Strengthening Bird Monitoring Across Europe – three projects need your support within the EBCC Small Grant Fund scheme

Three new projects – led by partners in Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Armenia – were short-listed in the Small Grant Fund scheme in 2025. They aim to fill knowledge gaps, expand monitoring coverage, and build long-term conservation capacity. Together, they strengthen the collective effort of the European Bird Census Council (EBCC) and its partners to generate high-quality, comparable data that guides decision-making at national and continental scales. The support for these projects totals 30,000 euros, and EBCC welcomes any donations on their behalf.

Here, we describe the projects selected for the support (order does not reflect the scores each project received in the evaluation by the EBCC Board):

Improving Common Bird Monitoring and Pelican Surveys in Romania

Country: Romania 

Project lead: Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) 

The grant’s proposal has two different goals. The first goal is to improve the quality of the monitoring data delivered annually by the Romanian Common Bird Monitoring scheme, by increasing both the number of plots and the coverage of the national territory. The Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) considers the programme a priority, providing funding from the internal resources during the years without financing (“gap years”). The second goal is to ensure the continuity of monitoring in breeding populations of the pelican species. The breeding monitoring of pelican species (Pelecanus onocrotalus and Pelecanus crispus) in Romania has been covered so far by the LIFE programme, which ends in 2025.

Key Objectives of the project are to: 

• Improve the quality and representativeness of Romania’s Common Bird Monitoring (CBM) data. 
• Restore coverage in under-represented regions and landscapes. 
• Rebuild and expand the network of skilled volunteer observers. 
• Ensure continuity of annual monitoring of Great White and Dalmatian Pelican after the conclusion of previous LIFE funding. 

Urban Bird Monitoring in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UBMBiH) 

Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Project lead: Ornithological Society “Naše ptice”

Urban Bird Monitoring in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UBMBiH) aims to initiate systematic bird monitoring in urban areas across Bosnia and Herzegovina, increasing the number of volunteers collecting structured data while building baseline knowledge crucial for conservation planning and integration with EBCC frameworks. The data collected by the trained volunteers will contribute to the national and European monitoring schemes. Urban areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina are expanding rapidly, yet systematic data on bird populations in these environments are almost entirely lacking. Birds are highly visible and sensitive indicators of environmental change, making them ideal for tracking the impacts of urbanization, climate change, and habitat management in cities.

Key Objectives of the project are to:

• Launch the country’s first structured urban bird monitoring scheme.
• Train new volunteers and expand citizen-science participation in major cities.
• Build a baseline dataset for urban biodiversity trends aligned with EBCC standards.
• Provide data to guide urban planning and management of parks, green spaces, and river corridors.

Publishing the First Atlas on Breeding Birds of Armenia

Country: Armenia

Project lead: BirdLinks Armenia

The primary goal of the project is to publish the first Atlas on Breeding Birds of Armenia. Considering the significant amount of information accumulated in the database of the National Bird Monitoring (including data on birds from eBird, Observation.Org, and iNaturalist), our work will mainly include data analysis and formalisation.

Key Objectives of the project are to:

• Publish Armenia’s first Atlas on Breeding Birds, summarising more than 20 years of national monitoring data.
• Analyse population sizes, long-term and short-term trends, distributions, and conservation status for 242 breeding bird species.
• Strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Environment to ensure a 10-year update cycle.

These three projects illustrate how coordinated monitoring, strong volunteer networks, and evidence-based analysis strengthen bird conservation both locally and across Europe. From reinforcing long-term survey schemes in Romania, to pioneering urban biodiversity monitoring in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to publishing Armenia’s first Breeding Bird Atlas, each initiative yields vital knowledge that supports policy, planning, and practical conservation action. Supporting these efforts means investing in a shared future where robust data and collaboration guide the protection of Europe’s birds and the ecosystems they depend on.

We would appreciate donations of any amount sent to the EBCC account (see below). Thank you!

We will keep the donors and wider audience informed about the projects via the EBCC Newsletter and the website.

Contact:

Petr Voříšek, vorisek@ebcc.info

EBCC Office manager

EBCC Bank Account

Name of account holder: EBCC treasurer

Address bank: ING Bank NV POB 1800 1102 BW Amsterdam Netherlands

IBAN (International Bank Account Number): NL62INGB0004235670

BIC (SWIFT-code): INGBNL2A