Environmental services

Tender description

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG) now invites tenders for the provision of a nationwide citizen science-based bird monitoring programme, comprised of the Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) and the Irish Wetland Birds Survey (I-WeBS) and other associated surveys (e.g. 2025 International Swan Census). The monitoring programme proposed by the tenderer must be capable of full operability from November 2020. A detailed specification of the Department’s technical requirements is set out below. A strict schedule of deliverables will be agreed with the successful Tenderer, with the contract expected to commence on 2 November 2020 and set to conclude by 31 October 2025. 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 Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) and the Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS) provide the largest and most significant contribution to monitoring Ireland’s birds. The CBS has been running since 1998 and I-WeBS since 1994, with each survey undertaken nationwide annually. The CBS is used to accurately monitor 52 species of widespread breeding birds, while I-WeBS gathers data on 72 wintering waterbird species. The I-WeBS programme also includes a number of associated species-specific surveys, such as periodic goose and swan censuses, as well as the Non-estuarine Coastal waterbird survey. Data from CBS and I-WeBS informs Ireland’s Article 12 reporting under the birds directive, covering almost 60 % of bird species which are reported on by Ireland. Both surveys also help identify research gaps/needs and contribute to national and international initiatives, such as the European Farmland Bird Index (FBI) (one of the EU’s Sustainable Development Indicators) in the case of CBS and the International Waterbird Census (I-WeBS). Recent Irish Wildlife Manual reports summarise the results of the CBS and I-WeBS monitoring programmes (see https://www.npws.ie/publications/irish-wildlife-manuals). Heretofore, CBS and I-WeBS have been co-ordinated by professional staff of BirdWatch Ireland under contract from NPWS (of DCHG). The counters that significantly and regularly contributed to these surveys are largely composed of volunteers, NPWS (DCHG staff) and BirdWatch Ireland staff. See RfT Document.