Occasional Paper No. 1

An Investigation into the Ecology of Fallow Deer
of Sidney Spit Provincial Park - March 1994

Abstract

Prepared for BC Parks by
Anne Moody, Bruce Burtin and Robert Moody
AIM Ecological Consultants
March 1994

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the deer populations of Sidney Spit Provincial Park and to determine whether they are excessive in relation to the long-term carrying capacity of the habitat. Five exclosures were established in various areas of the park in May 1986. Monitoring of the vegetation within the exclosures began in June 1986 and continued monthly until March 1987. Plants have been stressed by a combination of factors and simple removal of browsing pressure may not be sufficient to achieve a reversal in the trend to decreasing understory biomass and diversity. Deer were counted on standardized transects every two weeks between May 1986 and March 1987. Thirteen deer (two black-tailed and eleven fallow deer) were collected for condition analysis. On average, fallow deer are in much better physical condition than black-tailed deer. The overall effect of the deer on the vegetation of the park has been a reduction in the number of plane species present, severe pressure on some of the species and elimination of some preferred species. Recommendations for vegetation and deer management options are presented in the text.

Occasional Paper #1, An Investigation into the Ecology of Fallow Deer of Sidney Spit Provincial Park - March 1994 [PDF 3.78MB]