Factors preventing the recovery of New Zealand forests following control of invasive deer

Abstract

There is currently great interest in restoring ecosystems affected by invasive organisms. In New Zealand, deer were introduced during the nineteenth century, causing dramatic changes to the understory composition and structure of some forests. Deer prefer to browse on short tree species, mostly associated with early successional stands and moist-fertile sites, but many tall tree species are browsed only when other food sources are scarce. The government has invested heavily in control programs aimed at reducing deer numbers and thereby restoring forests to something approaching their preinvasion composition and structure, but have met with only limited success. Based on a literature review, ..