Russian Bird Conservation Union

The Russian Bird Conservation Union (Russian: Союз охраны птиц России, СОПР; SOPR) is a Russian public environmental organization whose stated purpose is to conserve the biodiversity, numbers and habitats of wild birds in Russia. It is a membership-based NGO rather than a commercial enterprise, but it operates a recognizable organizational brand with its own emblem, publications, campaigns and online presence. Its emblem is the slender-billed curlew, based on a sketch by Evgeny Koblik. The Union was founded on 9 February 1993 at a founding meeting held in the Grand Zoological Auditorium of the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University. Its founders were professional ornithologists, amateur ornithologists, employees of various environmental services and ecological activists from 25 institutions and organizations, including institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, nature reserves and ornithological societies. Its first elected president was the ornithologist Vladimir Flint, followed by Vladimir Galushin and then Viktor Zubakin; Andrei Saltykov was elected in 2015. The Union was registered on 7 May 1993 with the Ministry of Justice as a pan-regional organization, and in 1999 it became an all-Russian organization. The Union is present through its branches in 64 regions of the Russian Federation, bringing together more than 2,500 professional and amateur ornithologists. Its activities cover almost the entire territory of Russia. It develops special environmental programmes and projects, conducts bird protection actions, organizes conferences and training seminars, and publishes articles, scientific collections, newsletters, reference works and field guides on birds. It is engaged in developing and implementing conservation projects for particular bird species and their habitats, as well as in public education. A major part of the Union's work is a system of mass public actions, including popular campaigns such as "Bird of the Year", "Spring Bird Day", "Autumn Bird Observation Days", "Feed the Birds", "Nightingale Evenings" and others. Each year, as part of the "Grey Neck" campaign, the Union conducts a winter count of migratory birds in Russia. At the initiative of the Simbirsk branch of SOPR, active work is carried out under the "Birds and Power Lines" programme, devoted to the problem of bird mortality from electric current on overhead power lines. The Union supports International Bird Observation Days in Russia, initiated by the international bird protection association. From 1995 to 2009, the Russian Bird Conservation Union entered into a partnership with BirdLife International and represented it on the territory of the Russian Federation. Since 1995 it has published a scientific bulletin entitled "The World of Birds" ("Мир птиц"). The Union celebrated its twentieth anniversary with an all-Russian scientific and practical conference, "Problems of Bird Protection in Russia", held on 7–8 February 2013 at the Darwin Museum. The conference brought together 118 people from 29 Russian regions, with particular attention paid to discussing a new list of rare bird species for the next edition of the Red Book of Russia. In 2017 the "Bird of the Year" was declared to be the brown-headed tit. The Union's main sources of funding are membership dues, voluntary donations and targeted income for the implementation of special bird protection and environmental education programmes in Russia.

