Axis deer (Axis axis), an introduced invasive species of growing concern around the globe, have rapidly expanded through the southern cone countries in South America. Despite increasing culling efforts over 14 years, axis deer remained abundant at El Palmar National Park in north-eastern Argentina. We tested whether this continued abundance possibly reflected control failures as a result of adjacent plantation forests providing a safe-haven refuge for deer. We carried out a cross-sectional survey of deer faecal pellet groups and tracks in 77 matched pairs of 25 m² plots deployed at random over the park–plantation interface and assessed the presence of deer trails along the 14.2-km wire fence between both land-use types. The relative odds of having at least one pellet group (occupancy) were 4.5 (95% CI 1.5 to 18.3) times higher among park plots than plantation plots. Using generalized linear mixed models, the relative odds of occupancy decreased significantly with increasing distance to the main permanent water course, but it was 83% lower in plantation plots than in the park plots. Principal component analysis of shrub cover, plant structure and plant height revealed greater shelter within the park. Deer trails were spatially aggregated up to 2300 m and were directly associated with deer occupancy. These results indicate that, in El Palmar National Park interface, plantation forests do not provide a refuge or selected habitat, and suggest instead that the environmental characteristics and diversity of habitats within the protected area are relevant for the effectiveness of the exotic ungulate management program.

轴鹿 ( Axis axis ) 是一种在全球范围内日益受到关注的外来入侵物种，已在南美洲的南锥国家迅速扩张。尽管在过去 14 年间加大了扑杀力度，但阿根廷东北部埃尔帕尔马国家公园的轴鹿仍然数量众多。我们测试了这种持续的丰度是否可能反映了由于相邻的人工林为鹿提供了避风港而导致的控制失败。我们对 77 对 25 m ²配对的鹿粪便颗粒群和踪迹进行了横断面调查在公园 - 种植园界面上随机部署的地块，并评估了两种土地利用类型之间 14.2 公里铁丝网沿线的鹿迹的存在。公园地块中至少有一个颗粒组（占用率）的相对几率是种植地块的 4.5（95% CI 1.5 至 18.3）倍。使用广义线性混合模型，占用率随着与主要永久水道距离的增加而显着降低，但种植园地比公园地块低 83%。灌木覆盖、植物结构和植物高度的主成分分析显示公园内有更大的庇护所。鹿迹在空间上聚合达 2300 m，并与鹿的居住直接相关。这些结果表明，在埃尔帕尔马国家公园界面，