack of natural predators,
the management
of the deer is an issue that we must address.
Deer, particularly at high densities, cause damage to agricultural
crops, woodland, conservation sites and residential
gardens, and can
pose a public safety hazard, for example, by causing
road traffic
accidents. It is difficult to accurately quantify
the economic impact
of this damage. However, the costs of road traffic
accidents may
amount to around £10.5 million each year.
More importantly, deer are
also implicated in around 14-15 human fatalities
on UK roads each
year.
Responding to the growth in the deer population and deer related
problems, the Government is to carry out a major
review of deer
management, focussing on the Government's role.
Minister for Nature Conservation, Ben Bradshaw, said:
"We want to ensure that we maintain a
healthy, sustainable population
of deer in England, while at the same time protecting
rural economic
interests, public safety and wider biodiversity
concerns. To achieve
this it is essential that we provide farmers,
foresters and others
who manage deer with a legal framework and expert
advice fit for this
purpose.
"This consultation is the opportunity for everyone involved or
interested in deer management to contribute to
this goal. The outcome
will help shape deer management for the foreseeable future. "
There are six deer species in the UK; the roe deer and red deer
are native species, while the sika deer, fallow
deer, muntjac and
Chinese water deer have all been introduced by
man. Total deer
numbers in England are thought to exceed 300,000.
The consultation can be found online at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wild-deer/index.htm
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