West Loch Lomond
Deer Management Group
Delivering Sustainable Deer Management
Luss Estates Chairs the Deer Management Group on behalf of Luss Estates, Tilhill Forestry and the Ministry of Defence. The West Loch Lomond Deer Management Group covers an area from Tarbet/Arrochar in the North running south along Long Loch (West) and Loch Lomond (East) with the southern boundary between Helensburgh and Kilcreggan
Objectives of the Deer Management Group
Deer Management
To ensure that the Estate is managing deer in the best interests of the public.
Conservation of native fauna
To plan for reducing deer populations on the Estate in order to reduce pressures and impacts on woodlands, moorland and agricultural interests.
Sensitive control of population density
To improve the condition of the Estate’s Designated Woodlands through effective deer control and monitoring.
As a responsible landowner, Luss Estates Company has a statutory obligation to undertake the sustainable management of wild deer populations. Current government policy and legislation requires that deer management across Scotland delivers multiple objectives, especially in line with the Code of Practice on Deer Management.
The Deer Management Plan (DMP) outlines those objectives in the context of the Estate’s various land uses / objectives where no formal Deer Management Plan has been in place previously. The plan is being produced as supplementary information required under an Agri-Environmental Climate Scheme (AECS) Grant Application and whilst there are specific aims in terms of deer management under this scheme, following consultation with SNH, the plan aims to set objectives for Deer Management for the entirety of the Estates landholding, whilst meeting the requirements of the AECS application and also a Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG) application.
The plan period runs from 2017 – 2022 initially, mainly in line with grant contract periods and will be reviewed annually or as required.
The WLLDMG covers an area from Tarbet/Arrochar in the North running south along Long Loch (West) and Loch Lomond (East) with the southern boundary between Helensburgh and Kilcreggan.
The Group currently consists of 3 members; Luss Estates Company (Chair), Ministry of Defence and UPM Tilhill Forestry supported by Nature Scot.
The Group has agreed at this point to remain un-constituted and work informally to achieve the agreed actions. Each member has an extant deer management plan for their respective land management area.