Friends of USPB  

Vogelbescherming Nederland (VBN)

Mission of the organisation

The conservation of wild birds in their natural distribution range, and the conservation and restoration of the populations and sites of these species, by which a contribution is also made to the conservation of biodiversity on earth.

Key Activities

Collecting and maintaining data on bird species, sites, and habitats important for birds. Focus on Red & Blue List species, IBAs and wet grassland and marshland habitats

From Data to Conservation

Analysing data, threats and trends to identify the bottlenecks for, and conservation needs of, Red & Blue List bird species, IBAs and (wet) grassland and marshland habitats

Conservation Action, Lobbywork and Advocacy

• Promoting the enforcement and proper implementation of national and international (EU) legislation, Directives and Conventions (including EU Birds and Habitat Directives, Bonn/AEWA and Ramsar Conventions) and building up case-law
• Promoting the (legal) conservation status of Red & Blue List bird species and Important Bird Areas (IBAs)
• Currently working on a new Dutch Red list for birds, using the new IUCN criteria
• Conservation, restoration and proper management of coastal IBA's (including lobbying for closure of mechanical hellfisheries)
• Implementation of the National Action Plan for Marshbirds
• Monitoring national policies on Cormorants, Grey-legged Geese and Ruddy Duck
• Conservation, restoration and proper management of grasslands, with a focus on Blacktailed Godwit, White Stork, Corncrake and Geese (including the gradual closing down of the White Stork reintroduction project in combination with habitat improvement for White Storks)
• Started in 2003 with a big three=year project for the conservation of wet grassland habitats with key species the Black-tailed Godwit, with 53 demonstration farms on which farmers on a voluntary basis implement Black-tailed Godwit friendly farming methods and land management
• Active participation in the BirdLife EU Campaign "Farming for Life"
• Active IBA-caretakers system with 84 voluntary IBA-caretakers taking care of 69 different Wetland IBA's.

Communication

• Promotion of Vogelbescherming Nederland and BirdLife International
• Raising public awareness on birds, sites and habitats, in order to support conservation and lobby work (including the running of a Bird Information Centre)
• Working more and more via Internet and the new VBN-website
• Proper communication with VBN's membership
• Network development
• Maintenance and improvement of a well co-ordinated regional network of bird conservation groups, other volunteers and professionals, including a Wetland IBA-caretakers system.
• Provide support and guidance to this network
• Membership campaign using garden birds
• Co-operation with other nature conservation NGO's, scientists and institutes, policy makers and government
• Active role in BirdLife International, including sufficient financial support for BirdLife core activities and BirdLife projects (including Partner projects)

Marketing

• Increasing incomes from members, legacies, donations, foundations, corporates
• Membership retention and recruitment, including proper servicing of members

Evaluation and Future

• Preparation of VBN Strategy, European Programme and annual workplans, based on thse of BirdLife
• Regular evalation of VBN Strategy and Europen Programme

Recent Achievements

• VBN and the Dutch Fisheries Union entered into an official covenant, to try to reduce the annual waterbird mortality in fishing nets on Lake Ijsselmeer (an IBA) from 50,000 birds to 2,000 birds
• Set up a joint monitoring project for breeding birds and wintering waterbirds with the Ministry of ANF and SOVON, as part of the implementation of the Birds Directive in the Netherlands
• Intensive lobby by VBN resulted in temporary closure of the North Sea coastal zone (SPA) for shellfisheries, to reduce starvation of Common Eider Ducks in winter. Scientists consider the shortage of suitable shellfish, acerbated by mechanical shell fisheries, as the main cause for the starvation
• Ran a successful membership appeal for Indonesia. With assistance from the BirdLife staff in Bogor, a fundraising appeal was established through several articles and a special fundraising letter to VBN's members. This helped the BirdLife Indonesia Programme to become a membership based NGO and to begin three conservation projects, for IBAs and globally threatened birds in Sumatra and on the Talaud Islands. A total of Euro 135,000 was raised