Hydrological Scientific Support

Tender description

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) provides the legislative and policy framework for the conservation of nature and biodiversity in the Republic of Ireland. It also oversees its implementation, based on good science, with particular emphasis on the protection of habitats and species. The conservation of restoration of biodiversity and habitats in Ireland necessitates scientific monitoring to inform management design and to evaluate the relative success of implemented works. The conservation of habitats is also increasingly valued as an important component of global processes such as climate regulation, food security and water supply. NPWS is currently managing and regulating a large programme of works related to peatland restoration, as well as the conservation management of river, callow, turlough and coastal dune ecosystems. This has led to the need for additional hydrological expertise to aid in the design of management plans and to assess plans and measures developed by other agencies. Concurrent with these work programmes has been the expansion of NPWS’s ecological monitoring work plans that now incorporate ecohydrological flows (water levels, runoff and quality related to ecosystems) and greenhouse gas monitoring from peatlands (flux chamber and eddy covariance monitoring), via LIFE and Scientific Unit (SU) funded projects. This is to assist Ireland in meeting its international and national legal obligations in terms of nature conservation and climate action. The purpose of this request for tender is to procure scientific support to aid in the development and assessment of hydrological management plans for ecosystems, assessment of the pressures potentially impacting on ecosystems and to carry out hydrological monitoring, database management and analysis where necessary. See RfT Document for further information