How Scotland’s deer have become one of the greatest threats to our environment

There are four deer species present in Scotland and all are now at record levels – the native red and roe deer as well as the non-native sika and fallow deer.

Why is this a problem? Deer, and especially red deer stags, are often seen as one of wild Scotland’s most magnificent species – why would environmental groups want to see fewer of them? The simple fact is that deer numbers are at such a high level that they are threatening our environmental goals, preventing the recovery of our iconic native woodlands, and undermining Scotland’s climate action.

Deer eat tree saplings and trample on peatbogs. This overgrazing is preventing the natural regeneration of native and ancient woodlands, which offer enormous hope for restoring biodiversity and creating healthy ecosystems.

Furthermore, our internationally important peatlands are not only home to a diverse and unique mosaic of species, but play a crucial role storing carbon and act as natural flood defences. But too many deer on our peatlands results in more harmful greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.

In smaller densities, deer would rightly be a much-loved part of Scotland’s natural heritage – but at their current numbers, they are one of the greatest threats our environment faces.

Climate and nature emergencies

In short, if we don’t act now, and act decisively, Scotland’s deer problem could result in increasing damage to many iconic species and habitats, and put us even further behind in adequately tackling the existential threat of climate change.

In 2025, we finally have the promise of new deer legislation in Scotland as part of the Natural Environment Bill. Sustainable deer management is also identified as a key, cross-cutting theme in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and the Scottish Government has recognised the existence of the intrinsically related climate and nature emergencies, which should fundamentally underpin the urgency to act on deer management.

It is worth noting that more deer does not mean healthier deer. Red and roe deer are naturally woodland animals, and many starve to death on Scotland’s bare hillsides over the winter – sustainable management would enable them better access to their natural habitat.

The Nordic approach

In other similar countries to Scotland, like Sweden and Norway for example, deer populations are managed to healthy and sustainable levels – usually involving statutory systems informed by good population data – in order to create a natural and healthy food resource; prevent damage to a variety of public interests; and promote deer welfare.

Here in Scotland, the situation is different. Crucially, we lack any natural predators for deer. But we have also over-relied on voluntary approaches to deer management led by private landowners for too long.

There has been a real lack of public incentives for deer management. A Scottish venison market could thrive if given investment, but currently this is only in very early stages. Successful ‘community larder’ projects are now starting out in a handful of locations, the Cairngorms National Park where some farms are leading on the distribution of butchered meat to local community kitchens and foodbanks, as well as selling meat to restaurants.

The myriad benefits that investment in a venison market could have for local communities, jobs and landowners in fragile rural economies across Scotland are clear.

Working together

Government agency NatureScot has existing powers to intervene on deer management but has been reluctant to use them – but we hope that new, workable and more flexible powers in the Natural Environment Bill, based on habitat enhancement, will strengthen interventions in the public interest. Overall, the current systems of deer management that do exist have simply not delivered over a long period of time.

Despite all this, there is some hope. Partnership projects like Cairngorms Connect and the Great Trossachs Forest project in the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond national parks respectively, have been demonstrating much better and effective models for reducing deer numbers at a landscape scale.

Much of their success lies in the fact that they represent successful partnerships across the various models of land ownership and deer management that exist in Scotland – private landowners, deer stalkers, environmental charities, and government agencies like NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland.

Further evidence of good partnership exists in the successful Common Ground Forum on Sustainable Upland Deer Management initiative, which was set up to strengthen positive communication and relations across what has sometimes been seen as a wide divide of opinions on how best to manage deer in Scotland. The Forum now has more than a hundred members, including private landowners and managers, deer stalkers, the Scottish Government and statutory agencies, environmental charities, farmers, foresters and community trusts.

The benefits of sustainable deer management are clear. It will enable us to better restore our native woodland, peatland, and other wildlife habitats and to enhance biodiversity. For humans, fewer deer in Scotland will mean fewer road traffic accidents, a reduction in Lyme disease and better defences against climate change.

As we look to leadership and support from the Scottish Government in tackling the climate and nature emergencies, the Natural Environment Bill could be the change needed to catalyse efforts to manage deer that have fallen short for so long.

Duncan Orr-Ewing is convener of Scottish Environment Link’s Deer Group