Workshop Proceedings: Proceedings of the National Feral Deer Management Workshop Report prepared for the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre’s Terrestrial Products and Strategies Program Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. The material presented in this report is based on sources that are believed to be reliable. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of the report, the author gives no warranty that the said sources are correct and accepts no responsibility for any resultant errors contained herein, any damages or loss whatsoever caused or suffered by any individual or corporation. Published by: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Postal address: University of Canberra, ACT 2600. Office Location: University of Canberra, Kirinari Street, Bruce ACT 2617. Telephone: (02) 6201 2887 Facsimile: (02) 6201 2532 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.invasiveanimals.com Web ISBN: 978-0-9806716-9-8 © Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre 2009 This work is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits fair dealing for study, research, information or educational purposes. Selected passages, tables or diagrams may be reproduced for such purposes provided acknowledgement of the source is included. Major extracts of the entire document may not be reproduced by any process. This document should be cited as: McLeod S R (2009) ‘Proceedings of the National Feral Deer Management Workshop’, Canberra, November 2005, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra. ii Workshop Proceedings: What are the issues for the management of wild deer in Australia? November 2005, Canberra Edited by: Dr Steven McLeod, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries iii iv Foreword Wild deer are an emerging pest management problem in Australia. Unfortunately there is no consensus on how best to manage deer as they continue to expand their range and increase in density. Recreational hunters and deer farmers view them as a highly valued resource and commodity. Other groups (such as primary producers, disease management agencies, conservation agencies, horticulturalists) view them as a potentially serious pest. The conditions under which wild deer are either a valuable resource or a pest are not clearly understood. The implications of such differences in perceived resource value also require investigation for effective coordinated management. Pest management agencies have been slow to react, probably due to the fact that the issues surrounding the management of deer in Australia are not clearly understood. A workshop, held in Canberra on 9 and 10 November 2005, brought stakeholders together to openly discuss their goals for the management of deer in Australia. The participants were invited to submit both spoken presentations and written papers explaining their position on, aspirations and goals for, the management of wild deer. The proceedings of the workshop will form a useful and unique reference document for the development of understanding, and for policy development and research agendas. Aims and Objectives 1. To record the aims, objectives and aspirations of the main stakeholder groups that have an interest in the management of wild deer in Australia. 2. Identify knowledge gaps in the management of wild deer in Australia. 3. Use this information to provide direction for research. 4. Promote communication between stakeholder groups. Stakeholder groups that participated included: • recreational hunters, various hunting organisations, Sporting Shooters Association • deer farmers • government (state) pest management agencies (including Livestock Health and Pest Authorities <LHPA> and Game Council of NSW) • R&D corporations and government funding agencies (RIRDC, DEH, BRS), • scientists (with in depth knowledge of the management of deer, from the UK and NZ, and also Australia) • animal welfare agencies (RSPCA) • disease management agencies (DAFF) • government conservation agencies (state NPWS) • government policy developers • local government (eg councils) These proceedings have been published to provide a permanent record of the aims, objectives and aspirations of each stakeholder group. The proceedings will be a useful reference for the development of research priorities. v vi Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................... v Contents ................................................................................................................................... vii Workshop Summary: The Big Issues ......................................................................................... 1 Workshop papers ....................................................................................................................... 5 How can research contribute to the management of wild deer in Australia? ...................... 7 The Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage and the management of deer in Australia ....................................................................................... 22 Bureau of Rural Sciences/National Feral Animal Control Program (NFACP) perspective on wild deer management .............................................................................. 26 Management of deer: RSPCA Australia perspective ......................................................... 30 Wild deer in Western Australia: A review of the current issues ......................................... 32 Management of Deer in Victoria ........................................................................................ 45 Deer management in Queensland ..................................................................................... 51 Wild deer in Tasmania – exotic pest or valued resource? ................................................. 60 Wild deer in South Australia: position paper for National Deer Workshop ........................ 68 Management of Fallow Deer on Kangaroo Island ............................................................. 72 Feral deer situation in the ACT .......................................................................................... 78 The changing policy environment for red deer management in Scotland: from enterprise to societal needs, from individual to cooperative management ........................ 80 What can Australia learn from deer management overseas? ........................................... 86 Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in New Caledonia: overview of current research and management perspectives .......................................................................................... 90 Participatory methods for enhancing deer management ................................................... 95 Wild deer in SE Queensland – graziers’ pest or charismatic megafauna? ..................... 100 An evaluation of the status and management of wild deer in Australia in 2005 .............. 110 Science based management of wild deer in Australia: A case study – rusa deer in the Royal National Park ...................................................... 116 The Game Council NSW and its emerging role in game (including wild deer) and feral animal management in NSW ............................................................................ 123 Australian Deer Association .............................................................................................127 Wild Deer In Queensland ................................................................................................. 130 The Australian Deer Research Foundation Ltd ............................................................... 149 Position statement: Sporting Shooters Association of Australia ...................................... 152 Issues for the management of wild deer in Australia ....................................................... 154 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 156 vii viii Workshop Summary: The Big Issues A number of themes emerged from the workshop. They were: • prevention of new populations • sustainable opportunities for cultural and heritage valued hunting • cost effective control techniques • sound understanding of behaviour and ecology of deer • relationships between density and impacts • management needs to be informed by targets and impacts • policies fail due to lack of technical knowledge Project Proposals Workshop participants suggested the following list of potential projects as worthy of investigation (the list is not in order of priority). Project title Develop a risk assessment tool to make decisions on keeping deer in new areas. Background There is a need to assess the risk of keeping deer in new areas so regional groups can make a decision to issue licences for deer or to set appropriate conditions based on risk. 1 General Approach • needs to be done with the support of the deer industry • use current Goat Risk Assessment tool in South Australia as a guide • look at risk factors for deer • develop decision tool. Project title Understanding the values and motivations of deer releasers. Background • need to understand: i) who/how many; ii) why. • understanding will lead to development of effective education/regulation/incentives. General Approach Interviews with known/admitted