Draft White-tailed Deer Maagemet Policy for Otario Otario Miistry of Natural Resources ad Forestry March 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION... 1 2.0 SCOPE... 1 3.0 STRATEGIC DIRECTION... 2 4.0 CERVID POLICY AND REGULATORY CONTEXT... 2 5.0 MANAGEMENT GOAL... 3 6.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES... 3 7.0 OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES... 4 8.0 IMPLEMENTATION... 10 i
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1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 SCOPE Cervid is a term used to describe members of the Deer family (Cervidae). Otario has four wild cervid species icludig Moose, Woodlad Caribou, America Elk ad White-tailed Deer. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virgiiaus), is the most abudat cervid species i Otario (referred to as Deer i the rest of this policy). They are a importat compoet of Otario s ecosystems, ad ca be foud from the boreal forest to the souther Otario agricultural belt. I Otario, witer severity is the mai factor limitig populatio growth ad orther rage expasio, ad as a result, their rage ad desity ca chage over time, i respose to weather (short-term), climate (log-term) ad chages i habitat. Deer cotribute substatial social, ecoomic ad ecological beefits to the people of Otario. They are oe of the most sought after big game species for harvest by licesed huters as a heritage activity ad food source. They are also very popular for o-cosumptive activities such as wildlife viewig. I some situatios, Deer come ito coflict with people, as they ca damage agricultural crops, impact protected areas ad are the most commo big game species ivolved i collisios with vehicles. As a result, Deer are oe of Otario s more itesively maaged species. Otario s White-tailed Deer Maagemet Policy is based o a wide rage of ecological kowledge, socioecoomic cosideratios, the best available sciece ad awareess that there are iheret ucertaities ad risks associated with various maagemet actios. The challeges associated with maagig wildlife across Otario s diverse ad complex ecosystems are recogized, as is the eed to cosider ad itegrate maagemet strategies for differet species ad their habitats, other resources, huma activities ad stressors icludig climate chage as well as disease ad parasites (pathoges). There is a eed for provicial level guidace with eough flexibility to accommodate regioal ad local level ecological ad socioecoomic circumstaces ad objectives. This policy provides the broad directio to maage Deer withi the larger ladscape ad ecosystem cotext ad to help guide maagemet plaig. It captures existig maagemet approaches directio for Deer, as well as provides additioal directio, icludig guidig priciples, objectives ad key maagemet strategies required to support the sustaiable ad adaptive maagemet of Deer. There are established ad asserted Aborigial ad treaty rights to harvest Deer throughout much of Otario. Deer hold cultural sigificace for may Idigeous commuities ad cotiue to be a importat traditioal food source. 1
3.0 STRATEGIC DIRECTION 4.0 CERVID POLICY AND REGULATORY CONTEXT Otario s White-tailed Deer Maagemet Policy is cosistet with the recommeded actios idetified i the miistry s broader strategic documets. Otario s Deer maagemet program cotributes to the coservatio of Deer populatios ad the habitats o which Deer ad other species deped, thereby assistig Otario i achievig biodiversity ad coservatio goals. The primary basis for this policy stems from the Miistry of Natural Resources ad Forestry s (MNRF) strategic directio documets Horizos 2020 (2015), Otario s Biodiversity Strategy (2011), Biodiversity: It s i Our Nature (2012) ad Takig a Broader Ladscape Approach (2013). These strategies ad polices outlie the eed to sustai healthy ecosystems by stregtheig atural resource maagemet, use Otario s biological assets sustaiably, protect the geetic, species ad ecosystem diversity of Otario ad maage wildlife at appropriate spatial ad temporal scales to esure that they are available for the ejoymet ad use of future geeratios. Otario is adoptig a moder ad sustaiable approach to maagig Otario s atural resources over broader areas ad loger time periods to support, eable ad advace ecosystem-based, ladscape maagemet approaches. Otario s cervid populatios are a importat compoet of atural biodiversity ad provide may beefits to Otarias. Deer have a itrisic value withi the ecosystems they ihabit ad provide may beefits icludig recreatio i the form of hutig ad viewig, ecoomic beefits from the regulated Deer hut ad tourism, cotributig sigificatly to the fudig of wildlife programs through the Fish ad Wildlife Special Purpose Accout, ad servig as a wild food source. Otario s 2009 Cervid Ecological Framework (CEF) addresses cervid maagemet at appropriate ladscape ad ecological scales. It cosolidates ad itegrates Otario s approach to maagig cervid species i relatio to each other with cosideratio of the broader ecosystems they share. Otario s Whitetailed Deer Maagemet Policy fits withi the overarchig cervid maagemet goal, guidig priciples ad broad Deer maagemet objectives set out i the CEF. The overall legal basis for this policy icludes the Fish ad Wildlife Coservatio Act, 1997 (FWCA), the Edagered Species Act, 2007, the Crow Forest Sustaiability Act, 1994 (CFSA), the Evirometal Assessmet Act, the Provicial Parks ad Coservatio Reserves Act, 2006, ad the Plaig Act through the Provicial Policy Statemet (2014)(PPS). While the FWCA provides authority to maage the harvest ad other activities associated with Deer, may of the other istrumets listed above may ifluece habitat maagemet. 2
