AUTHOR=Hare Darragh , Daniels Mike , Blossey Bernd TITLE=Public Perceptions of Deer Management in Scotland JOURNAL=Frontiers in Conservation Science VOLUME=2 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.781546 DOI=10.3389/fcosc.2021.781546 ISSN=2673-611X ABSTRACT=

In Scotland, large deer populations are associated with negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts, such as damage to peatlands and forests, agricultural and commercial forestry losses, Lyme disease transmission, and road accidents. Increasing the annual deer cull might help address these negative impacts, but could be ethically controversial. A stratified sample of adults living in Scotland (n = 1,002) responded to our online questionnaire measuring perceptions of deer management, including the acceptability of increasing the deer cull if doing so would help achieve a variety of ecological and social objectives. Overall, respondents indicated that it would be acceptable to increase the deer cull if doing so would serve public interests by reducing negative impacts of deer, with deer welfare, environmental conservation, and public health and safety being the most relevant ethical considerations. Although rural and urban respondents reported significantly different experiences and perceptions of deer, their values (i.e., attitudes, beliefs, and policy preferences) regarding deer management were very similar. Understanding values of the general public, beyond vocal interest groups, can help inform decisions on contentious wildlife management issues.