Gardeners can spray trees with the smell of predators to protect them from deer, a study has found.
Researchers applied lynx and wolf urine and scat, along with cow scent and water as a control, to separate plots of saplings in 11 locations in a forest in south-eastern Germany where wolves and lynx have been reintroduced.
The new study, published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology, found deer visited less and spent less time browsing in the plots with predator scents, particularly the smell of lynx, leading to less damage to the saplings planted there.
The researchers said their findings highlighted the importance of large predators in landscapes, and show how they – and even just their scent – could help reduce browsing from overabundant deer populations and support the recovery of forests.
The findings come as conservationists explore the possibility of reintroducing lynx into Britain, 800 years after they vanished from the wild, to boost forest ecosystems and reverse declines in nature, because too many deer hinder woodland regeneration.
Too many deer can hinder woodland regeneration – AFP/Justin Tallis
A recent assessment has found the cats could thrive if released in Northumberland, and 72 per cent of people in the project area supported a potential lynx reintroduction – though some people have raised concerns about the impact on livestock such as sheep.
Rewilding charities have recently launched a consultation about a reintroduction of lynx to the Scottish Highlands, although the Scottish Government has said it does not intend to allow the return of “large carnivores” in the foreseeable future.
The researchers, from the University of Freiburg, used camera traps to record the reaction of red and roe deer in the woodlands, and monitored the saplings they had planted in each plot for browsing damage.
They found that the deer showed a stronger response to the scent of lynx than wolves, likely because the cats are ambush predators that tend to stalk their prey from close range.
They also added that wolves were still establishing themselves in the area when the study was taking place, and that the deer had more experience of lynx as predators.
While the experiment took place in forests where lynx and wolves have been reintroduced, the researchers said they would expect similar but “weaker” effects on deer in places such as the UK where the predators had long been absent.
‘Deer have innate fear of predators’
One of the lead researchers, Walter Di Nicola said: “At a time when debates around large carnivore conservation often focus on conflicts, our study highlights the benefits these species bring to landscapes.
“The presence of carnivores, even just their scent, could help reduce the ecological and economic problems associated with browsing from overabundant deer populations.
“In the UK we would expect similar but probably weaker effects.
“Deer still have some innate fear of predators, even if those predators have been absent for generations.
“Where predators return, we expect these responses – and their ecological benefits – to become stronger over time.”
The researchers said that by “simulating a landscape of fear”, the study showed how the risk of predation by lynx could alter deer behaviour and reduce browsing pressure.
The reintroduction of lynx, which prey primarily on deer, would also directly reduce the number of herbivores eating saplings, they added.
So conservation strategies that introduce large carnivores into forests could offer a “natural, low-intervention solution” to tackling the problem of over-browsing woodlands by deer, they said.
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
Comments are closed.