Revision of open range herbivore impact assessment methods: Phase 2

Tender description

In 2024-25 NatureScot commissioned James Hutton Institute to consolidate information on the current range of Herbivore Impact Assessment (HIA) methods used across Scotland for a range of purposes and between practitioners, and to gain consensus to aid more informed application in the future. We now wish to procure a second phase to the project to test and refine the methods using expert surveyors and then wider testing using a user group with varying skill sets. The final outputs from this project will be: - a short report detailing the results of the testing that has been completed and the rationale for any changes made to the methods. - a user-ready guide and field recording forms to allow wider roll-out and adoption of the revised methods. Full details are in the Statement of Requirements document attached to this Notice. Lot 1: In 2024-25 NatureScot commissioned James Hutton Institute to consolidate information on the current range of Herbivore Impact Assessment (HIA) methods used across Scotland for a range of purposes and between practitioners, and to gain consensus to aid more informed application in the future. We now wish to procure a second phase to the project to test and refine the methods using expert surveyors and then wider testing using a user group with varying skill sets. The final outputs from this project will be: - a short report detailing the results of the testing that has been completed and the rationale for any changes made to the methods. - a user-ready guide and field recording forms to allow wider roll-out and adoption of the revised methods. Full details are in the Statement of Requirements document attached to this Notice.