Environmental Consultancy Services to Develop a Framework of Best Practice Measures and Guidelines for the Protection and Restoration of High Status River Waterbodies

Tender description

The Waters of LIFE is an EU LIFE Integrated Project which aims to help reverse the deterioration of Ireland’s most pristine waters. The ongoing loss of high status waters is among the most concerning, protracted and persistent water quality trend in Ireland. Other water quality trends have well-understood cause and effect, with detailed plans in place to mitigate impacts. More actions are necessary to protect pristine waters. Many of these waters are small, upland streams. The protection and restoration of these waters is one of the key underpinning principles of the Water Framework Directive. The overall objective of the Waters of LIFE IP is to support the implementation of measures to protect and enhance High-Status Waters and thus to support the work of the Blue Dot Catchments Programme as outlined at Section 8.3.2 (pages 103-105) of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018-2021. Outputs from the project will support the refinement and ongoing development of guidance and measures for farming, forestry and other land-use practices in the catchments of high-status waters. Critically, project outputs will provide input to the development of future national policies and strategies for the protection of high-status waters, in particular approaches for the elaboration of future agri-environment and forestry support measures needed to protect and preserve this important environmental resource. Tenders are invited for the provision of consultancy services to prepare a framework of best practice measures and guidelines for the protection and enhancement of high status river waterbodies. All relevant measures that may have application in high status river catchments will be identified and evaluated through the review process. Although not all will be trialled in demonstration catchment applications in this project, the framework will be available for roll out to support RBMP objectives, and the wider Blue Dot Programme in particular.