The Valencian Society of Ornithology (So) is a conservationist entity born in the year 1990 with professionals and fans of the observation and study of birds in the Valencian territory. Are currently, between members and volunteers, some 300 people. The birds, fundamental animals to keep the different ecosystems existing and balanced, they form a more extensive and specialized group than a priori We might think. Are basic agents in our everyday life as, for example, Insect population drivers and seed carriers. SVO is in luck because it has just taken out the magnificent oven Atlas of the birds of Valencia, An ambitious work, Scientific - and therefore rigorous - that gathers all the ornithological diversity in the province of Valencia and has had the passionate and meticulous work of a good handful of professionals: He, cartographers and linguists (i clar, ornithologists) who, With the help of patrons and sponsors, They have managed to edit it and thus offer it to the whole society. We talk to one of the project's creators, Toni Polo Aparisi. SERGIO BELLO
Toni, Birds are nature, the study of the birds would be cultured—obviously within the scientific discipline of ornithology—. How can we value this in an urban area like the one in Valencia city?
The realization of biological inventories, and therefore the elaboration of fauna and floristic atlas, responds to a dual scientific and sociological need. A biological inventory is equivalent to the data of a weather observatory that warns us of a heat wave or a hurricane, or of an intensive surveillance unit of a hospital that provides us with timely information about a patient's health status. The need to elaborate and update biological inventories was already shown at the Biodiversity Conference held in Rio de Janeiro in the year 1992, Where the need to monitor the components of biological diversity was evident, In order to ensure biodiversity conservation. That is why the identification of wildlife singularities on a local scale is highly recommended the preparation of atlas that allow to characterize the species present in a territory, as well as the viewing of the distribution and, And I can serve, the abundance of each of them. These cartographic compendiums become instruments needed for the unique diagnosis of wildlife in a local area, collecting information regarding aspects such as their status, Distribution area, habitat, reproduction, migratory phenology, winted, population size, and conservation.
In the last 30 Years there have been very significant changes in the climate and landscape that have affected the distribution of many species, both in the Valencian field and on a larger territorial scale. Thanks to the realization of theAtlas of the birds of Valencia We have been able to see how, While species increased their populations and distribution area (ESCABUSSONET, tail-rod, Eagle Calzada, blanca, all), Others declined in a worrying way (guatla, turtle, terror, owl, haueth). For good or for evil, Many of these changes cannot be controlled by us, which will continue to affect the distribution and abundance of species, some will disappear and others appear, will always be empty of information, scarcely known species and insufficiently prospected territories. All this will provide a certain component of doubt in the distribution, Abundance and ecology of our birds that will make it to be clarified again with the publication of future works.
What is the analysis you have taken?
The fieldwork we have done in recent years and its subsequent analysis suggests several general conclusions. First of all, and perhaps the most important, It shows us the great biodiversity of birds we have in Valencia. Some 191 species live all year or reproduce here regularly or irregularly; Other sixties are exclusively in winter, which allows them to survive the cold period of the year; and other eighties are arrested during their migrations between Europe and Africa, and they find in our wetlands, Forests and crops a good place to rest and feed.
In second place, and perhaps the most worrying, is the checking of the scarcity of a large majority of species. We all have in our imaginary that birds like tiles or swallows are, To put it in some way, infinite, that there are so many that will never end. And what we have discovered with this work is that it is not. Many species for which we imagined very high figures, We have realized that they are actually less abundant, If you do not scarce, which must make us collect about the future of our biodiversity.
Another general results that stand out in the Atlas is the large number of exotic and invasive species that exist today in Valencia: no more or less than six reproductive species. Birds that in many cases compete with native species, Com ocorre amb La Cotorra Graisa I Kramer's Cotorra, or with exclusive populations in the European area (Case of the Bulb of Red Must and the Manicheh of Lead).
Finally, Another of the conclusions we can draw from this atlas is that the birds are a constantly changing world, and that these changes are often linked to human activities. The forest fires, The urbanization of the coast or the depopulation of the inland counties are phenomena that not only affect people, but also and very significantly to the birds. For that, Know their distribution and their trends and follow them over time have an invaluable value both on a scientific and social level. And this is, Although not the only one, one of the main contributions of this atlas.
Knowledge of the biodiversity of a territory implies the identification and description of the species that inhabit it, its distribution, abundance and future tendency, and this is essential for developing conservation strategies and designing management tools. Often, the national atlas, performed in a major territorial area, They have the logical limitations arising from using a small scale and therefore have little degree of detail in the information. For this reason, This information is not always taken into account in impact ratings in localized spheres. The Valencian Atlas can therefore be an essential tool for the conservation of our natural heritage, And in that sense we make it available to the administration, Environmental managers and technicians, as it can help the environmental administrations identify areas that should become priority for conservation, often in front of diverse infrastructure implantation projects in the natural environment, and perhaps also for the identification of potential spaces for habitat restoration and the recovery of lost distribution ranges in many species, Aspects contemplated in the new European Union Biodiversity Strategy for the 2030.
