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 Description Example management Land tenure objective actions Prevention Prevent deer from where deer are not yet Surveillance to detect Public and arriving and/or present or established within a new incursions private land establishing predefined area. (at landholders Immediate removal of new discretion) populations if detected Eradication Eliminate all Areas where small, isolated Intensive, targeted control Public and deer from a populations are present, densities program to remove deer private land defined area are low, eradication is feasible, (at landholders Surveillance and monitoring and the likelihood of re- discretion) establishment is low. Containment Prevent the further Areas where eradication may not Remove outlying (satellite) Public and spread and be feasible, but the expansion of populations through a targeted private land establishment of populations and any increase in control program. (at landholder deer beyond a density is undesirable. discretion). Reduce/maintain low deer predefined area densities and prevent range (core population) expansion through integrated and reduce the management (e.g. targeted impact within control program, cultural and the core recreational hunting) Asset Reduce the Areas where deer are well Lower deer densities through Public and Protection negative impacts established, and eradication is not intensive and targeted private land of established wild feasible. Management efforts are management such as an (at landholders deer populations focused on protecting priority integrated approach using discretion) on priority assets environmental, agricultural, social ground and aerial control or cultural assets. Control areas programs, targeted must be practical and feasible for recreational hunting, cultural real reductions to be achieved. hunting, and fencing of sensitive sites Resource Deer are managed not identified as a high Alternative harvest regimes Public land and management to take advantage priority for deer control. e.g. see Action 1.4.1 could be private land of their social and Recreational hunting provides a trialled in this zone (at landholders economic benefits base level of however discretion) ‘control’ (e.g. hunting) this doesn’t preclude land managers from undertaking deer control where needed to protect high value social, environmental and cultural assets.
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)
Deer_Management_Strategy_Word_New.docx