The Victorian Government has new East and West Deer Control Plans now in place that include fencing.
Victorian Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt has launched the East and West Victoria Deer Control Plans, which are regional strategies aiming to reduce the threat deer pose to Victoria’s natural environment, Aboriginal cultural heritage and farming.
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.
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.
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.
The new Plans are part of the Victorian Government’s $19.25 million investment over four years to reduce the impacts of deer across the state, along with an ongoing $4.4 million to implement the Victorian Deer Control Strategy.
The strategy includes $6.5 million which is currently supporting 26 projects to deliver urgent deer control in priority locations including Wilsons Promontory and the Alpine and Budj Bim National Parks.
The strategy will also provide $250,000 grant packages to eight community-led projects to help manage the impact of deer in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, including community education and engagement activities, exclusion fencing and surveillance.