5.0 MANAGEMENT GOAL 6.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES The goal of Otario s White-tailed Deer Maagemet Policy is to maage for sustaiable Deer populatios ad the ecosystems o which they rely for the cotiuous provisio of ecological, cultural, ecoomic ad social beefits to the people of Otario. The followig are the guidig priciples for Deer maagemet, which are iformed by the guidig priciples for the maagemet of cervids outlied i Otario s Cervid Ecological Framework (2009). They have bee developed i the cotext of the strategic directio set out i Sectio 3 of this documet: Deer are a importat part of Otario s atural biodiversity ad have a itrisic value withi the ecosystems they ihabit. Deer maagemet will respect Idigeous peoples uique perspectives, local ad traditioal ecological kowledge, ad practices related to Deer ad the exercise of costitutioally protected Aborigial ad treaty rights. Deer populatios ad habitat will be maaged at the appropriate ladscape scale to achieve broader maagemet goals ad objectives for each Cervid Ecological Zoe (CEZ), ad where ecessary, to cosider fier scale maagemet actios that address local eeds. Deer, ad the ecosystems i which they occur, will be maaged sustaiably usig a adaptive maagemet approach, to maitai biodiversity ad provide a optimal balace of beefits for the people of Otario. Deer maagemet will recogize the iterests ad cotributios of huters ad ladowers i providig valuable resources ad iformatio to support Deer coservatio ad cotiue to recogize hutig as a culturally, socially ad ecoomically importat activity. Deer have sigificat value to the people of Otario, ad as a result, Deer maagemet will collect ad cosider the best available kowledge (icludig scietific, local ad traditioal ecological kowledge), as well as social, cultural ad ecoomic values ad will iclude the maagemet of both populatio ad habitat with cosideratio of potetial stressors. 3
7.0 OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 7.1 Populatio Maagemet Deer populatio objectives will defie the expected ad desired rage of Deer abudace at the appropriate ladscape scale. Deer populatio objectives eed to cosider a rage of ecological, cultural, social ad ecoomic factors. Biological ad ecological iteractios iclude key iteractios with other species ad uique aspects of Deer biology ad behaviour across the various climates ad ladscapes of Otario. For example, Deer serve as hosts for parasites (e.g. meigeal brai worm ad liver flukes) that while ot lethal to Deer, ca at times have sigificat impacts to the health ad/or survival of other cervids where their distributios overlap. The demad for Deer harvest may exceed supply i some cases ad i others, harvest may have limited ability to ifluece populatios. Moitorig of Deer populatio idices relative to variable harvest pressure allows for adaptable harvest maagemet to help achieve Deer populatio objectives. Targeted research is aother key compoet of a Deer maagemet program to address ukows ad support iformed decisio-makig, soud policy developmet ad the adaptive maagemet of Deer. Objective 1: Maage for sustaiable Deer populatios at the appropriate ladscape scale cosistet with guidace foud i Otario s Cervid Ecological Framework (CEF). Strategy 1.1: Buildig o the guidace i the CEF, develop guidace to set Deer populatio objectives at the appropriate ladscape scale. Develop populatio objective settig guidelies to provide directio for determiig expected ad desired Deer populatio objective rages at the appropriate ladscape scale throughout Deer rage i Otario. 4 Periodically review ad revise populatio objectives to address chagig ecological ad socioecoomic cosideratios. Egage the public (icludig ladower ad rural residets), stakeholders ad Idigeous commuities ad orgaizatios o the developmet ad review of proposed populatio guidelies ad objectives. Strategy 1.2: Assess the status ad treds of Deer populatios at the appropriate ladscape scale usig direct or idirect measures. Utilize a effective ad efficiet populatio assessmet method usig ew ad/or existig data sources. Update ad refie populatio models to estimate the potetial impacts of differet maagemet scearios o Deer populatios, with the flexibility to icorporate ew data sources as they become available. Strategy 1.3: Collect ad maage huter activity, regulatory compliace ad huter harvest iformatio eeded to maage Deer populatios effectively. Cotiue to collect ad use huter activity ad harvest data to support Deer maagemet i Otario. Clearly defie appropriate data requiremets, icetives ad deterrets to support the collectio of required data. Icorporate ew effective methods of collectig data as they become available. Collect additioal biological ad socioecoomic iformatio whe ecessary to evaluate specific issues ad maagemet actios as eeded ad as resources allow. Work with Idigeous commuities ad orgaizatios to develop a better uderstadig of historical ad curret harvest levels, as well as future eeds, to iform Deer maagemet plaig.
