Wild Strathfillan Project invites tenders

The Countryside Trust has announced an invitation to tender for a ‘Rainforest bryophytes survey and assessment’, which will support the first delivery phase of Wild Strathfillan nature restoration project.

Funding has been awared through NatureScot’s Nature Restoration Fund for ‘Lochside to Mountain-top', the first delivery phase of Wild Strathfillan.  

As part of that work, the Countryside Trust have published an invitation to tender to gather comprehensive data on bryophyte populations within the Wild Strathfillan initiative area - crucial for minimising future losses bryophyte and to ensure effective conservation strategies (bryophytes are a group of plants that include mosses, liverworts and hornworts).

Wild Strathfillan is an ambitious landscape-scale nature restoration initiative which covers approximately 50,000 Ha of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The Trust is working in partnership with land managers, local communities, environmental NGOs, government agencies, businesses and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority to deliver this work.

The western area of Wild Strathfillan falls within the easternmost reaches of the Scottish Rainforest Zone, renowned for its diverse bryophyte flora.

Although detailed information on the specific bryophyte species within the Wild Strathfillan area is currently limited, it is acknowledged that in certain areas these plants are under pressure from herbivores.

Populations of rare bryophytes in Britain require meticulous monitoring, as many species are at risk due to habitat changes or accidental destruction. The latest census by the British Bryological Society identifies 1,098 bryophyte species on the red list in Scotland. This gives Scotland a significant international responsibility to conserve these species. Additionally, bryophytes are ecologically important and sensitive to environmental changes, making them excellent indicators of the landscape's ecological health.

Gathering comprehensive data on the bryophyte populations within the project area is crucial for minimising future losses and ensuring effective conservation strategies are planned and implemented.

The tender aims to progress these objectives by systematically documenting the presence and distribution of bryophytes, assessing the pressures they face, and recommending targeted conservation actions to protect these valuable species.

The Countryside Trust are seeking to appoint a contractor with specialist bryophyte knowledge to plan and undertake targeted surveys to help gather baseline data. This contract will focus primarily on bryophyte species associated with temperate rainforest habitat, although montane bryophytes will be considered as part of the desk study.

You can find the details of the invitation to tender at the Public Contracts Scotland website.

The deadline for submissions is 04/11/2024.

Pic credit: Liverworts View by Milosz_G from Canva