Description
The Deer Project
The high density of deer in the Stelvio National Park - Trentino causes ecological imbalances on other species and on the forest. To minimise these imbalances, the Park has therefore drawn up a special project with the aim of reducing the number of deer through selective culling (art. 11, paragraph 4, L.N. 394/91).
Within the Park's boundaries one can therefore encounter 'selecontrollori', hunters trained and authorised to enter the protected area to carry out numerical control of the deer.
The return of the deer in Val di Sole and the Stelvio Nature Park
In the early 1900s the deer had almost become extinct in the territory and slowly recovered in the second half of the century to become a stable presence again in the 1960s/70s; first in Val di Sole and then inside the Park. The presence of the deer increased rapidly until the 2000s, then settled down according to factors dependent on snowfall and deer density.
Today the population has reached numbers of between 1,500 and 3,000 deer in the entire Val di Sole, more than half of which are inside the protected area.
How do we know there are so many deer?
Deer in the Stelvio National Park are monitored annually through spring and summer censuses.
The spring census at night with a spotlight takes place when the deer come down to the meadows at the bottom of the valley in search of freshly grown grass. On that occasion, beacon operators drive along pre-established routes counting all the animals they can see in the clearings.
In the summer period, on the other hand, deer are counted during chamois census trips. The use of these counting methods combined with mathematical models makes it possible to obtain a sufficiently accurate estimate of deer numbers and population structure.
What happens if there are too many deer?
High deer densities can generate various impacts on the ecosystem, for example competition with other species in the area such as roe deer or chamois. The increase in deer means, for other species with similar habits, a reduction in food resources and suitable habitats. Thus the roe deer has declined considerably within the park in recent years.
Similarly, the chamois, having been progressively deprived of space and resources by the red deer, which during the summer months has come to frequent the alpine meadows above 2,000 m - the typical habitat of the chamois, has in turn risen in altitude, occupying areas that are probably less suitable for it. This also seems to have negative repercussions on the mortality and birth rate of these animals.
The forest also suffers from the high number of deer grazing the tops of the young larches, spruces and the few broad-leaved trees in the park, slowing or preventing their growth. The shrub layer is also reduced and less rich in its characteristic biodiversity. A less rich undergrowth means, for animals such as roe deer or capercaillie, a decrease in the possibility of finding shelter and food.
This causes a considerable loss of general biodiversity and simplification of the ecosystem within the Park.
Conservation and coexistence
One of the priorities of a National Park is the conservation of the environment and the fauna that inhabit it, but it is also of primary importance to protect the activities of man, especially those linked to tradition. The aim of the park is therefore to find a way to protect both animals and the environment as well as human activities.
The massive presence of deer has a negative impact on agricultural, horticultural and forestry activities and causes dangerous road accidents.