Strategy 1.4: Develop harvest maagemet guidelies to defie the rage of maagemet tools, ad decisio support tools for quota developmet to help meet ecologically, ad socially-based Deer populatio goals ad objectives. Review the existig Deer harvest maagemet framework to cosider relevace of curret approaches (e.g. cotrolled Deer hut, additioal Deer seals, WMU-specific maagemet regimes), ad explore opportuities to moderize ad improve cosistecy of harvest maagemet at appropriate ladscape scales. Maage Deer populatios through cotiued applicatio of the selective harvest system ad the developmet ad applicatio of ew tools as ecessary. Update decisio support tools as ecessary to guide developmet of Deer allocatio for hutig at appropriate ladscape scales ad time periods. Egage the public (icludig ladower ad rural residets), stakeholders ad Idigeous commuities ad orgaizatios o the developmet ad review of proposed harvest maagemet guidelies. Strategy 1.5: Improve the uderstadig of potetial effects of climate chage o Deer populatios. Support research/moitorig iitiatives to assess effects of climate chage o Deer populatios (icludig parasites ad diseases) at the appropriate ladscape scale. Revise Deer populatio objectives ad maagemet approaches as ecessary i respose to ladscape scale effects of climate chage. 7.2 Deer Habitat O Crow lads i cetral ad orther Otario where commercial forestry occurs, habitat maagemet i forested ecosystems is primarily coducted through the preparatio of forest maagemet plas uder the Crow Forest Sustaiability Act, 1994, ad followig directio i forest maagemet guides to protect ad maitai habitat for wildlife. O private ad muicipal lads, MNRF recommeds habitat maagemet objectives similar to those used o Crow lads through the appropriate lad use plaig processes. The Natural Heritage Referece Maual (2010) ad the Sigificat Wildlife Habitat Techical Guide (2000) are primary mechaisms for addressig wildlife habitat eeds ad cosideratios o private ad muicipal lads uder the authority of the Plaig Act, 1990 ad the Provicial Policy Statemet (2014). Local stewardship projects ad icetive programs (e.g. coservatio lad tax icetive program, maaged forest tax icetive program) ad private lad forestry practices ivolvig wildlife habitat should be guided by the aforemetioed legislatio ad guidace. Otario s provicial parks ad coservatio reserves are a sigificat cotributor to wildlife habitat. Ay habitat maagemet withi provicial parks ad coservatio reserves are govered by maagemet directio for the specific protected area ad the priciples of the Provicial Parks ad Coservatio Reserves Act, 2006. Habitat maagemet cosideratios for Deer take strategic guidace from the CEF based o the ability of the various ladscapes of Otario to support Deer populatios ad iteractios with other cervid species. Deer biology ad behavior requires further cosideratio of Deer populatios relative to fier scale ladscape features (e.g. witer Deer yards, sesitive plat commuities) to esure a balace betwee sustaiable Deer populatio maagemet ad protectio of habitat features which ultimately support Deer. 5
Objective 2: Uder guidace from the CEF, support the provisio of suitable Deer habitat to meet Deer populatio objectives at the appropriate ladscape scale. Strategy 2.1: Cosistet with the CEF, itegrate Deer habitat maagemet ito lad use plaig ad other resource maagemet processes. Where appropriate, icorporate Deer habitat requiremets ito Crow lad resource maagemet guidace (e.g. Crow forest maagemet). Provide advice to ladowers ad muicipalities about Deer habitat maagemet to support the cosideratio of Deer habitat (e.g. Deer witerig areas) i developmet decisios cosistet with existig legislatio ad guidace. Support ad promote stewardship ad commuity-based programs which cotribute to habitat provisio ad restoratio through parterships, educatio, ad ladower icetive programs. Use the best available sciece to project the potetial impacts of climate chage o Deer habitat ad to explore methods to mitigate ad/or adapt Deer maagemet objectives i respose to those impacts. 7.3 Deer Health As with may cervid species, Deer are susceptible to a variety of pathoges (e.g. chroic wastig disease, epizootic hemorrhagic disease). A disease outbreak withi Otario s Deer populatio could have socioecoomic ad evirometal implicatios icludig Deer populatio declie, loss of biodiversity, the potetial for disease trasmissio to other species (e.g. wild, farmed ad captive), cascadig ecological impacts as well as alteratios to cultural practices ad recreatioal opportuities (e.g. hutig ad viewig). Caada s Natioal Wildlife Disease Strategy (2004) articulates federal ad provicial govermet commitmets to address ay wildlife disease that may cause sigificat socioecoomic or ecological harm. MNRF played a key role i the developmet of this strategy ad cotiues to be committed to its goals ad objectives. Chroic Wastig Disease (CWD) is a eurological disease that is fatal ad is curretly utreatable i North America cervid species. CWD is widespread throughout the Uited States ad is preset i some Caadia Provices (e.g. Alberta & Saskatchewa). The Otario Chroic Wastig Disease Surveillace ad Respose Pla (2005) outlies key actios beig take to moitor for evidece of CWD i Otario ad actios proposed to address a outbreak i Otario s wild, farmed or captive cervid populatios. This pla was developed i collaboratio with the Otario Miistry of Agriculture, Food ad Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Miistry of Health ad Log Term Care (OMHLTC), ad the Caadia Food Ispectio Agecy (CFIA). Sice 1998, CWD surveillace has occurred i wild, farmed ad other captive Deer ad Elk populatios across Caada ad may States. To date, this surveillace has ot detected CWD i ay of Otario s cervid populatios. MNRF cotiues to work with the OMAFRA, OMHLTC ad CFIA to achieve the objectives of this pla by adoptig ad implemetig the recommeded actios. 6
