By Romy Stephens and Jed Lanyon
Environmental groups throughout the outer eastern suburbs and beyond have raised concerns about the State Government’s latest deer strategy.
The Government released the Victorian Deer Control Strategy on 30 October, about two years after the draft strategy was released.
The strategy will be kick-started with a $1 million investment to manage the growing problem of deer in the outer northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Ultimately, it aims to reduce the environmental impact of the state’s wild deer population, while maintaining hunting opportunities.
Cardinia Deer Management Coalition president Mike Hall said it was good to see the State Government recognise the severity of the problem.
But he said the strategy failed to urgently address the exponential growth in feral deer populations.
“We were all hoping the delay in the release of the strategy meant our serious concerns about the short-comings of the draft strategy were being addressed,” Mr Hall said.
“These hopes have been dashed, as the final strategy differs little from the original and these two years have effectively been wasted.
“Deer are still not listed as pests by the Government and have now had two extra years of population growth. This means greater numbers of deer are causing more environmental destruction, greater destruction of farmer livelihoods and an ever-increasing menace on our roads.”
“Even now, the Government still has no time frame, no targets and no guaranteed funding.”
Long-term member of the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Survey Group and PhD candidate on lyrebirds Alex Maisey said there were some positives to the strategy.
He said it was appropriate that land managers would no longer need to apply for a permit to control deer and that other control measures, such as poisoning, bio-controls and trapping, were mentioned.
However, Mr Maisey agreed that the strategy did not go far enough.
“It was a shame that while there was acknowledgement of New South Wales undertaking research, no proposal was made for Victoria to do its own research on control methods,” he said.
“Overall, the final plan seemed to be more truthfully stating the problems, but lacked any strong commitment to address these issues.
“Without significant funding of concrete, on-ground actions, I don’t see how the plan will help to address the deer crisis.”
According to the State Government, studies have shown some deer species were spreading to previously unoccupied areas in Victoria, and encroaching on peri-urban areas of Melbourne.
An outer suburban management plan will be developed under the strategy to address this issue.
This will see a partnership established between local councils, Parks Victoria and Traditional Owners to identify measures that reduce the impacts of wild deer and make roads safer.
“We’re taking action to control Victoria’s feral deer population and reduce the significant impacts they have on our native wildlife and biodiversity,” Energy and Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said.
“This strategy will address feral deer numbers in the outer suburbs of Melbourne to not only protect our environment but to increase public safety.”
Shadow Minister for Environment and Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence slammed the announcement, labelling it as a “plan to make more plans”.
“Their so-called strategy ‘replaces deer management zones with a Deer Control Framework’ but provides no immediate actions to protect our native environment and agricultural crops or reduce the risk of a serious road accident.
“Feral deer populations are out of control now, it’s no wonder local communities are fed up. I’m calling on Daniel Andrews and Labor to get out of their Metro bubble and take this problem seriously with practical solutions now to minimise the risk to lives and Victoria’s biodiversity.”
Victorian National Parks Association spokesperson Phil Ingamells said the $1 million in promised funding for deer control in Melbourne’s urban fringe was a “useful start.”
“But the strategy gives no guarantee that the program will deal with deer hotspots across the state, or any broad landscape control program, will continue. There are no targets or timelines in the plan,” he said.
Eildon MP Cindy McLeish said the funding falls short considering the enormity of the task ahead.
“I have little confidence that these strategies will be implemented in a timely manner given the release of this report is two years overdue,” she said. “During that time the deer population numbers have exploded, becoming increasingly difficult to control. The proof will be in the pudding.”
“It is estimated there are a million deer in Victoria. This investment is equivalent to $1 per deer which is very light on. Unsurprisingly the city centric Labor government has chosen to tackle areas closer to the city.”
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes added that the strategy would support recreational hunters.
“Under this new strategy, recreational hunters will have more opportunities to help with control programs on public land, continue to hunt in more areas and be able to ethically source wild venison.”
Invasive Species Council CEO Andrew Cox welcomed the investment, but called for “a focused, on-ground effort” to remove isolated populations of deer across the state,
“An earlier draft released two years ago was strong on promoting hunting and weak on deer control,” he said. “The release of this new strategy means Victoria finally has a pest control strategy rather than a deer protection strategy.
“There is a real sense of fear in the Victorian community that deer are taking over bushland, raiding farms and gardens and becoming serious dangers on our roads, but this strategy fails to reflect those community fears and lacks a sense of urgency,” he said.
“If the Victorian Government is serious about reducing the feral deer threat to our environment and farming and urban communities it must remove the protection of deer under the state’s Wildlife Act and declare feral deer a pest species.
To find out more about the Victorian Deer Control Strategy, visit www.environment.vic.gov.au/invasive-plants-and-animals/deer-control-strategy.
