Wildlife management in Denmark is expected to be supported by research and consultancy from Aarhus University in the coming four years. DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy – and the Department of Bioscience are expected to be awarded contracts for research and public sector consultancy for a total value of DKK 14 million per year from 2018 up to and including 2021, with an option of extension for up to two years.
This is the first tender following the announcement that all funds in the area of public sector consultancy under the Ministry of the Environment and Food of Denmark will be subjected to competitive bidding in the coming years.

“I’m incredibly pleased that we’ve won the competition for wildlife management, which is very important for the faculty. I’d like to extend my heartiest congratulations to all of you who work with wildlife research and consultancy. And a big thank you for your efforts to the entire team behind the professional offer that was prepared in early summer. I’m very proud of your work,” says Dean Niels Chr. Nielsen.

The tender was divided into two contracts – one for research and consultancy in the management of hunting, conflict species and invasive animals, and one for the management of animals and mammals, as well as human impact on the species.

Both contracts were clearly won by DCE/Bioscience, and the staff and management at the university can now plan the wildlife management work for the coming four years.

“This is great acknowledgement of the good and solid work we provide in the area of wildlife management. We got the highest ratings in all the partial parameters set out by the ministry, showing that we have strong research environments that are competitive, also in the area of public sector consultancy. Wildlife research and consultancy at Kalø are good examples of top-class public sector consultancy,” says Vice-Dean Kurt Nielsen.

In the letter of notification from the ministry stating that the university’s bid for the tendered contracts for wildlife management in Denmark had won the assignment of tasks, it says that Aarhus University had the highest score among all the tenderers in all the areas to be complied with in the tender material.

A standstill period will now apply to enable the processing of any formal complaints about the assignment of tasks. The contracts will subsequently be signed with effect from 1 January 2018.

Facts

Public sector consultancy covered by the wildlife contract between the ministry and DCE/Bioscience includes research and consultancy in:

• Integrated effects of human and natural impacts on animals and plants
• Birds, mammals and hunting and wildlife management

The knowledge acquired through research is used in nature management in the areas of quality, type, hunting and wildlife, forests, land use, landscapes and effects of wind turbine farms.

Part of this work involves the national hunting statistics database, an annual inventory of the number of animals hunted and killed in Denmark. The same applies to the wing survey, a voluntary scheme for hunters. They submit a wing from certain aquatic bird species to Bioscience for use in studying the bird populations.

Read more about research-based public sector consultancy at Bioscience.