Digitising the management of wildlife, habitat and guests

What prompted Coillte to introduce a digitised system?

The initial idea was to move the existing mixture of paper-based and digital Lettings and Licences Management and Payment Systems onto a single modern online system. This would ensure we met both our existing and future business needs. It would also ensure that we maximised the benefits we saw from technological advances. As well as this, we needed to future-proof our activities to support our business needs. The main individual elements of the original requirements were for a hunting licence management solution including a mobile app, a hunting tendering solution, and a recreation licence solution.

What obstacles were faced?

Getting buy-in from the hunting associations. There are a number of hunting associations with slightly different remits so we needed to get them onboard as they would be using the system on a regular basis.

What will be the impact of the system in regards to wildlife management?

The system has not gone through a hunting season as yet, but the system will facilitate better communications with our users and allows them to check in and out when hunting, which is a key risk control to help us manage safety. We also believe the system will support the administration of the management of sustainable wildlife populations.

What has been the impact of introducing the system in regards to visitor management?

Capturing the licences spatially has allowed for integration into the overall Coillte Management System, which has health & safety benefits, i.e. we can now view licence activities and forest operations.

Any other benefits?

The system acts as a document management system, so licence holders can upload required certificates, insurance details, etc. This has reduced both the time spent on administration and potential clerical errors. It has also allowed Coillte to simplify and expedite the sharing of the data captured, through dashboard reporting.

Have there been any unexpected results from introducing the system?

With the introduction of workflows, we can ensure that licences can be tendered in a more streamlined fashion. It has also allowed us to move away from a paper and postal tendering process. The system allows issues arising to be recorded and managed; this can be especially useful where a member of staff has moved on.

What has been the reaction of the wildlife management community?

Although a lot of time and effort has gone into getting all the hunting associations on board, there is now a general consensus that they support the introduction of the system as it will also enable the individual hunter to readily access their own data on one platform.

Does having a digital system support afforestation projects?

In the future, through observations and with more data we will be better able to predict how new forests should be protected from deer damage.

As a forestry organisation, what do you expect from more data in regards to deer management?

With more detailed information provided including spatial locations, from hunters around shooting and culls, this will allow Coillte to effectively manage the deer population across our land.

What would you say to any other organisations considering introducing a digitised system such as HAMS.online?

This state-of-the-art letting and licences management system supports Coillte in becoming the best in class and supporting our future growth.

For a live demo of the system or to discuss how the system can support your work, please contact Alan Salisbury: [email protected] 07487 231065