New report says deer do ‘high levels of damage’ to waterways

Deer living in protected wetlands are causing “high levels of damage” by grazing wetland plants and eating farmers’ crops, a report has said.

The study was commissioned by the Broads Authority, which is responsible for managing the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a UK National Park.

The report warned there is a need for “immediate action” to control numbers.

Experts used thermal imaging to track the movements of the deer and estimated about 4,500 live in the Broads. Chinese water deer were the most populous (1,997), followed by red deer (1,172), muntjac (1,028) and roe deer (255). The report also highlighted crop damage on fields adjacent to waterways.

Technical adviser to the British Deer Society, Charles Smith- Jones, told ST: “Sadly this is not a localised issue but it underlines the importance of keeping deer numbers in balance with the habitat available. It also highlights the value of drones and thermal imaging technology for not just counting deer but actually identifying the individual species present. 

“Deer are an important part of our ecology which demand intelligent management based on accurate information. Cooperation between all of the stakeholders concerned is vital so that local interests are properly taken into account.”