Foreword:SEO/BirdLife

Birds as biodiversity indicators and the work of SEO/BirdLife.

It is difficult to overstate the important role that birds currently play as indicator organisms.Perhaps it is enough to point out that without them,it would have been far more time-consuming and costly to detect the very serious environmental problems caused by the use of DDT and other insecticides in the middle of the last century,or more recently, to discover the harmful effects that result from the intensification of agriculture on biodiversity.Without birds and,of course, without the hundreds or thousands of amateur ornithologists, organised through scientific and conservation associations,who contribute unselfishly with their knowledge and efforts to compile the necessary field information,we would not have access to as much biodiversity data as we do now.Since 1967,several species of birds have been used in the United States National Pesticide Monitoring Program.Since 1999 the population size of common birds has been used as one of the main indicators of quality of life and sustainable development in the United Kingdom.Little by little,as modern societies' enthusiasm for ornithology has grown,and concern about the environment and biodiversity conservation has also increased, long-term bird population monitoring programmes have also advanced,together with the institutional recognition of their practical applications.

In the case of Spain,the pioneering efforts date back to the 1970s with the organization of the winter waterfowl census and the work towards the national ornithological atlas. However,the common birds monitoring programme (SACRE, by its initials in Spanish) did not start until 1996.This represents a significant delay compared to other western European countries.Obviously,this is associated with the relatively late development of an interest in birds (by way of example,in 1980 SEO/BirdLife had not reached the figure of 500 members,while in 1990 it was just above 2,000 members,ten years later it exceeded 6,000 and today it is close to 12,000 members).Nevertheless,from very early on,we Spanish ornithologists saw very clearly what our goal was.In the belief that knowledge and the conservation of birds should go hand in hand,we have not wavered in our commitment to pursue high quality bird monitoring programmes.We have also been fortunate with the many years of trust placed in us by the public authorities responsible for biodiversity conservation, thus making possible the continuity of effort which is essential for the success of such programmes. For these reasons,the publication I am honoured to present here is,for me,and for all of us in SEO/BirdLife,a source of immense satisfaction.I believe that this document faithfully represents the different methodological approaches and the main results that,at last,allow us to have a relatively clear and accurate overview of the current state of Spain’s bird fauna, which is the basic tool needed for its conservation.I am also confident that this information will be useful in the efforts of the different public authorities and non-governmental organisations to conserve biodiversity,especially important at a time when new goals are needed after the confirmation of the failure of the 2010 targets.

I cannot finish without expressing my thanks for the many sources of support that enable SEO/BirdLife to carry out its bird monitoring programme,especially our members and supporters who consistently get up at the crack of dawn to carry out field surveys.And last but not least,I would like to make clear our commitment to consolidate and improve as far as possible this very important work as we look to the future.

Eduardo de Juana

President SEO/BirdLife