Impacts of introduced deer in Victoria
Authors
Jordan O Hampton and Naomi E Davis
Abstract
Four species of introduced deer have established wild populations in Victoria. These populations can exert negative impacts on biodiversity, agriculture and public health, particularly where they occur at high densities. Biodiversity impacts primarily relate to the direct effects of grazing/browsing, wallowing and trampling on the structure and composition of indigenous floral communities, possibly resulting in indirect impacts on fauna and ecosystem processes. Agricultural impacts include damage to crops and competition with livestock, damage to infrastructure and potential transmission of livestock diseases. Public health impacts include vehicle collisions and transmission of zoonotic pathogens in drinking water catchments. We provide a brief review of these impacts in Victoria and show that they are widespread across the state. While the existing evidence is limited, this is an active field of research, and comparative and experimental studies will help to address knowledge gaps and assist with the development of strategies for managing the impacts of deer in Victoria. (The Victorian Naturalist 137 (6), 2020, 276–281)