The Russian Bird Conservation Union was founded on 9 February 1993. The decision to create the Union was taken at a founding meeting held in the Grand Zoological Auditorium of the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University. Its founders were professional ornithologists, amateur ornithologists, employees of various environmental services and ecological activists from 25 institutions and organizations, including institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, nature reserves and ornithological societies. Its first elected president was the ornithologist Vladimir Flint. He was succeeded by Vladimir Galushin and then by Viktor Zubakin; Andrei Saltykov was elected in 2015. The Union was registered on 7 May 1993 with the Ministry of Justice as a pan-regional organization. In 1999 it became an all-Russian organization. From 1995 to 2009, the Russian Bird Conservation Union entered into a partnership with BirdLife International and represented it on the territory of the Russian Federation. Since 1995 it has published a scientific bulletin entitled "The World of Birds" ("Мир птиц"). The Union has grown into a nationwide network present through its branches in 64 regions of the Russian Federation, bringing together more than 2,500 professional and amateur ornithologists. Its activities cover almost the entire territory of Russia. The Union develops special environmental programmes and projects, conducts bird protection actions, organizes conferences and training seminars, and publishes articles, scientific collections, newsletters, reference works and field guides on birds. It is engaged in developing and implementing conservation projects for particular bird species and their habitats, as well as in public education. The Union organizes competitions, exhibitions and other all-Russian and regional events whose main subject is birds living in Russia. A major part of the Union's work is a system of mass public actions, including popular campaigns such as "Bird of the Year", "Spring Bird Day", "Autumn Bird Observation Days", "Feed the Birds", "Nightingale Evenings" and others. Each year, as part of the "Grey Neck" campaign, the Union conducts a winter count of migratory birds in Russia. At the initiative of the Simbirsk branch of SOPR, active work is carried out under the "Birds and Power Lines" programme, devoted to the problem of bird mortality from electric current on overhead power lines. The Union supports International Bird Observation Days in Russia, initiated by the international bird protection association. The Union solemnly celebrated its twentieth anniversary and the results of its work during that period with the all-Russian scientific and practical conference "Problems of Bird Protection in Russia", held on 7–8 February 2013 at the Darwin Museum. The conference brought together 118 people from 29 Russian regions; particular attention was paid to discussing a new list of rare bird species for the next edition of the Red Book of Russia. In 2017 the "Bird of the Year" was declared to be the brown-headed tit. The Union's main sources of funding are membership dues, voluntary donations and targeted income for the implementation of special bird protection and environmental education programmes in Russia. Its programmes include "Important Bird Areas" (Ключевые орнитологические территории, КОТР); "Birds and Power Lines"; "In Search of Lapwings in the Steppes of Southern Russia", clarifying the current state of nesting habitats of the sociable lapwing on the territory of Russia; a programme for the study of woodcock biology; the "Kholzan" programme for breeding and releasing birds of prey; the "Corncrake" programme for the study and protection of the most important corncrake habitats in European Russia; a programme for the study and conservation of the middle spotted woodpecker; the "Nightingale Evenings" programme for counting nightingales in Russian cities; and the "Spring is Coming!" programme of phenological observations of the white stork, common cuckoo, barn swallow, European bee-eater and common swift.

• Founding meeting held in the Grand Zoological Auditorium of the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University; Union founded.

• Registered with the Ministry of Justice as a pan-regional organization.

• Began publishing the scientific bulletin "The World of Birds" ("Мир птиц").

• Partnership with BirdLife International; represented BirdLife on the territory of the Russian Federation.

• Became an all-Russian organization.

• All-Russian scientific and practical conference "Problems of Bird Protection in Russia" held at the Darwin Museum, marking the Union's 20th anniversary.

• Andrei Saltykov elected president.

• "Bird of the Year" declared to be the brown-headed tit.

A membership-based all-Russian public environmental organization and the leading civil-society platform for wild bird conservation, citizen-science monitoring and environmental education in Russia.

• "Bird of the Year" campaign

  Annual popular campaign selecting a bird species of the year to raise public awareness.

• "Spring Bird Day" campaign

  Mass public action welcoming the return of migratory birds.

• "Autumn Bird Observation Days"

  Autumn bird observation events across Russia.

• "Feed the Birds" campaign

  Winter campaign encouraging the public to feed birds.

• "Nightingale Evenings" campaign

  Counting nightingales in Russian cities.

• "Grey Neck" winter count

  Annual winter count of migratory birds in Russia.

• "Birds and Power Lines" programme

  Addressing bird mortality from electric current on overhead power lines.

• "Important Bird Areas" (КОТР) programme

  Identification and protection of territories and water bodies important for birds.

• "In Search of Lapwings in the Steppes of Southern Russia"

  Clarifying the current state of nesting habitats of the sociable lapwing in Russia.

• Woodcock biology study programme

  Study of woodcock biology.

• "Kholzan" programme

  Breeding and releasing birds of prey.

• "Corncrake" programme

  Study and protection of the most important corncrake habitats in European Russia.

• Middle spotted woodpecker programme

  Study and conservation of the middle spotted woodpecker.

• "Spring is Coming!" programme

  Phenological observations of the white stork, common cuckoo, barn swallow, European bee-eater and common swift.

• "The World of Birds" ("Мир птиц") bulletin

  Scientific bulletin published since 1995.

1. 1Союз охраны птиц Россииrbcu.ru
2. 2Russian Bird Conservation Unionwikidata.org
3. 3Union pour la protection des oiseaux de Russiefr.wikipedia.org