THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE:
A secure future for Scotland's vital deer management sector
Deer management is widely recognised as a public good, linked to everything from biodiversity recovery to woodland restoration. The cost of this management – and the benefits it provides – is mostly managed by landowners who have long sought to offset some of this cost by selling stalking experiences. But fewer deer means fewer stalking opportunities, leaving landowners and deer stalkers asking the same question: how will deer management be sustained in future and who should foot the bill?
HART OF THE MATTER – WHO PAYS FOR DEER MANAGEMENT?
Scotland’s international nature commitments depend on effective deer management, but much of the cost currently falls on private estates. As deer numbers are reduced, the traditional stalking model that has historically provided estates with a source of income to help offset this cost is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Our story asks, who will bear the growing cost of deer management? – and offers an intriguing solution.
SEEKING SUSTAINABILITY
Our latest film from The Fiadh Project explores the changing economics of deer management – and how restoring nature can go hand in hand with sustaining rural jobs, skills and traditions.
