The science and politics of managing deer within a protected area

Virginia's Conservation and Research Center, which covers around 1,400 ha of pastures and deciduous forests and is situated on the west slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has had a problem with excessive numbers of white-tailed deer since the 1970s. It initially turned to hunting in the 1980s to deal with this problem, but this attracted opposition from animal-rights groups. Early failures in deer management prompted extensive research, and considerable attention has been given to the impact of high deer densities on ecosystem processes.