Recreational Disturbance in the Bay Project (Expressions of Interest)

We are looking for expressions of interest from suitably qualified professionals, experienced
in landowner liaison & with a deep working knowledge of countryside & land management
& local knowledge of the Morecambe Bay area. The project is part of a wide-ranging
investigation into the ongoing effects of recreational disturbance on overwintering waders and
waterfowl and breeding bird assemblages within the Morecambe Bay & Lune Estuary SSSIs. This
project is funded by Natural England through their SSSI’s Investigation Fund for an initial
period until the end of March 2025, with possible extension subject to funding.

The successful applicant(s) will work with multiple landowners, tenant farmers and graziers of
stated units of Morecambe Bay SSSI and Lune Estuary SSSI which have been identified as having
saltmarsh and / or vegetated shingle habitat historically utilised by roosting waders and
wildfowl and breeding bird assemblages, but which are now known to be heavily disturbed by
recreational pressures

The project will examine what practical capital work interventions could be possible to create
barriers to non-legitimate access, such as for example fencing, ditch and scrape creation,
rewetting and ‘muddying up’ of saltmarshes. These measures would act as deterrents to reduce
non-authorised public access to protected sites and in doing so reduce the level of disturbance
on the features of the site whilst providing habitat improvement opportunities. Plans for the
King Charles III Coast Path sections in the relevant areas will be taken into consideration
with practical interventions including the provision of bird hides and screens and
interpretation to encourage more responsible engagement with the environment and understanding,
and therefore enhanced experience of the natural world. The project will explore with
landowners, tenant farmers and graziers how recreational disturbance impacts their businesses
and farming practices and what interventions would be suitable from a nature recovery and
landowner / farmer perspective.

Successful applicants will be able to draw up costed specifications of the potential interventions ready for when further funding comes available. Please note the project does not have funding for delivering the practical interventions at this stage.

We are open to all suggestions on how to successfully deliver the project including paid
employment, secondment, consultancy etc. We welcome applications which involve more than one
person in delivery of the project recognising the differing skill sets needed.

The full brief with outputs, milestones, what your EOI should include, contact details for any questions in advance & an application timetable, can be found here.