The Rewilding Rhodopes group have been releasing purple and fallow deer within the native panorama for 10 years. As the scale and vary of deer populations within the Jap Rhodopes proceed to extend, so the optimistic influence on biodiversity and native meals webs will proceed to extend too.
Bogdan Boev / Rewilding Europe
Strengthening the circle
In collaboration with Rewilding Europe and native companions, the Rewilding Rhodopes group have been working for a few years to revive the so-called “circle of life” within the Rhodopes Mountains rewilding panorama in Bulgaria. Rewilding efforts have seen populations of keystone herbivores reminiscent of purple and fallow deer, European bison and wild horses reintroduced and restocked, with advantages for native populations of carnivores and scavengers – reminiscent of vultures, wolves, golden eagles, and white-tailed eagles – and a variety of different species. Underpinned by wildlife comeback, the expansion of nature-based tourism can also be benefitting native communities.
During the last 10 years, in collaboration with native communities and looking associations, the Rewilding Rhodopes group have launched a complete of greater than 1000 fallow and purple deer, with extra releases deliberate. These animals are monitored with GPS transmitters, digicam traps, and discipline research.
Stefan Stefanov
Milestone achievement
A brand new report by Rewilding Rhodopes rewilding supervisor Stefan Avramov reveals how deer reintroduction and restocking efforts have seen purple deer increase their vary within the panorama ten-fold, from 100 – 150 sq. kilometres (km2) to greater than 1500 km2. The vary of fallow deer has elevated round five-fold – from 350 km2 to greater than 1500 km2. This ongoing vary enlargement is complemented by pure recolonisation of the panorama by purple deer transferring eastward from the Western Rhodopes, and fallow deer increasing from the Studen Kladenets Reserve, the place the species was reintroduced within the Nineteen Sixties.
“These outcomes characterize a milestone for our long-term rewilding efforts,” says Avramov, who oversees deer inhabitants restoration within the panorama. “Shifting forwards we’re aiming to construct on these achievements additional, with extra deer releases in strategic places. In collaboration with native companions, our goal is to revive purple and fallow deer populations throughout the complete Rhodope Mountains panorama. As the scale and vary of deer populations proceed to extend, so the optimistic influence on biodiversity and native meals webs will proceed to extend too, as we work in direction of a wilder, more healthy panorama ruled by pure processes.”
Supporting vulture comeback
Research have proven that carcasses of fallow deer now make up practically 9% of the meals of griffon vultures within the Rhodope Mountains, with this quantity anticipated to extend within the years forward.
The Rhodope Mountains rewilding group and native accomplice the Bulgarian Society for the Safety of Birds (BPSB) have been supporting the comeback of griffon vultures within the Rhodope Mountains since 2016, primarily by enhancing the provision of pure prey, and by working to scale back mortality attributable to elements reminiscent of poaching, poisoning, and collisions with energy strains. The useful influence of those efforts is mirrored within the ongoing development of the native griffon vulture inhabitants, which in 2024 had reached 138 pairs. The companions additionally started an ongoing programme to reintroduce cinereous vultures within the panorama in late 2022, with two releases to this point.
The carcasses of huge, free-roaming wild herbivores reminiscent of deer are free from veterinary medicines that are often discovered within the carcasses of livestock, that are at the moment a significant meals supply for vultures within the Rhodope Mountains. These medicines might be deadly for vultures and different species which feed on livestock carcasses.
“Shifting forwards, I consider the carcasses of untamed herbivores reminiscent of deer will represent an ever bigger a part of the weight loss plan of vultures and different scavengers,” says Stefan Avramov. “That is excellent news, as a result of in a really perfect world vultures within the Rhodope Mountains and throughout Europe would feed completely on wild carcasses, which characterize a protected and sustainable meals supply. We now have seen wolves and vultures feeding on fallow deer carcasses on digicam lure photographs, and we now have additionally seen purple deer which have been killed by wolves.”
Stefan Avramov / Rewilding Rhodopes
Enhancing biodiversity and coexistence
By enhancing pure grazing, the restoration of fallow and deer populations within the Rhodope Mountains is selling wider biodiversity. As they graze and browse on grass and bushes, the deer assist to take care of a semi-open, mosaic panorama, which helps an enormous vary of wildlife species, from orchids to tortoises.
The truth that wolves, which as a keystone species helps to take care of ecosystem stability, are more and more preying on fallow and purple deer, is sweet information too. The sort of full meals chain – with deer, wolves, and a variety of vulture species feeding on wolf kills – is at the moment distinctive in Europe. Wolves are discovered throughout the Rhodope Mountains, with their fundamental prey base at the moment comprising sheep and goats. Rising predation on deer means much less predation on livestock, which reduces potential battle between wolves and livestock homeowners and managers.
Jeroen Helmer
Productive collaboration
Deer releases by the Rewilding Rhodopes group are carried out in shut collaboration with native looking associations and supply a mannequin for cooperation between these initially unlikely companions. Looking items and companions are obliged to not hunt deer for at the very least 5 years following the final launch of their looking space. No looking affiliation has begun deer looking following releases by the group, which in some circumstances means no looking has been carried out for 10 years.
“Usually talking, hunters are very concerned with and supportive of deer restoration right here,” says Stefan Avramov. “They know that in the event that they need to hunt later, deer populations have to be protected and allowed to develop first.”
The Rewilding Rhodopes group will proceed their collaboration with all of the looking associations within the panorama to enhance deer monitoring and administration after looking bans have ended. This may guarantee reintroduced and restocked deer populations proceed to extend and increase their vary.
Stefan Avramov / Rewilding Rhodopes
Invaluable assist
Rewilding Europe’s work in our rewilding landscapes is supported by a variety of extremely valued companions. We’d notably wish to acknowledge these offering core funding – notably the Ecological Restoration Fund, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, WWF-Netherlands, and Arcadia. Their longstanding assist performs a vital function in enabling us to ship and scale up rewilding influence.
