How do you stop the spread of feral deer? Draw a line in the sand
By Laura Chung
The federal government has drawn a line in the sand for feral deer across much of Victoria, NSW and Queensland in a plan that will establish zones where populations will be eradicated to help prevent their spread from the east coast.
The new National Feral Deer Action Plan, released on Monday, outlines 22 moves to improve feral deer management in Australia that will stop the spread of large populations and reduce their impact.
The action plan will split parts of the country into four areas to help eradicate feral deer.Credit: Alex Maisey
Invasive Species Council spokesperson Dr Tiana Pirtle said the action plan was a potential game-changer in stopping the spread of deer.
“The proposal to establish a national containment zone to stop the westward spread of feral deer is our best chance to stopping wall-to-wall deer across the continent,” she said. “Feral deer have already taken over most natural areas on the east coast. Scientists now predict that, without serious action, feral deer will inhabit nearly every habitat across Australia.”
Pirtle said the plan needs to remove about 35 per cent of the feral deer population every year if numbers are to be adequately reduced.
“With potentially 2 million feral deer nationwide, that means at least 700,000 need to be removed annually just to keep the population stable. The current level of effort is well below that and the new resources are urgently needed.”
Many of the deer had already impacted World Heritage areas including in Tasmania, the Blue Mountains, the Gondwana Rainforests of northern NSW and southern Queensland and the Queensland Wet Tropics, she said.
In good conditions, deer populations can increase by up to 50 per cent each year, meaning that a small herd of 30 can grow to 500 in 10 years.
The containment zones will split parts of the country into four areas. Those in the orange zone have been deemed the biggest threat – this includes large parts of Victoria, NSW and parts of Queensland – and will be eradicated.
In some areas, tree guards might be installed around threatened plants where culling is not effective. In other cases, sound or light deterrents may be used.
The green zone will aim to prevent deer from spreading to these areas, and managing the populations that have established themselves. Management in these areas will be co-ordinated under a national program and facilitated by a co-ordinator, and with local and state initiatives and agencies. The black zone marks areas where deer are of no concern.
Peter Jacobs, Invasive Species Council officer in Victoria said deer in his state and Tasmania were still legally protected as a game animal, reflecting an outdated attitude to a serious invasive species.
Federal Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt said the federal government had invested $5 million in deer control projects.
Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said deer was the next rabbit of Australia’s feral species. “Feral deer do enormous damage to our native wildlife and precious places – they kill threatened species and damage critical habitat,” she said. “Our government is committed to protecting our precious species and leaving nature better off for our kids and grandkids.”
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