Objective 3: Promote a healthy Deer Esure Deer maagemet supports populatio. the implemetatio of relevat disease maagemet plas (e.g. Otario Chroic Strategy 3.1: Idetify curret or potetial Deer Wastig Disease Surveillace ad health cocers. Respose Pla (2005), Caada-Otario Work with the parters (e.g. Caadia Foreig Aimal Disease Emergecy Wildlife Health Cooperative) to determie Respose Pla (2015)). cause of death i Deer mortalities where I partership with eforcemet, other possible. miistries ad stakeholder groups, Moitor the health of Deer ad other ivestigate optios to detect ad prevet cervid populatios by usig appropriate cotact betwee wild Deer ad farmed disease surveillace methods. ad other captive cervids ad livestock. Work with parters to miimize the risk of Pursue effective measures that reduce pathoge trasmissio betwee farmed the likelihood of disease spread amog ad other captive cervids, ad wild Deer cervids. populatios. Remai iformed o curret status (icludig climate chage effects) of diseases to which Deer are susceptible. Strategy 3.2: Explore approaches ad, where ecessary, take prevetative actio to address threats to Deer health. Cotiue to discourage ad, where appropriate, take measures to prevet the supplemetal feedig of Deer to miimize the likelihood of etry ad/or spread of pathoges ito Otario. Collaborate with other agecies ad parters o research ad surveillace that facilitates early detectio of disease i wild, farmed ad other captive Deer populatios. Prepare for a disease outbreak i Deer populatios by collaboratig with parter agecies to establish roles ad resposibilities, ad develop appropriate actios for various threats. 7
7.4 Beefits of Deer to Otarias It is recogized that Deer have a itrisic value withi their ecosystems ad provide direct beefits to Otarias through Deer viewig ad harvest opportuities. Usig a adaptive approach whe maagig recreatioal opportuities allows for appropriate adjustmets to be made to maagemet itesity ad supports the sustaiability of Otario s Deer populatio ad the beefits it provides. It is also recogized that after coservatio ad public safety goals are met, existig Aborigial ad treaty rights take priority over other uses. Objective 4: Provide a balace of beefits from sustaiable Deer populatios through harvest plaig ad maagemet of Deer-related activities (e.g. viewig). Strategy 4.1: Cosider all user groups whe determiig the allocatio ad harvest of Deer i relatio to the available supply. Moitor the supply ad demad of Deer harvest opportuities to determie if curret allocatio strategies are sufficiet ad effective. Periodically evaluate Otario s Deer harvest allocatio system to determie if refiemets are required to operate at various ladscape scales ad examie if beefits are beig realized. Maitai ad, where appropriate, icrease opportuities for people to experiece Deer i the wild. Strategy 4.2: Maage the beefits provided by Deer i a maer that is cosistet with the costitutioal recogitio of Aborigial ad treaty rights, ad that cosiders the iterests of Idigeous commuities. Place appropriate priority o Aborigial ad treaty rights whe allocatig Deer harvest opportuities. Cosider ad icorporate local ad traditioal ecological kowledge ito Deer maagemet plaig ad decisiomakig where available ad appropriate. 8 Work with Idigeous commuities ad orgaizatios to expad public kowledge of Aborigial ad treaty harvestig rights ad to iclude Idigeous perspectives i commuicatio ad educatio materials as appropriate. Strategy 4.3: Provide a reasoable ad equitable distributio of opportuities to harvest Deer i the regulated hut. Maitai ad, where possible, icrease opportuities ad participatio i Deer hutig. Where permitted, eable all licesed Deer huters to participate i a aual hut of some type for Deer. Cotiue to provide flexibility to allow huters to hut Deer aloe or i a group (party hutig). Strategy 4.4: Commuicate, moitor ad eforce legislatio to promote compliace. Work withi MNRF to alig eforcemet ad Deer maagemet priorities usig a risk-iformed approach to focus eforcemet efforts o high risk areas where Deer populatio sustaiability may be affected. To the extet feasible, esure legislatio ad procedures are streamlied, accessible, easy to uderstad ad eforceable. Cotiue to actively ivolve resource users ad the public i regulatio developmet ad compliace awareess. Examie opportuities to further reduce the complexity of Deer maagemet regulatios.
