Research
Introduction
Formal research on wild deer in New Zealand began in the 1950's when questions were asked about the impact of deer and the way they were managed. Research has focused on:
- Monitoring the effectiveness of commercial hunting effort in reducing deer populations;
- Understanding the effectiveness of recreational hunting effort in reducing deer populations;
- Determining the long-term impacts of deer pressure by monitoring permanent enclosure plots.
Current Research Needs
The department believes that further research is needed to enable managers to make decisions on deer control using its decision support system. For example, managers will need information to make decisions about whether deer control is needed (and what level of control is required) to achieve the stated conservation outcomes for a particular site. Decisions will need to be made in the context of what other pest control work is required at that site.
Specific research is needed on:
- susceptibility of different species and ecosystems to deer browse;
- target density levels to achieve specific conservation outcomes;
- cost-effectiveness of deer control methods and better control techniques;
- monitoring methods;
- inter-relationships with other conservation pests.