A public consultation begins today, 11 May, on a new code for deer management in Scotland.
Anyone with an interest in deer management is being encouraged to give feedback on the Code of Practice on Deer Management, developed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
The purpose of the code is to help all land managers and land owners, whether in the Central Belt or the Highlands of Scotland, to manage deer sustainably. The code supports the current voluntary approach to deer management. The consultation runs until 1 July.
Andrew Thin, SNH chairman, said: “Wild deer are an important part of Scotland’s ecology, economy and culture. Deer are managed in certain parts of Scotland to protect crops, trees and protected natural areas, as well as to reduce road accidents. Deer stalking also provides a valuable source of income to many fragile rural economies throughout Scotland. Balancing these different objectives presents a real challenge.”
The code provides guidance on how to manage deer sustainably and outlines the main environmental, economic and social actions associated with deer management. The code also sets out when SNH may intervene in deer management for the public interest.
SNH has developed the code with input from a range of organisations and people involved in land management. The code arises from the Wildlife and Natural Environment (WANE) (Scotland) Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament earlier this year.
Alastair MacGugan, SNH’s wildlife management manager, said: “I’d encourage anyone involved in managing deer to look at the code and let us know their thoughts. This guidance will help all of us to manage Scotland’s deer sustainably in a cooperative way – so it’s important we get input from all those involved to develop a workable and clear code.”
For more information and to respond to the consultation see the SNH website.
The consultation comes at the same time as the Mar Lodge Estate announced a major review of its deer policy as part of a wider management review. The Estate, near Braemar, is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland and currently operates partly as a sporting estate with deer stalking, but is also seeking to regenerate natural forest on the estate which has been affected by over-grazing. The National Trust for Scotland has appointed a review panel which will meet for the first time in May and will then call for submissions from interested parties before the final report is published.