Conservation with a Gun: Understanding Landowner Attitudes to Deer Hunting in the Scottish Highlands

MacMillan, Douglas C.; Leitch, Kirsty

doi:10.1007/s10745-008-9170-9

Cited by 42 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Traditional stalking involves minimum disturbance on deer movements. Male movement rather than female movement is more likely to be disturbed as hunting occurs in the summer months when the presence of people in public access areas is higher (MacMillan & Leitch 2008). Results are also unlikely to be the result of translocations of individuals between estates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable extent of sex-biased dispersal in a strongly polygynous mammal

et al. 2010

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For mammals with a polygynous mating system, dispersal is expected to be male-biased. However, with the increase in empirical studies, discrepancies are arising between the expected and observed direction/extent of the bias in dispersal. In this study, we assessed sex-biased dispersal in red deer (Cervus elaphus) on 13 estates from the Scottish Highlands. A total of 568 adult individuals were genotyped at 21 microsatellite markers and sequenced for 821 bp of the mitochondrial control region. Estimates of population structure with mitochondrial sequences were eight times larger than that obtained with microsatellite data (F(st'-mtDNA) = 0.831; F(st'-micros) = 0.096) indicating overall male-biased dispersal in the study area. Comparisons of microsatellite data between the sexes indicated a predominance of male-biased dispersal in the study area but values of F(ST) and relatedness were only slighter larger for females. Individual-based spatial autocorrelation analysis generated a similar pattern of relatedness across geographical distances for both sexes, with differences only significant at two distance intervals (25-30 and 70-112 km). Patterns of relatedness differed between estates, male biased-dispersal was detected in eight estates but no sex-biased dispersal was found in the remaining five. Neither population density nor landscape cover was found to be associated with the patterns of relatedness found across the estates. Differences in management strategies that could influence age structure, sex ratio and dispersal behaviour are proposed as potential factors influencing the relatedness patterns observed. This study provides new insights on dispersal of a strongly polygynous mammal at geographical scales relevant for management and conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable extent of sex-biased dispersal in a strongly polygynous mammal

et al. 2010

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“…Surveys of the general public showed strong support for deer abundance control to avoid threats to human health or safety or environmental damage, but control was judged less acceptable when it was aimed at reducing aesthetic impacts or personal property damage (Fulton et al ., ). Among Scottish recreational hunters, resistance to regulating soaring deer populations, a reluctance rooted in hunting tradition or personal preferences, was reinforced by antipathy to conservationists (MacMillan & Leitch, ).…”

Section: Challenges and Ways Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

2020

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Human-driven species annihilations loom as a major crisis. However the recovery of deer and wolf populations in many parts of the northern hemisphere has resulted in conflicts and controversies rather than in relief. Both species interact in complex ways with their environment, each other, and humans. We review these interactions in the context of the ecological and human costs and benefits associated with these species. We integrate scattered information to widen our perspective on the nature and perception of these costs and benefits and how they link to each other and ongoing controversies regarding how we manage deer and wolf populations. After revisiting the ecological roles deer and wolves play in contemporary ecosystems, we explore how they interact, directly and indirectly, with human groups including farmers, foresters, shepherds, and hunters. Interactions with deer and wolves generate various axes of tension, posing both ecological and sociological challenges. Resolving these tensions and conflicts requires that we address key questions using integrative approaches: what are the ecological consequences of deer and wolf recovery? How do they influence each other? What are the social and socio-ecological consequences of large deer populations and wolf presence? Finally, what key obstacles must be overcome to allow deer, wolves and people to coexist? Reviewing contemporary ecological and sociological results suggests insights and ways to improve our understanding and resolve long-standing challenges to coexistence. We should begin by agreeing to enhance aggregate benefits while minimizing the collective costs we incur by interacting with deer and wolves. We should also view these species, and ourselves, as parts of integrated ecosystems subject to long-term dynamics. If co-existence is our goal, we need deer and wolves to persevere in ways that are compatible with human interests. Our human interests, however, should be inclusive and fairly value all the costs and benefits deer and wolves entail including their intrinsic value. Shifts in human attitudes and cultural learning that are already occurring will reshape our ecological interactions with deer and wolves.Biological Reviews 95 (2020) 782-801

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“…However, this action raised a question with regard to the extent to which estate owners and managers might be willing to add value to their products and services, especially when it is difficult to recoup costs, or if an addition in value were to lead to an increase in the number of visitors to the estate. MacMillan and Leitch (2008) found that private landowners have "little enthusiasm for attracting new clients" as they often value their privacy and personal opportunity to hunt more highly than income (p. 481).…”

Section: 'Broadening Options': Adding Value and Increasing Flexibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%