The Lynx Effect......?

I was lucky enough to have a ballon flight over the Chiltern hills a few years ago and one of the things that really struck me was the number of deer that only became visible from above.  As we drifted over fields of crops, many roe deer and muntjac would run from our shadow and the noise of the burner. Particularly in terms of woodland management we are desperately lacking in top predators to control deer numbers and it is having an effect not only on tree regeneration but also loss of nesting cover for low-nesting woodland species such as nightingale. As with all reintroductions there would be positives and negatives and farmers would need to be compensated for any livestock losses but I believe these would be minimal. What is really exciting is that a release would be possible somewhere like Thetford Forest in East Anglia and not just a remote area of Scotland. 'Re-wilding' is currently very much the topic of the moment and in terms of the concept of trophic cascades and the proven impact wolves have had on the ecosystems and biodiversity of Yellowstone in the USA, it is an exciting time for conservation.
http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/reintroducing-the-lynx-could-have-economic-and-environmental-benefits-11364013356004

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