Abstract:
In this paper, we conduct a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of five alternative management strategies for red deer in Denmark:
free harvest, trophy hunting, maximum harvest and two cases for natural demographic population compositions. To capture
the outcome under each strategy we use a biological sex- and age-structured population model. The net benefit function
includes meat values, recreational values, browsing damage costs and traffic damage costs and these values and costs are
assumed to differ for the various sex and age classes of red deer. We show that the maximum harvest strategy leads to a
reasonably high positive total net benefit, while the free harvest strategy yields a small positive net benefit. On the other
hand, the trophy hunting strategy generates a high negative net benefit, while small negative net benefits are obtained under
the two strategies for natural demographic population compositions.
