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Cairngorms

CNPA addresses on deer impacts on natural heritage

20th November 2013

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) makes its submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee today (Wednesday 20 November) regarding Deer Impacts on the Natural Heritage.

Deer management and indeed venison is an important part of the Park’s economy, its land use, culture and history but it is important that deer are managed sustainably to ensure the Park’s valuable habitats don’t suffer as a result of overgrazing.

Will Boyd Wallis, the CNPA’s Head of Land Management and Conservation said: “Managing a wild resource across ownership units with widely varying objectives means that tensions in deer management are both varied and inevitable. However, since the Cairngorms Deer Advisory Group was set up in 2006, there has been significant progress made in bringing together all those with an interest in deer and helping to encourage a mutual understanding and better communication between all parties.

“We believe there is room in the National Park for deer densities to vary considerably and for a wide range of management objectives to be met, but 21% of the designated sites within the National Park are in still recorded by SNH as being in ‘unfavourable condition’. There is still work to be done if our most valued habitats are to be in good condition and contribute to national targets for nature conservation.”
“We believe that the scope and powers of the current legislation are sufficient if combined with greater support to deer managers to achieve the complex job that is asked of them.”