SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology (in short: SOVON) was founded in 1973 and originally established to promote volunteer fieldwork for the first national breeding bird atlas in the Netherlands. Originally being a foundation, it now 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.

Fieldwork for these surveys is carried out by more than 7,000 dedicated volunteer ornithologists. Furthermore, cooperation is received from many national and regional governmental agencies. The collaboration between a large number of volunteers, governmental bodies and a small professional staff at SOVON’s headquarters in Beek-Ubbergen has proven to be a powerful and effective way to monitor bird populations in the Netherlands, including Natura 2000 sites. Monitoring projects are funded by the national government, i.e. the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries or the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, and carried out in close cooperation with Statistics Netherlands. Data retrieved from the projects enable nature conservationists, site managers and policy-makers to develop and evaluate management plans and to set priorities and targets in nature conservation.

An english translation of the website is currently under construction and will be available soon. Meanwhile, a general introduction to the organisation and projects of SOVON, is available as a pdf.

Trends and distribution of birds in the Netherlands A database with a review of trends in distribution, numbers and trends of birds occurring regularly in the Netherlands is accessible here, also for those not familiar with Dutch language.

For further information please contact:
SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology
Rijksstraatweg 178
NL-6573 DG Beek-Ubbergen
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 24 6848111
Fax +31 24 6848122
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