Rising deer numbers drive decline in native forests [NZ]

Friday 31 Jul 2026

 
Ecologists are calling for a deer management strategy, as a new report finds the pests threaten native forests' regrowth.  A paper by the University of Canterbury published today revealed rising deer numbers are driving a slow decline in native forests.

Emeritus professor and the study's lead author David Norton said deer populations have grown back to levels seen in the 1950s and 60s.

He told RNZ the decline might not be visible straightaway, "Our mature canopy trees, whether they're podocarps or beech trees, they live for many decades and they're not going to necessarily disappear because of deer today. "But it's the regeneration that's coming away underneath that is a real concern," he said.

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Source: RNZ


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