A census of breeding Common Scoter in Ireland and assessment of their breeding productivity (1202_BCSB20)

Tender description

National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG) is responsible for the conservation and management of natural habitats and species and the protection of biological diversity in Ireland. The Common Scoter Melanitta nigra is a sea duck that breeds in freshwater lakes in Ireland. The species is a red-listed species of conservation concern in Ireland. The population has undergone significant population declines in recent decades; the latest assessment of the population (in 2012) reported an estimated population of just 39 breeding pairs. Furthermore, the population is restricted to just a few breeding sites. Robust, contemporary data on this species’ population size, range, productivity and habitat use is essential to the development and implementation of effective conservation and management programmes. Thus, a census of breeding Common Scoter populations and an assessment of their breeding success and productivity at all known recent breeding sites is required, as well as information on their habitat use and pressures and threats faced. The Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht now invites tenders for the provision of a census and productivity assessment of breeding Common Scoter in Ireland in 2020.