The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is looking to protect Victoria’s unique native flora and fauna and Aboriginal cultural heritage with the launch of two plans relating to deer.
Welcoming the new East and West Deer Control Plans, Minister for Environment, Ingrid Stitt said the regional strategies aimed to reduce the threat deer posed to Victoria’s natural environment.
“The East and West Deer Control Plans are five-year plans that focus on preventing new populations from establishing, along with measures on how to effectively protect native species, waterways, national parks and reserves from deer,” Ms Stitt said.
“The Plans will provide public land managers and the community with a suite of practical tools for targeted deer action, including on-ground shooting programs, fencing to protect threatened plants and animals, and monitoring tactics to ensure the actions put in place are effective,” she said.
“The Plans were developed in collaboration with Traditional Owners, land managers, local government and conservation organisations, as well as with hunting groups and community representatives.”
Ms Stitt said the new plans were part of the State’s four-year funding allocation to reduce the impacts of deer across Victoria, along with an ongoing $4.4 million to implement the Victorian Deer Control Strategy.
“We’re making sure we manage deer in a safe and targeted way across Victoria and these plans have been developed using expert advice and information from communities, Traditional Owners and land managers,” the Minister said.
“Deer can cause significant damage to our unique flora and fauna and areas of Aboriginal cultural significance and are increasingly encroaching on urban areas – that’s why it’s important we manage them effectively.”
DEECA’s East and West Deer Control Plans can be accessed at this PS News link.
