The Fiadh Project
COMMON GROUND
THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE:
Recognition that all interest groups respect and value red deer.
Deer management in Scotland has often been hampered by a lack of consensus, with opinions differing about how deer – and the impacts linked to their presence – should best be managed. But despite these differences, common ground exists, rooted in the respect all deer stalkers show for these special animals and their shared understanding that deer are an essential part of the Scottish landscape.
This common ground - and the potential it yields for improved collaboration across the sector - is celebrated here in the story and film featured below, in the first of five mini-campaigns planned as part of the Fiadh project.
DEER TO ME
As a deer stalker, Jack Ward’s job is to monitor deer and regulate their impacts. And like every deer stalker, Jack has enormous affection for the animals he must sometimes shoot.
Deer management in Scotland can provoke strong – and sometimes opposing – views. But Jack’s story challenges assumptions: about deer, the land and what it really means to care for both.
ESSENTIAL BEASTS
Deer are a critical component of Scotland’s ecosystems, contributing to a host of vital natural processes. But in modern Scotland, their numbers need managing.
Deer stalkers can differ in terms of their approach to deer management, but, as this film reveals, they are all united by one thing - the admiration, affection and respect they all share for this essential beast.
