Intervention and Capacity Considerations in Community-Based Deer Management: The Stakeholders’ Perspective

Abstract

Community involvement with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) management in suburban areas has increased recently, presenting wildlife agencies, interest groups, local governments, and other stakeholders with challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Community-based deer management requires that stakeholders involved have capacity to engage in situation analysis, decision making, and management implementation (in some cases). The authors interviewed 55 stakeholders involved in collaborative deer management in six suburban communities in New York and Massachusetts, identifying dimensions of stakeholder capacity and capacity-developing intervention for effective collaboration. Capacity dimensions identified included: partnerships, credibility, funding, relationships, common purpose, knowledge, and leadership. Intervention dimensions included: stakeholder involvement, education, communication, assessment, agency flexibility, and planning. Using a public-issue evolution model, this article describes how deer management issues evolve and the capacity considerations in various stages of the issue-evolution process.