A PROJECT to establish a deer-management plan for Co Wicklow, where the population of the animals is considered unsustainable, has been proposed by the Wicklow Deer Management Group.
The deer population in Wicklow and Dublin could be as high as 40,000, but no one is certain of the figure. The proposed pilot project is intended to establish the number involved.
The report, produced by consultants Purser Tarleton Russell and grant-aided by the Heritage Council, says deer are an important resource in Co Wicklow and, if sustainably managed, are of significant economic, social and heritage value to a wide variety of stakeholders.
“Unfortunately, current population levels of deer are considered unsustainable, resulting in economic and ecological damage and reduced sporting value,” it said.
It found red and hybrid deer distributions increased by 175 per cent between 1952 and 2008.
The Sika deer population increased by 767 per cent in the same period, while the number of fallow deer did not change.
While there was no verifiable data recording the deer population in the county, the latest count, carried out by aerial survey of 20,122 hectares in the autumn of 2009, showed densities ranging from three deer to 29 per sq km.
It said Coillte carried out counts in 2008 in certain areas, which showed between 22 and 44 deer per sq km. Hunting returns also gave an indication of numbers.
The deer densities recorded would be regarded as exceptionally high, the report added, and while there was no absolute figure for sustainable deer densities, evidence from other European countries suggests a range of between three and 10 animals per sq km.
The report said the number of deer shot by hunters in Wicklow had increased steadily, with 12,849 reported shot there in 2009, 44 per cent of all deer reportedly shot in the Republic that year.
It outlined the negative aspects of overpopulation of deer as loss of agricultural production; damage to forestry, farms and gardens; road traffic damage; biodiversity loss; health risks to cattle and welfare problems in wild deer herds.
It proposed establishing pilot deer-management areas at Ballinastoe and Ashford, at a cost of €46,800, which would set standards for management of the animals. The commissioning group represents deer societies, farmers, foresters and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.