On 19 March, a meeting organised by AS “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) will take place, at which the holders of hunting rights – foresters and farmers – will meet the organisations representing the users of hunting rights in order to look for solutions for the future management of the red deer population. The planned meeting is the next step following the meeting of the parties involved held at the end of January, during which it was decided to draw up a new memorandum of cooperation.
As the red deer population has grown considerably over the past 10 years, damage to the young stands managed by LVM is increasing. Deer species also cause serious damage on land belonging to other owners. That is why the meeting on 19 March will be attended by holders of hunting rights representing various forms of land management, so that the forthcoming memorandum provides a comprehensive solution to the existing problem.
After the meeting held in January, LVM sent out an invitation to the participants in the previous memorandum to prepare proposals, and received a number of suggestions, which the parties involved will assess and discuss during the meeting.
Guntis Ščepaniks, head of the hunting rights leasing process at LVM, explains:
“Damage caused by red deer threatens the quality and vitality of future forests. Measures to protect young stands, which are no longer effective where the red deer population is excessively dense, require ever greater financial investment. Over the past 10 years not only has the protected area quadrupled, but the cost of protection measures has also risen substantially, reaching 5.74 million euros in 2024. It should be borne in mind that the part of a tree trunk damaged by a red deer will never grow into quality timber, and it will not be possible to make, for example, quality furniture from it.”
Recognising the risks that a disproportionate red deer population poses to important sectors of the national economy, and the considerable costs involved, the Ministry of Agriculture has instructed landowners and land managers to work with hunters to find solutions for reducing the size of the red deer population.
Cooperation between landowners and hunters is an essential condition for managing the red deer population. By working together, holders of hunting rights and lessees of those rights have managed to resolve many significant issues over the past 10 years: hunting infrastructure has been put in order in a way that meets hunters’ needs without hindering forest management. A numerical reduction in beaver species has been achieved, which has also substantially reduced the negative impact of beaver activity on forest drainage systems, forest roads and forest stands. Amendments to the legislation governing hunting have also been secured, aimed at making the hunting process easier.
At the same time, however, over these years no solution has been found to the excessive number of red deer, which cause significant damage to young forest stands and agricultural crops. During the period the previous memorandum was in force, the number of red deer increased by 16 thousand – from 52 to 68 thousand.