FERAL DEER - OUR NEXT RABBIT?
In just 30 years, farmers have seen feral deer go from being a novel addition to the landscape to a widespread and established pest across much of Australia. The spread of feral deer across Australia is leading many farmers and conservationists to regard them as Australia's next rabbit.
A feral deer workshop was held on Saturday 28 January 2023 at YYLN HQ. This event followed on from a hugely popular talk at the AGM by Peter Jacobs, Deer Project Officer for the Invasive Species Council on the threat of deed throughout Victoria (see video here.) To combat the impact of feral deer to our shared environment and to our agricultural systems, YYLN has been seeking input from the community on the threat of deer in our region. This input is important for scoping the extent of the feral deer problem in the region, and informs potential development of a feral deer management program. Shannon Evenden, National Deer Management Support Officer at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, talked to us about the rising threat of feral deer, how the National Feral Deer Action Plan is approaching this threat and the critical role of community deer management in tackling the issue. Notes of the meeting are available here. Follow-up action from the Workshop included: 1. encouraging all members to record feral deer sightings on FeralScan to enable us to monitor numbers, and 2. seeking to establish a mechanism for connecting harvesters with landholders wishing to control feral deer numbers on their property. Given our shared borders, YYLN has been liaising closely with the South Gippsland Landcare Network - a network which has been tackling the deer challenge for some time (https://www.sgln.net.au/2022/11/29/expansion-of-tarwin-landcares-community-deer-control-group-cdcg/) Additional Information: For more information, please contact: Belinda Brennan, Executive Officer , YYLN Email yyln@wgcma.vic.gov.au Phone 0409 004 901 |
GIPPSLAND COMMUNITY DEER FORUM
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