Systematic censuses
Since 2000, the Provincial Forestry Service has been carrying out systematic annual censuses of deer throughout the province, in order to monitor the evolution of the populations and to react, with appropriate measures by forestry, agricultural and hunting management, in the event of an increase or decrease in the population. The red deer belongs to the Cervidae family and is the largest wild ruminant in Europe. Its name comes from its characteristic red-brown summer coat. “The census of wild animals is one of the fundamental tasks in wildlife management,” emphasizes the provincial councilor for forestry Luis Walcher. Wildlife management includes areas such as ecology or nature conservation, as well as the balance between ecological, economic and social interests. “A work aimed at being able to reconcile the common use of the cultural landscape by wildlife and humans,” adds Walcher.
Night hours
The census is carried out at night by illuminating the open areas with headlights and, increasingly, also by using thermal imaging cameras, which can detect the game present,” explains Dominik Trenkwalder, an official from the Wildlife Management Office. “To prevent game from being counted twice, all reserves or parts of reserves belonging to a population unit must be counted simultaneously. This requires a great deal of organizational effort, since several counting teams are needed for each reserve, consisting of employees of the Provincial Forestry Corps or the Provincial Forestry Department, as well as the work of game wardens and hunters.”
An upward trend
“Overall, as in the whole of Central Europe, an upward trend in red deer populations can be observed over the last two decades,” explains Forestry Department Director Günther Unterthiner. “The red deer benefits from open agricultural landscapes and ultimately also from global climate change: the increased supply of nutrients and the resulting growth of plant matter favor this trend. While in 2005 there were still around 5000 deer, in recent years, under very favorable conditions, almost 10.000 heads have been recorded throughout the province of Bolzano. An increase that is especially noticeable in the western part of the territory, but in recent years the numbers have also been increasing in the central and eastern areas of the province. This poses great challenges not only to hunters, but also to agriculture and forestry. We know from experience that hunting measures alone are not effective. Instead, it is necessary to apply integral management that takes into account the interests of the various land users,” concludes Unterthiner (source: Autonomous Province of Bolzano).
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