The Atlas must also be available very importantly for naturalists and for the rest of the citizens, In order to make known, properly study and manage ornithological biodiversity and habitats. Thanks to the Atlas, We can have a good reference to the role of birds in the provision of ecosystem services, that is to say, of the benefits that citizens can extract from having birds. Beyond this practical utility, The Atlas can also serve as a letter of presentation of the territory for those who seek to visit it and know its nature from the perspective of sustainable rural tourism. Atlas must also value the ecosystem services that birds bring us, that is to say, the benefits of birds report the human population, directly or indirectly. The study of ecosystem services has become more and more promoted as a means of documenting, quantify and, In some cases, map the benefits that humans get from ecosystems.
You can list us some of the benefits that birds bring to the ecosystems that surround them?
Possibly, In the Mediterranean area, seed dispersion and insect consumption constitute the main regulation services provided by birds, But they are not the only ones. Among the support services, Noteworthy is the role of certain species such as Ecosystem Engineers, especially as a result of their ability to build nests that can then be used by other species (for example the neroneta coublanca can be used by the tiles). Other services that some bird species may provide us in our municipality are transmitted by functions such as rodent control (owl, keeper), the elimination of animal carcases (white), o at the pole∙lineization (Busqueretes 1 totestius). This would be the role of birds in support or regulation services based on their functions within ecosystems, But it is clear that birds have and have had a very relevant use and intrinsic value for humans. In a broad sense, The recreational or playful component is one of the most relevant cultural services of birds.
The role of birds in the supply of ecosystem services in Valencia is strongly conditioned by their habitats, that are largely the agricultural environments and urban environments. In this context, The most linked services to seed dispersion and insect control mainly occur in crops and in the landscaped areas of the municipality. Without neglecting the role of the fourteen species of scattered birds of native plant seeds, An interesting element is that these same birds act as scattering agents of exotic plant species from anthropized media to more natural media. With regard to biological control, It is interesting to emphasize the increasing role that must be expected of the more than forty species of insectivorous birds registered in the municipality in the current tendency to reduce the use of chemicals. Finally, In Valencia there is 23 Species that can be Pol Potential∙lintels, Among them the busqueretes, the fringil∙Lids and the Totestius.
In relation to cultural services, The proximity between citizens and bird. In urban contexts, The range of people enjoying birds or simply connects with nature through these organisms is surely relevant enough. For example, The inhabitants of the towns and cities generally value the sound landscape in a positive way that birds bring, in particular to parks and gardens, an element that is beginning to be considered at the level of implications for your health. The role of birds in environmental education is also particularly important around schools and institutes in our populations; boxes-nest, dining rooms or simple observations, They bring children and young people closer to the nearest nature. It is necessary to recognize the amount of scientific information that the monitoring of bird populations brings about the quality of local habitats and the use that can be derived from them as an element of evaluating municipal environmental policies, And in that sense I want to emphasize the importance of the Atlas as a fundamental tool for the management of local and municipal biodiversity, as it facilitates knowledge of geographical space from an applied environmental perspective.
Although there were other studies of importance, l’Atlas of the birds of Valencia is a milestone. Why?
He 2011 The proposal to be prepared by the SVO an ornithological atlas that would allow to update the information on the Valencian birds arose.. There was a pre -regional work, l’Atlas of the nesting birds of the Valencian Community, Posted in the year 1991 and with data from the eighties, that had been very out of place and, therefore, With little practical utility. Otherwise, l’any 2015 an atlas of binding birds had been published in the province of Alicante, which motivated us to do a similar job in Valencia. In these last thirty years there have been very significant changes in the climate, the landscape and distribution of some species and all this was necessary to reflect in a job.
The first question to be resolved once the decision to accept the challenge of drawing up a new atlas was to define what kind of project and what characteristics should this. Like this, Aspects such as the number of collaborators who would participate in field signs were taken into account, the viability of other predictive models based on predictive, and the existence of a long series of ornithological records that could be used as a source of complementary information. Besides, We thought that the general approach of the Atlas had to incorporate innovative and unique aspects in relation to the structure, Methodology and contents. First of all, It was interesting that the Atlas did not cover solely nesting birds, rather, the information had to be expanded to other species, that is to say, als migrants i hivernants. Of that way, All species that use our territory at some point in their life cycle would be represented in the same work. Another important aspect to be taken into account in the approach of the project is that it had to consist of a collective work that will be seductive for collaborators. For this, The methodology was simplified and the effort has been aimed at obtaining the information we have considered strictly necessary and more useful for the purpose of an atlas.
Many variables to be taken into account, We see that there is no definite formula…
No, There is no formula to make an atlas. Is more, unfortunately, There is no instruction book to explain how to do. And even if there were, Nor would it help us much because each project has its own particularities, derived each territory, the extension of the study area, the temporary scope that is intended to cover, the format and dimensions of the book (that limit you the extension of texts and graphic content), the degree of detail of the information presented, etc. So, it must be recognized that, Thanks to entities such as the Catalan Institute of Ornithology, The Spanish Society of Ornithology and the University of Alicante, With great experience in elaboration of ornithological atlas, Those of us who came behind have learned a lot, which has helped us to propose more correctly the different contents of the book and the working methodologies (both field and cabinet). Can only go farther because others have accumulated the necessary knowledge to make our progress.
