PR - Understanding Deer Farmers’ Level Of Environmental Awareness

Deer researchers at AgResearch are incorporating social researchers in their work to gain an understanding of New Zealand deer farmers’ level of environmental awareness in order to provide a platform for future adoption of land care techniques. This research was designed to understand the level of environmental awareness deer farmers had with regards to specific sustainable farming practices in two regions of New Zealand. Farmers were asked for their experiences with the following practices; wallowing, waterway fencing, wintering management and fence pacing. Our findings indicate that deer farmers were generally aware of environmental concerns however, the level of awareness was influenced by their specific farm context. This included, but was not limited to, factors such as topography and soil type. Many believed they were doing the ‘best they could’ and therefore did not feel they needed to adopt new environmental practices.

Keywords: deer, environmental awareness, wallowing, waterway fencing, wintering management, fence pacing.