Monitoring of Natterjack toad ( Epidalea calamita) populations in Co. Kerry, 2024-2026

Tender description

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), an Executive Agency within 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 through, among other means, the designation and conservation of sites under EU Directives and national legislation. The Natterjack Toad [Epidalea calamita] is listed on Annex IV of the E.U. Habitats Directive [92/43/EEC] and is also protected under the Wildlife Acts [1976 and 2000]. The species is considered to be Endangered in Ireland and in Unfavourable conservation status. The full details of its most recent conservation assessment (2019) can be viewed here: https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/NPWS_2019_Vol3_Species_Article17.pdf The Natterjack Toad lives at the edge of its climatic range in Ireland and is confined to a small number of coastal sites around the Dingle and Iveragh peninsulas in West Kerry. Recent monitoring contracts provide up to date information on all of the known breeding sites for the species. The most recent published report is here: https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM107.pdf