There is an unwritten law in nature that states that in a given area there cannot be more than a certain number of individuals making up a population, be it a lake or a forest. This is called the carrying capacity of the environment.
Biologists have always represented this idea in their work over time. Sometimes we have to make decisions that may seem difficult to understand for some people, but that ultimately benefit both the natural environment and the animal population in the area.
We recently learned that the government had authorized the shooting of a certain number of white-tailed deer in two national parks. According to experts, the ideal density for everything to go well, both for the environment and for the deer, is five animals per square kilometer. This is the optimal situation.
According to the last census last winter, there were 436 deer in the Îles de Boucherville National Park, a 42% increase compared to the last census two years earlier. This density is eight times what the area can hold.
In the case of Mont Saint-Bruno National Park, last winter’s inventory showed that 353 deer lived there, an increase of 119% compared to the last inventory two years earlier. This number of animals corresponds to five times more animals per square kilometer than the area can accommodate.
If we take into account the reproductive rate of deer, since the female can give birth to one to three young in the first year, these populations could explode. Natural environments simply cannot support such a population for long, especially when it comes to food.
Photo provided by Julien Cabana
Mild winters and examples
In recent years, winters in Quebec have been milder. This situation greatly benefits the deer population, which is exploding almost everywhere in the area. The distribution by region is not uniform, which explains why hunters are in abundance in certain areas while others want measures to limit the harvest.
Overall, however, we can say that the population of white-tailed deer is currently very high in Quebec, with more than 250,000 individuals, with the exception of Anticosti Island.
The phenomenon of overgrazing has been observed elsewhere, in species other than deer. In the Matane nature reserve, for example, the moose population temporarily grew to such an extent that these animals completely destroyed their habitat. Measures were taken to increase the sample, so today the situation has returned to normal.
Too much competition
We can also examine the caribou situation in the far north of Quebec. Specialists estimated that there were a million caribou in the territory, counting individuals from the various herds.
It quickly became apparent that caribou were smaller, thinner and had to travel longer distances to feed themselves. The environment was no longer able to meet the needs of such a population. Diseases and famine occurred, which led to a drastic decline in the numbers of the various herds.
On the island of Anticosti, the deer population at times exceeded 160,000 animals. They were smaller and thinner because their numbers were too large compared to the carrying capacity of the natural environment. A harsh winter killed more than 40,000 deer. They simply did not have the strength to withstand the length and severity of this difficult winter.
We can apply the same model to certain fishing lakes where we only catch small trout that are several years old. The reason is simple: there is too much competition for available food, which prevents weight gain.
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