Protoloco creates the largest alliance for the protection of wild birds throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesian Islands. Unidas, SPEA and SEO form a front with more than 20,000 citizens, a cumulative experience of over 90 years and, with 49 workspaces, between headquarters, environmental centres and regional delegations, located throughout the Peninsula, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Balearics and North Africa.

“Portugal and Spain face common environmental challenges and, therefore, the union between SPEA and SEO / BirdLife makes it possible to address these issues in a more articulate and efficient way,” says Domingos Leitão, SPEA Executive Director.

SPEA and SEO / BirdLife signed this agreement in the city of Cadiz, during the VII Iberian Ornithological Congress. The two organizations will collaborate intensely in campaigns and actions with policy makers on issues such as reforming the Common Agricultural Policy for more biodiversity-friendly agriculture and the LIFE Nature Guardians project for greater effectiveness in combating environmental crime.

In the agreement, the two environmental organizations also commit to work together to protect the most vulnerable places to climate change, such as coastal wetlands and mountain habitats. The islands will give priority to ecological restoration through the reduction of light pollution and the eradication of invasive species.

At sea, SPEA and SEO / BirdLife will join forces around sustainable fishing and the creation of marine protected areas. The two organizations recently launched the ICAO App, where anyone can register birds and other marine animals that have landed on the beaches of the Peninsula.

Research and monitoring of bird populations will also benefit from greater collaboration, notably in citizen science programmes such as the Common Bird Census. These are programmes that both organizations have been developing for many years throughout the Peninsula, but will now have a greater degree of coordination. SPEA and SEO / BirdLife will also intensify the dissemination of scientific results by publishing and holding joint seminars and congresses.

This alliance also increases opportunities for members of both organizations, who now have more citizen science activities and projects to participate in, benefit from a broad network of reservations and environmental centres, and benefit from store discounts from both organizations.