Outer Thames Estuary Special Protection Area digital aerial survey

Tender description

Natural England is seeking to procure a Contractor to undertake at least one and optionally two digital photographic/video aerial surveys of the areas within the boundary of the Outer Thames Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) (and within the amended boundaries of the Outer Thames Estuary proposed SPA (pSPA)) between 1st November 2017 and 28th February 2018 and to analyse the survey images to derive design-based or optionally model-based estimates of the red-throated diver Gavia stellata population within the SPA/pSPA and optionally the populations of any other species of interest captured in the survey images. The core requirements are to conduct one survey and to use the results of that to derive a design-based estimate of the population of red-throated divers and an interpolated density surface distribution map within the boundaries of the Outer Thames Estuary SPA/pSPA. Accordingly, costings should be provided to carry out all planning, data collection, analysis and reporting to deliver those core requirements.