SOVON Vogelonderzoek Nederland

Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology was founded in 1973 to promote volunteer fieldwork for the first national breeding bird atlas in the Netherlands. Originally being a foundation, since 1985 it operates as a society with 3,500 members and a board in which regional bird clubs are represented. Key activity is the organisation of national surveys of wild birds in the Netherlands and demographic research to study dynamics in wild bird populations, as well as professional surveys and environmental impact assessments. Fieldwork for most of the monitoring surveys is carried out by more than 7,000 dedicated volunteer ornithologists. The collaboration between a large number of volunteers, several institutes and the professional staff at Sovon's headquarters at the university (Natuurplaza) in Nijmegen has proven to be a powerful and effective way to monitor wild bird populations in the Netherlands, including Natura 2000 sites.