Identifying knowledge gaps about Australia’s wild deer populations and their affect on the agriculture industry, including livestock, was a key focus at a recent workshop in Adelaide led by NSW Department of Primary Industries.
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The National management workshop drew in representatives from all states and the ACT to prioritise wild deer management and reduce negative impacts on agriculture, the environment and communities.
NSW DPI research officer and workshop organiser, Dr David Forsyth, said the workshop identified a need for cost-effective and socially acceptable wild deer management practices.
“We first need to better understand the six introduced deer species, which are now wild in the Australian environment,” he said.
“The workshop identified four key areas of research to better manage their impacts on the community, environment and agriculture.
“Targeted research areas we identified were to measure impacts, explore current management tools and systems, monitor deer distribution and numbers, and focus on community engagement.”
Shooting, fencing, trapping and guardian dogs were identified as part of the toolbox to manage wild deer.
“Filling in the knowledge gaps, in particular the current impacts of wild deer on agriculture and how those impacts change with deer density, will allow us to target areas where we can better manage deer to reduce undesirable outcomes,” Dr Forsyth said.
“We need to evaluate emerging technologies, including thermal imaging and sophisticated species recognition technology, to identify the most cost-effective ways to monitor and manage wild deer,” he said.
“By prioritising high-impact research and innovation, we aim to give the community tools to protect people, agriculture and the environment.”
Dr Forsyth said globally wild deer cause negative economic, social and environmental impacts and some of these are being reported in parts of Australia.
“Contamination of water sources, damage to infrastructure, livestock, crops and pastures, are some of the issues which have been reported here,” he said.
Industry speakers, Dave Ramsey, Jemma Cripps and Carlo Pacioni, Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, spoke of wild deer spreading disease and causing risk to livestock.
Their findings indicated the transmission of pathogens between wildlife populations and livestock is a widely recognised threat to agricultural industries and human health globally.
Further more, wild deer share multiple pathogens and parasites with livestock that can result in cattle, sheep and goats contracting Foot and Mouth Disease, Brucellosis, bovine Tuberculosis and Johne’s Disease.
Illawarra makes a dent in deer populations
Michelle Dawson, South-East Local Land Services, NSW, revealed since the introduction of the Northern Illawarra Wild Deer Management program in 2011, a stable or downward trend in impacts has occurred.
Ms Dawson said the core problem was that the number and distribution of deer were increasing, resulting in numerous negative impacts.
The program manages deer numbers primarily through ground shooting by professional contractors across multiple land tenures, including 347 individual landholdings.
Another step towards National wild deer management is the new biosecurity legislation which was recently passed through parliament and due to commence soon to provide mechanisms to reduce the impact of growing wild deer populations.
National wild deer management researchers are currently looking locally and overseas to fill in the knowledge gaps identified by the recent workshop held in Adelaide.
In Australia, deer populations of several species are well-established and increasing in geographic range and the workshop was held to identify national priorities for research and innovation to improve understanding and management of wild deer impacts in Australia.
The National Wild Deer Management Workshop was supported by the Australian and NSW governments, and the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre.
