Challenge 8.5: How can technology help NatureScot flexibly manage its understanding of the state of protected areas by making best use of available evidence?

Key information for applicants

Please note: you must apply for this Challenge via Public Contracts Scotland

Launch date
Wednesday 9 November 2022

Closing date
Midday, Wednesday 30 November

Exploration Stage interviews
Tuesday 13 December 2022

Exploration Stage
9 to 27 January 2023

Accelerator interviews
Wednesday 1 February 2023

Accelerator Stage
27 February to 9 June 2023

Maximum contract value
£650,000

What does this mean?

Q&A session

A live Q&A session was held with the Challenge Sponsor team on Tuesday 15th November 2022. A recording of the session can be viewed here:

Why does this Challenge need to be solved?

NatureScot needs to be able to plan, collate and review evidence, inform management, and communicate and report on the state of protected areas across Scotland. However, our approach to protected areas is undergoing transformation as, e.g., we seek to increase the proportion of Scotland’s land protected for nature by 66% (30x30), develop an ecosystem health based approach, and continue to develop our approach to monitoring marine protected areas. 

The ecosystem health approach will likely move away from the highly structured feature and attribute-based monitoring to a more holistic approach that focusses on function, resilience and pressures at varying scales. Importantly, we need greater flexibility in the way we are able to present this information to end users in order to maximise its contribution to halting the loss of nature.

Since our current approach to protected area monitoring was established innovative technologies are opening up new evidence sources, e.g. those based on earth observation or eDNA. We need to make better use of these sources to inform urgent management of protected areas and beyond. In addition, we need to streamline the data pipeline, e.g. through better integration with field monitoring applications.

How will we know the Challenge has been solved?

• Protected area data is being used more frequently by land and sea managers to inform on-the-ground/marine management decisions

• We are making better use of a wider range of evidence sources to understand the state of nature on protected areas and continue to add new sources as they become available.

• We are able to adapt our database and workflow management systems to meet changing demands without the need for re-development (configurable systems)

• We are able to integrate datasets at different scales to inform management at appropriate scales

• NatureScot staff spend less time interpreting and communicating monitoring outcomes and more time facilitating solutions

• The cost of monitoring per protected area decreases

• We are making better use of field data recording applications

• Our data and workflow management system is able to cope with more holistic approaches to monitoring, assessing qualities of nature beyond our current feature-based approach

• Protected area monitoring data is better integrated with other monitoring schemes to inform wider countryside priorities and actions

• Greater speed of feedback between land and sea management actions and the health of protected areas improves our evidence-base

Who are the end users of the solution likely to be?

• NatureScot staff and contractors who need to plan, target resources and interpret data on protected areas

• Planners, developers, land managers, communities who want to understand how best to improve the health of nature on protected areas and beyond

• Regional/national leaders and other policy makers who need to understand trend in and drivers of change in the health of nature.

Has the Challenge Sponsor attempted to solve this problem before?

• We are in the process of conducting discovery business analysis in order to inform a high-level options appraisal. This will consider a range of development/procurement solutions including in-house development, external challenge approach, direct procurement of existing solutions (where they exist). Due November 2022.

• Natural England is currently attempting to develop/procure a solution based on a similar, but not identical, set of challenge drivers.

Are there any interdependencies or blockers?

• Developer resources to facilitate integration with existing NatureScot databases, e.g. through API development, can be a challenge without adequate planning. Limited resources across multiple projects means we sometimes struggle to service agile-led project development.

• We have strict cyber-security protocols that will need to be accounted for by any product

• We are in the process of moving many of our internal systems to the cloud. This is ongoing and will affect data-flows and product integration routes.

Will a solution need to integrate with any existing systems or equipment?

• Esri GIS services

• Other databases and internal systems

• Relevant external data source, e.g. APIS database (air pollution)

Any technologies or features the Challenge Sponsor wishes to explore or avoid?

We are completely open to all and any solutions.

What is the commercial opportunity beyond a CivTech contract?

• Other environmental agencies (Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency)

• Global potential, e.g. other European conservation agencies

• Wider applications for those requiring highly flexible and configurable and efficient data and workflow management solutions

Who are the stakeholders?

• Expert input from academia, eNGOs, nature agencies

• Land owners, farmers, crofters

Who’s in the Challenge Sponsor team?

• Senior Reporting Officer

• Project Manager

• Project Officer

What is the policy background to the Challenge?

• Adapting to the changing protected area landscape as we develop our approach to 30x30 (30% of Scotland’s land and sea protected for nature)

• Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy

• National Planning Framework 2

• Official Statistic on protected areas

• European and international reporting obligations, e.g. Article 17

• Other recommendations from NatureScot’s Protected Areas for Nature Review.

• Common Standards Monitoring (although some of these standards are likely to change as we develop new approaches)