Damage to coppice regrowth by muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi and protection with electric fencing Original Research Article

There is concern in Britain about damage to nature conservation from expanding populations of the non-native muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi. In Monks Wood National Nature Reserve, muntjac attained a suffciently high population by 1985 for significant damage to coppice regrowth to result. Electric fences have been used since 1988 to protect sensitive areas. Observations on regrowth of ash Fraxinus excelsior showed that while damage inside fences was significantly reduced when compared with areas outside, the fences sometimes failed to provide adequate protection. Observations on all coppice areas fenced since 1988 revealed that the extent of canopy formation was positively related to the density of surviving stools and to the area of adjacent rides. Improvements are suggested for fence design and the siting of coppiced areas. Techniques are outlined for monitoring contemporary damage, for evaluating damage retrospectively and for assessing abundance of muntijac in order to predict the amount of damage they may cause.