Trophic rewilding with red deer in Het Groene Woud, the Netherlands

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate what vegetation changes have occurred in the 300 ha red deer enclosure of Het Groene Woud, the Netherlands, and if these changes in vegetation can attributed to area usage by red deer. This is a quantitative study which hopes to add to the current body of literature concerning rewilding, much of which consists of qualitative research. This study conducted fieldwork in which vegetation functional groups, mature trees and saplings up to 1.5m within the enclosure were measured in summer 2019. The fieldwork data was combined with GPS data from deer collars to relate the field layer and saplings with deer intensity of use. The vegetation change within the area between 2017 and 2019 was also analysed using data from a winter 2016/17 study of the area prior to red deer reintroduction. I found that deer intensity of use was lower in areas with more deadwood, that the amount of debarking of mature trees increased in areas of high deer intensity of use, and that bramble height was lower in areas of high deer intensity of use. Most other vegetation functional groups showed no relationship to deer intensity; forb height showed some showed a trend towards a relationship with deer intensity of use, however extensive further research is needed to eliminate any seasonal effects between the 2017 and 2019 studies. Saplings numbers were highest in areas of low and high deer intensity of use, and also showed some response to other vegetation structure parameters, such as the amount of lying deadwood.