Promoting responsible behaviour when camping with tents in Scotland

Tender description

Introduction 1. The Scottish Government (SG), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, wishes to commission research to help understand why some outdoor users behave responsibly (in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code) while others behave irresponsibly or illegally, when camping with tents. Of particular interest are irresponsible or illegal behaviour such as littering, inappropriate open fires, obstructive car parking, abandoning equipment, leaving human waste, noise and other antisocial behaviour (sometimes collectively referred to as ‘dirty camping’). The impacts of this kind of behaviour are wide-ranging, including damage to wildlife, the countryside and other outdoor places, as well as detracting from the overall visitor experience. Growing numbers of visitors (including ‘new’ outdoor visitors) since Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted have made these problems more acute in many areas. The purpose of this research is to provide information to help SG and NatureScot consider further how to avoid, reduce or mitigate the impacts of this behaviour, and to encourage more positive actions among outdoor users through communications and the positive management of popular areas used for camping in tents. 2. This specification sets out what is required, provides background information on the present understanding of irresponsible behaviour, and some methodological suggestions, but bidders are welcome to propose alternative methods for carrying out this work within the available budget and timescale.