Survey of status of the White-clawed Crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes in designated SACs

Tender description

The White-clawed Crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes is fully protected under Irish law and is listed on Annex II and Annex V of the Habitats Directive. Listing on Annex II requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for White-clawed Crayfish and the species is listed as a qualifying interest for 15 SACs (see list below). The species was assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List (Füreder, L., Gherardi, F., Holdich, D., Reynolds, J., Sibley, P. & Souty-Grosset, C. 2010. Austropotamobius pallipes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T2430A9438817. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T2430A9438817.en) and the population in Ireland is of global significance for the conservation of the species. The primary objective of the Habitats Directive is to achieve favourable conservation status for all habitats and species referred to in Article 2 of the Directive. Article 11 of the Directive requires the monitoring of conservation status to determine whether favourable status has been achieved. Assessing the conservation status of a species requires establishing the range, estimating the population size, quantifying the area of suitable habitat available, and determining the future prospects of the species. Member states are required to report on the conservation status of species and habitats present within them every six years. The status of the species within the SACs for which it is listed is also a key part of this assessment and NPWS are seeking this information from suitably qualified experts. (refer to RFT)