OWD - Marine Mammal Impact Assessment

Tender description

Validating and Updating Parameters for Marine Mammal Cumulative Impact Assessment Frameworks. Lot 1: The Offshore Wind Directorate invited tenders from suitably qualified contractors to provide a desk-based model validation study to evaluate the uncertainty in the parameters of current cumulative impact assessment frameworks effecting marine mammals (namely iPCoD and DEPONS) and suggest parameter revisions where information has been updated. Cumulative impact assessment is a key consideration under the environmental impact assessment (EIA) framework. Given the rate of development of multiple offshore wind farms and associated coastal infrastructure following the ScotWIND leasing round, as well as increased interest in tidal stream developments, cumulative impacts on marine mammals must be considered by developers. It is vital Scottish Government use the best available evidence when making decisions in the marine environment. Therefore, this project will review the parameters of current models (i.e. iPCoD and DEPONS), test their sensitivities and make suggestions where improvements can be made to ensure the tools contain the most robust parameter estimates. This tender will contribute to the overall process of the marine renewables deployment and will support the Scottish Governments Net Zero ambitions while protecting our marine environment and supporting future planning work.