7.5 Huma Deer Coflict Coflicts betwee humas ad Deer have o occasio occurred i most areas where they share the lad base. Such coflicts iclude collisios with vehicles, damage to agricultural crops ad farmig ifrastructure, damage to suburba ad residetial property, ad overbrowse i protected areas. Coversely, Deer have bee egatively affected by a variety of huma activities icludig, but ot limited to, lad developmet, habitat fragmetatio, degradatio ad loss, harassmet (e.g. pets at large), coflicts with cervid farmig operatios (e.g. disease trasmissio, escapees), ad poachig. Social carryig capacity for Deer is the idea that desired Deer populatio abudace for a area may be lower tha either the ecological or evirometal carryig capacity due to huma-deer coflict such as vehicle collisio, crop depredatio ad property damage. Maagemet tools such as Deer removal authorizatios ad additioal Deer seals may help i maitaiig the Deer populatio at or below the social carryig capacity for local areas. A sustaiable Deer populatio still eeds to cosider social carryig capacity alogside biological sustaiability to maitai both biodiversity withi the ecosystem ad provide the beefits a self-sustaiig Deer populatio (e.g. viewig, harvest). The Strategy for Prevetig ad Maagig Huma-Wildlife Coflict i Otario (2007) released by the Govermet of Otario outlies approaches to address huma-wildlife coflicts, icludig a focus o commuity ad partershipbased actios, idetifyig leadership roles ad resposibility, ad public awareess. The Strategy for Prevetig ad Maagig Huma- Deer Coflicts i Souther Otario (2007) was also developed to provide guidace to help miimize coflicts with Deer i the souther part of the provice. The strategy icludes iformatio o the challeges of huma-deer coflict (e.g. agricultural issues, evirometal impacts, public safety) ad documets govermet programs (e.g. road plaig, populatio maagemet, moitorig) related to the maagemet of these coflicts. Otario will cotiue to work with parters, stakeholders, ad the public to address these coflicts. Objective 5: Cosistet with existig govermet strategies, support the reductio of huma-deer coflict through prevetio, educatio ad awareess, reportig ad respose. Strategy 5.1: Support the adoptio ad implemetatio of the objectives ad strategies idetified i the Strategy for Prevetig ad Maagig Huma-wildlife Coflict i Otario (2007) ad the Strategy for Prevetig ad Maagig Huma- Deer Coflicts i souther Otario (2007) more broadly across the provice where appropriate/relevat. Recogize that all residets of Otario share resposibility for prevetig ad maagig huma-deer coflicts. Icrease public awareess of Deer behavior, populatios, ad their habitat ad how these may iteract with humarelated factors (e.g. roads) that cotribute to coflicts. Clarify roles ad resposibilities ad idetify the rage of optios available to address huma-deer coflict at the appropriate ladscape scales. 9
8.0 IMPLEMENTATION The implemetatio of the strategies outlied withi this policy will require periodic evaluatio ad discussio to idetify areas for improvemet, ad ew priorities i recogitio of available resources. Developmet of future policy documets (e.g. harvest maagemet guidelies, populatio objective settig guidelies) will also support the implemetatio of this policy. The Otario Miistry of Natural Resources ad Forestry i collaboratio with parters will lead discussios o implemetatio ad egage ad cosult with the public (icludig ladowers ad rural residets), Idigeous commuities ad orgaizatios, stakeholders ad other parters o proposed chages. 10