Forty-five years of studying deer: a personal reflection of the past, present and future of deer research

This paper reflects on my contributions to the fields of large herbivore ecology, conservation, and land management over the past 45 years. Although the work spans diverse ecosystems and species, a unifying thread is the pioneering research on cervids. Here, I trace my progression of thought, including shifts in focus, challenges encountered, and the influences that shape my trajectory from foundational studies on the behavioural ecology of native red deer in the Scottish Highlands to the pivotal investigations into the ecological impacts and niche shifts of invasive deer in Australia and lately the design of future deerscapes in New Zealand. I further examine how the empirical findings informed broader, pragmatic contributions to conservation policy, particularly my co-authored wolf reintroduction proposal and my influential ‘rewilding lite’ framework. By bridging empirical science with a nuanced understanding of socio-economic and political contexts, my work demonstrates a crucial interdisciplinary approach to addressing complex human–livestock–wildlife conflicts. I would like to think that I have contributed to translating granular ecological data into evidence-based solutions for managing ecosystems in a human-dominated world and hope to influence the path of next generation scientists, farmers, and wildlife managers.