ESPG (environmentally sensitive permanent grassland) SAC Surveys

Description

Expert scientific/technical services for a scoping study and pilot fieldwork survey of Annex I and semi-natural grasslands in SACs, with a view to refining existing maps of ESPG (environmentally sensitive permanent grassland) and identifying potential new ESPG areas in Ireland’s Natura 2000 network. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) are seeking to procure expert scientific/technical services for a scoping study and pilot fieldwork survey of existing Annex I grasslands and of semi-natural grasslands in SACs, with a view to refining existing maps of ESPG (environmentally sensitive permanent grassland) and identifying potential new ESPG areas in Ireland’s Natura 2000 network (i.e. SACs and SPAs ). The amount of potential habitat which is unmapped may be large, and so a scoping study (desk-based) will first be carried out to investigate current mapping, the scale of the task, and the best way to approach it. Based on this, pilot sites will be chosen to be surveyed in 2022. The results of the project will inform NPWS and DAFM on the potential for further studies. The project will involve deskwork in spring 2022, and field survey work in summer 2022 (ideally June/July). Ongoing communication with project partners will be integral to this project, and final delivery of project results will be in September 2022. The fieldwork will need to be carried out by ecologists with strong expertise and experience, as grasslands and grassland plants are difficult to identify. While the contract will be with NPWS, the project is a joint venture between NPWS and DAFM. See RfT document for full specification