A drastic culling of deer may not be the best strategy to arrest erosion of heather cover.
Abstract
Grazing by hill sheep and red deer prevents the regeneration of woodland in many parts of the Scottish Highlands and has also led to extensive loss of heather cover1,2,3. Conservation bodies claim that there has been a rapid rise in Highland deer numbers caused by inadequate management and that these need to be drastically reduced4. Here we show that the recent increase in red deer stocks has probably been overestimated and suggest that the gradual rise in numbers since 1970 may be a consequence of a reduction in sheep stocks and of changes in winter weather, rather than of a reduction in culling rate. Although there would be environmental benefits in reducing deer numbers, there is an equal need to reduce the numbers of hill sheep in many parts of the Highlands.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mitchell, B., Staines, B. W. & Welch, D. Ecology of Red Deer: A Research Review Relevant to their Management in Scotland (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Cambridge, 1977).
Beaumont, D., Dugan, D., Evans, G. & Taylor, S. in Our Pinewood Heritage (ed. Aldhous, J. R.) 73–95 (Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, 1994).
Milne, J. A., Birch, C. P. D., Hester, A. J., Armstrong, H. & Robinson, A. The Impact of Vertebrate Herbivores on the Natural Vegetation of the Scottish Upland: A Review (Scottish Natural Heritage, Edinburgh, 1998).
Hunt, J. F. Impacts of Wild Deer in Scotland: How Fares the Public Interest? (Report for WWF Scotland and RSPB Scotland, 2003).
Hart-Davis, D. Monarch of the Glen (Cape, London, 1978).
Clutton-Brock, T. H. & Albon, S. D. Red Deer in the Highlands (Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, 1989).
Clutton-Brock, T. H. & Albon, S. D. Nature 358, 11–12 (1992).
Clutton-Brock, T. H., Crawley, M. J. & Milner, J. M. in A Highland Deer Herd and its Habitat 237–255 (Red Lion, London, 2002).
Milner, J. M., Alexander, J. & Griffin, C. in A Highland Deer Herd and its Habitat 109–146 (Red Lion House, London, 2002).
Hester, A. J., Iason, G. R., Stolte, A. & Sim, D. Vegetation Survey: Abernethy Forest RSPB Reserve (RSPB Reserve, Edinburgh, 1998).
Darling, F. F. A Herd of Red Deer (Oxford Univ. Press, 1937).
Caughley, G. in Rangelands: A Resource under Siege (eds Joss, P. J., Lynch, P. W. & Williams, O. B.) 135–140 (Australia Academy of Science, 1986).
Caughley, G. in Problems in Management of Locally Abundant Wild Animals (eds Jewell, P. A., Holt, S. & Hart, D.) 7–19 (Academic Press, New York, 1981)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
Though the authors have no direct financial interest in deer management, in the course of their research they have received financial or logistic support from several bodies with interests in deer management (including the British Deer Society, the Highlands and Islands Development Board, the Deer Commission (Scotland), Scottish Natural Heritage and the Macauley Institute, as well as from two private estates). These bodies have diverse views on problems of deer management and have in no case sought to influence the authors’ position on the issues discussed in this paper.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clutton-Brock, T., Coulson, T. & Milner, J. Red deer stocks in the Highlands of Scotland. Nature 429, 261–262 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/429261a
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/429261a
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Spatial and temporal variations in interspecific interaction: impact of a recreational landscape
European Journal of Wildlife Research (2022)
-
Using imperfect data in predictive mapping of vectors: a regional example of Ixodes ricinus distribution
Parasites & Vectors (2019)
-
Investigating the loss of recruitment potential in red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus): the relative importance of hen mortality, food supply, tick infestation and louping-ill
European Journal of Wildlife Research (2014)
-
Long-term density-dependent changes in habitat selection in red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Oecologia (2013)
-
Exploring beliefs behind support for and opposition to wildlife management methods: a qualitative study
European Journal of Wildlife Research (2012)