There is broad support for regulated lethal control of wild deer to reduce their numbers and impacts among subscribers of nature organisations in England and Wales, a new study has found.
According to the research published in People and Nature , it was the most supported and widely used deer management practice.
The authors of the study from the University of Southampton, Bangor University (lead institution) and the University of Reading, believe that the findings may help nature organisations and decision makers feel more confident about recommending its use.
The researchers co-designed a questionnaire with nature organisations Forest Research, Woodland Trust, Sylva Foundation and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust to investigate perceptions toward wild deer and their management.
Of the 3,936 people surveyed, 85 percent either supported or strongly supported lethal control, followed by tree guards (82 percent), and deer fencing (69 percent).
The questionnaire was distributed to subscribers of five national nature organisations. Two of these organisations (Sylva Foundation; The Woodland Trust) focus on woodland management, while three (British Association for Shooting and Conservation; British Deer Society; Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) focus on wildlife management.
The research team, which also included academics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and University of Leeds, collected data from farmers, land managers, deer stalkers, foresters, conservationists, and people not involved in land management.
Wild deer populations are increasing across the northern hemisphere, posing challenges to the environment and people. As well as damaging food crops and trees, increased deer numbers are causing significant damage to the ecology of our woodlands reducing the diversity of plants, insects and birds that use these habitats.
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There are also concerns about more deer-vehicle collisions and disease transmission to livestock and humans.
In addition, increasing deer numbers present a challenge to UK government policies aiming to expand woodland cover and transition to net zero by 2050.
The work was funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) project iDeer, which is led by Dr Becks Spake , Associate Professor in Climate and Environmental Change at the University of Southampton. The purpose of the project is to enhance strategic woodland creation and management that minimises deer impacts.
Dr Spake commented: "Deer hold multiple values across society; ecological, cultural, aesthetic, and economic, yet they can also pose real challenges to tree planting. As we expand woodland creation to meet net zero targets, understanding how different groups navigate this tension is crucial.
"Our research shows that while there's broad support for management interventions, including lethal control, differing perspectives between neighbours can make collaboration challenging. Understanding diverse views is essential for developing landscape-scale strategies that work for diverse stakeholders and achieve woodland creation targets."
Postdoctoral Research Officer at Bangor University Dr Elena Cini said: "Increased densities and distributions of wild deer can threaten woodland creation and resilience and impact biodiversity through intensive grazing and browsing. This presents a challenge to government policies aiming to expand woodland cover and transition to net zero by 2050. Since wild deer are highly mobile, strategies to manage their populations, such as lethal control should be implemented across large areas to be effective. This requires cooperation between landowners and widespread public support."
Dr Freya St. John, Reader in Conservation Science at Bangor University said: "Most respondents reported having wild deer on their property, and experiencing deer impacts, such as damage to trees and hedges. Lethal control received strong support across our sample. However, differing opinions on deer and land management make it challenging for neighbours to collaborate on managing deer. Broad support for lethal control could help nature organisations and decision makers feel more confident about recommending its use, since they often depend on public backing."
