Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022-27 - Other - Page 37
A4. Deer and herbivore impacts
Deer are important species in the National Park, providing income, employment and enjoyment. However, we
need to reduce the impacts of deer and other herbivores in key areas of the National Park to enable peatland and
woodland work to proceed at the scale necessary to meet our climate and nature commitments. In particular,
we need to reduce deer numbers where they are having a significant impact on existing habitats or preventing
beneficial habitat change.
As an example, on peatland restoration sites with deer densities of between ten and 12 per km2, we regularly see
negative impacts and damage to restoration work. Given the scale of the task, the sensitivity of peat to trampling
and the slow-growing nature of our upland vegetation, it is difficult to conceive how we can restore significant
areas of eroded peat without deer reductions. Fencing many of these areas would be impossible and, even if it were
possible, the compensation culls associated with the fencing would be very large.
An average deer density across a deer management group area of five to eight per km2 will allow for differences
within a deer management group area for ecological restoration, sport shooting and so on, whilst helping to deliver
the overall objectives of the Partnership Plan.
There is a need to deliver public interest priorities (peatland restoration, woodland creation etc) alongside private
interests and build on the work to reduce deer numbers and impacts already happening in the National Park. We
also need to consider how best to support estates to deliver deer management targets and how best to support
stalking employment and the skills that will be needed to do this work over the long-term.
OBJECTIVE
Reduce the negative impacts of red deer and other herbivores across
the National Park to enable woodlands to expand, heather loss to be
reversed, peatlands to recover and wider biodiversity and landscape
enhancements to take place.
TARGET
•
Average open range red deer densities in each deer management
group are a maximum of five to eight per km2 by 2030.
•
Non-native sika and fallow deer will be contained within their
current distribution in the National Park by 2030.
INDICATOR
•
Impact of herbivores on Partnership Plan ecological restoration
targets (peatland, woodland and structural diversity in moorland).
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