Assessing the Distribution, Density and Ecological Impacts of Feral Deer in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia

Vuong, L; Krix, DW; Martin, LJ

Assessing the Distribution, Density and Ecological Impacts of Feral Deer in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia

Vuong, L

Krix, DW Martin, LJ

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Publisher:: WILEY
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Ecological Management and Restoration, 2026, 27, (3)
Issue Date:: 2026-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Vuong, L https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9752-6142
dc.contributor.author	Krix, DW
dc.contributor.author	Martin, LJ
dc.date.accessioned	2026-10-09T02:49:43Z
dc.date.available	2026-10-09T02:49:43Z
dc.date.issued	2026-09-01
dc.identifier.citation	Ecological Management and Restoration, 2026, 27, (3)
dc.identifier.issn	1442-7001
dc.identifier.issn	1442-8903
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/196875
dc.description.abstract	Feral deer are associated with a range of environmental impacts including overgrazing and trampling of native vegetation, increased insolation, ringbarking, creation of wallows, erosion and stream degradation. Consequences of invasive deer impacts can threaten vulnerable ecological communities and have the potential to alter long-term vegetation dynamics if deer populations are left uncontrolled. Studies of feral deer impacts in Australia to date have mostly focused on forested natural areas and agricultural lands; however, deer also pose a threat to the environment and property in urban and peri-urban areas. In this study we investigated the impacts of feral deer (fallow and possibly red deer) in urban and peri-urban habitats using faecal pellet counts and vegetation browsing assessments at 29 sites throughout western Lake Macquarie. Deer were found to have a patchy distribution; however, where present, significant impacts were observed. Browsing impacts were significantly greater in plots containing faecal pellets. There was a significant relationship between the number of faecal pellets detected and browsing intensity. Forested wetland had the highest browse rate of all vegetation types at 35%, with dry sclerophyll at 10% and wet sclerophyll at 20%. This study provides insights into the study of feral deer impacts in urban and peri-urban areas. We provide recommendations for researchers conducting future studies in such habitats to quantify ecological impacts and to overcome access difficulties experienced in this study.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	WILEY
dc.relation.ispartof	Ecological Management and Restoration
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/emr.70060
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	05 Environmental Sciences, 06 Biological Sciences, 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Ecology
dc.subject.classification	30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
dc.subject.classification	31 Biological sciences
dc.subject.classification	41 Environmental sciences
dc.title	Assessing the Distribution, Density and Ecological Impacts of Feral Deer in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	27
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences
utslib.for	07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-10-09T02:49:42Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	27
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

Feral deer are associated with a range of environmental impacts including overgrazing and trampling of native vegetation, increased insolation, ringbarking, creation of wallows, erosion and stream degradation. Consequences of invasive deer impacts can threaten vulnerable ecological communities and have the potential to alter long-term vegetation dynamics if deer populations are left uncontrolled. Studies of feral deer impacts in Australia to date have mostly focused on forested natural areas and agricultural lands; however, deer also pose a threat to the environment and property in urban and peri-urban areas. In this study we investigated the impacts of feral deer (fallow and possibly red deer) in urban and peri-urban habitats using faecal pellet counts and vegetation browsing assessments at 29 sites throughout western Lake Macquarie. Deer were found to have a patchy distribution; however, where present, significant impacts were observed. Browsing impacts were significantly greater in plots containing faecal pellets. There was a significant relationship between the number of faecal pellets detected and browsing intensity. Forested wetland had the highest browse rate of all vegetation types at 35%, with dry sclerophyll at 10% and wet sclerophyll at 20%. This study provides insights into the study of feral deer impacts in urban and peri-urban areas. We provide recommendations for researchers conducting future studies in such habitats to quantify ecological impacts and to overcome access difficulties experienced in this study.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/196875