The challenge Deer management in Victoria is a complex issue and to date has lacked a clear and coordinated approach to managing the positive or negative impacts associated with their established presence in the landscape. Sambar, Fallow, Red and Hog deer are well established in Victoria and populations are continuing to increase, causing damage and spreading to new areas across Victoria at a rapid rate. It is not feasible to eradicate these species from the landscape using available control methods. Therefore, management needs to focus on minimising the negative impacts of deer, containing deer to their current geographic range, where feasible, protecting high priority biodiversity, social, economic, agricultural and cultural assets, and maximising the positives that can be gained from their presence.
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES Management of problem deer is restricted by the limited number of control options available. Information on options and the cost of each is also limited. Shooting and exclusion fencing are the most commonly used control methods, however, public safety risks can limit the use of firearms in some situations and fencing is costly. There is a need to undertake research and alternative methods of deer control. Management of problem deer in peri-urban areas can be challenging, due to restrictions on firearm use, limited availability of other control methods and a wide range of land tenures that make coordinated control difficult. Opportunities exist to educate land managers on appropriate control options and better understand road safety issues and how they can be mitigated. Traditional Owner involvement in deer management is currently limited. As custodians of the land, Traditional Owners attach great social, economic and spiritual value to the plants and animals on their Country. Native title determinations and settlement agreements recognise the relationship Traditional Owners have with their lands and waters and recognise them as equal partners in the management of Victoria’s natural resources. There is a need for more Traditional Owner involvement in deer management to limit impacts on their cultural values and create opportunities for involvement in management. are many knowledge gaps in relation to deer management. Examples of knowledge gaps are presented in Appendix C and should be considered priorities for research. However, the absence of this information should not preclude action from undertaken.
The opportunity for change The Management Zone Framework WHY MANAGEMENT ZONES? A coordinated, strategic and adaptive approach to deer management is required. Establishing a deer management zone approach is an important step to achieve this. This approach will enable stakeholders and land managers to identify community values or priority assets requiring protection and associated management objectives. What are the management zones? Zone Management objective Description Example management actions Land tenure Prevention Prevent deer from arriving and/or establishing where deer are not yet present or established within a predefined area. Surveillance to detect new incursions Immediate removal of new populations if detected Public and private land (at landholders discretion) Eradication Eliminate all deer from a defined area Areas where small, isolated populations are present, densities are low, eradication is feasible, and the likelihood of re- establishment is low. Intensive, targeted control program to remove deer Surveillance and monitoring Public and private land (at landholders discretion) Containment Prevent the further spread and establishment of deer beyond a predefined area (core population) and reduce the impact within the core Areas where eradication may not be feasible, but the expansion of populations and any increase in density is undesirable. Remove outlying (satellite) populations through a targeted control program. Reduce/maintain low deer densities and prevent range expansion through integrated management (e.g. targeted control program, cultural and recreational hunting) Public and private land (at landholder discretion). Asset Protection Reduce the negative impacts of established wild deer populations on priority assets Areas where deer are well established, and eradication is not feasible. Management efforts are focused on protecting priority environmental, agricultural, social or cultural assets. Control areas must be practical and feasible for real reductions to be achieved. Lower deer densities through intensive and targeted management such as an integrated approach using ground and aerial control programs, targeted recreational hunting, cultural hunting, and fencing of sensitive sites Public and private land (at landholders discretion) Resource management Deer are managed to take advantage of their social and economic benefits (e.g. hunting) not identified as a high priority for deer control. Recreational hunting provides a base level of ‘control’ however this doesn’t preclude land managers from undertaking deer control where needed to protect high value social, environmental and cultural assets. Alternative harvest regimes e.g. see Action 1.4.1 could be trialled in this zone Public land and private land (at landholders discretion)
How will the location of management zones be determined? The location of the management zones will not be determined in the final strategy. A key action of the draft strategy will be the development of a decision- making framework which will outline the process for management zone determination, including information requirements and sources, the process for community consultation, accountability and monitoring and evaluation requirements. The framework will be informed by deer distribution, available science and information on assets impacted by deer, and management cost-effectiveness. The location of management zones will be determined in consultation with the community through ongoing forums guided by the decision-making framework. Consideration will be given to identifying the areas in Victoria where it is most cost-effective to undertake deer control to benefit as many assets as possible, including multiples species and ecological communities. DELWP’s Strategic Management Prospects1 will be a key input for informing where deer control is most beneficial to protect biodiversity assets, including, for example, identifying where the control of other introduced herbivores is occurring and the benefits of aligning deer control with these programs. The Decision-Making Framework will consider opportunities to link with the Biodiversity Response Planning process established under the Biodiversity Plan 2037. How will the management zones be reviewed? Management zones will be reviewed in consultation with the local community periodically, as determined in the decision- making framework. There will also be the opportunity to amend management zones at any time in exceptional circumstances, for example, if there is an urgent need to invest in deer control to protect a threatened species or high cultural value species at imminent risk.