An atlas is made from the most absolute enthusiasm, And that enthusiasm is only born of the great passion we have the ornithologists for birds. There is no money that can pay the work we have done, nor any other kind of compensation for the time and sacrifice we have invested all the people who, in one or other way, We have been involved in this project to make it a reality. The goals we set ourselves when elaborating the Atlas were diverse. For a part, We wanted to know the current distribution and abundance of reproductive species in Valencia, and compare it with the distribution they had at the 80. Another aspect has been to know the distribution of migratory and wintering species, that traditionally remain on the sidelines of nesting species in this type of work. Also, We wanted to estimate the population size of many species, improve knowledge about their ecology and determine conservation status. With all this, We have a useful tool for the study and conservation of Valencian birds. Finally, We wanted to promote our language and help the knowledge of bird vernacular names, That is why we have conceived the work in Valencian.
How hard has been the work process?
I dare say that all the members of the Atlas Coordination Team have enjoyed and suffered the work of elaboration of the Atlas in equal parts. Making the Atlas has been a real pleasure, I think I talk in the name of all the classmates who have participated in one way or another in it, If I say we have put all our enthusiasm, tenacity, time and knowledge in him. But there have also been hard times. To check that sometimes the pace of work was not the expected, that some things did not go out when one expected; or to see how while hobby colleagues enjoyed in the field making observations on their own, some stayed at home in front of the computer doing work, for many days, also holidays, because of course, None of us professionally dedicated ourselves to this and we have had to compatible family life, social and professional with all this. But there have also been moments of euphoria, the most, to see how the contents were moving forward, of the satisfaction of checking the result of the chapters, but above all, of the experience of doing such work and the solid ties that they can be created with the people you share the same illusion. I think the perseverance and excitement are key in everything that is done in life, be a project or organize to achieve a goal, but anyway, the support of our fellow SVOs, Friends and our family has been instrumental in moving forward and successfully ending this work.
Have been many hours dedicated to the atlas, From the genesis of the first ideas and approach of the project, through countless days in the field touring the territory, As later elaborating the contents of the book, Since writing species sheets, The construction of a database that brought together thousands of records that later was the raw material of a geographical information system that would allow to generate distribution and abundance maps, The elaboration of illustrations and charts of population trends, The layout and editing of the book ... leaving aside the fieldwork, I would venture to say that the elaboration of the species databases (We are talking about 954 Distribution and abundance databases with thousands and thousands of data), along with the elaboration of the maps and illustrations, have been the most laborious tasks of the atlas. Definitely, It has been a titanic effort that, Without the financial contributions of many people and some institutions that have supported the patronage campaign, would not have been possible. And is not a saying or a phrase made, but I say it in the absolutely more literal sense: Today we would not have the book already in our hands if it had not been for the generosity of all those people and entities that have selflessly helped the SVO to make it possible.
In addition to the distribution of the atlas, What other projects do you carry in your hands on the SVO?
The Valencian Society of Ornithology is a non -profit organization formed by some 300 Members and volunteers whose main objectives are the study, Conservation and diffusion of wild birds and their habitats within the geographical area of the Valencian Country. Of 1994 We carry out scientific studies and projects related to the Valencian birds, Technical reports, Ornithological training tasks and courses, Workshops and field visits. La divulgació ambiental és un dels nostres pilars, ja que el coneixement del patrimoni natural que ens envolta és fonamental per a saber apreciar i estimar la nostra natura.
Entre els projectes més atractius i interessants que duguem a terme figuren diversos censos d’ocells tant en període reproductor com hivernal en les zones humides i el litoral marí, així com censos d’ocells rapinyaires en migració i anellament científic. Els companys del projecte Mussols estan centrats en la conservació i reforçament de les poblacions d’òliba a l’Horta Nord de València, mentre que els companys del projecte Monau instal·len caixes niu per a afavorir la nidificació de passeriformes en diverses àrees del territori. Apart from that, comptem amb el projecte OCA (observa, classifica i aprén), orientat especialment a la formació i aprenentatge de les persones que s’inicien en el món de l’ornitologia i que no disposen o encara no han adquirit molts coneixements.
La SVO també colabora amb alguns ajuntaments en la realització d’activitats ornitològiques per als ciutadans. Like this, for example, al desembre del 2014, juntament amb l’Oficina de Sostenibilitat Local de Burjassot, vàrem engegar el projecte Rutes per l’Horta, en el qual els ciutadans —assistits per membres de la nostra entitat— tenen la possibilitat de gaudir de l’observació de les espècies d’ocells que es presenten al municipi [Burjassot] al llarg de l’any. Since, s’han realitzat nombroses jornades de camp pels ambients agraris del municipi en les que han participat una mitjana de vint a vint-i-cinc persones per visita i s’han pogut identificar fins a cinquanta espècies d’ocells. Algunes de les espècies albirades durant aquests recorreguts han estat l’esplugabous, el picaport, el xoriguer, la gavina corsa, la gavina vulgar, el todó, la tórtora maleïda, la cotorra grisa, la falzia comuna i el pulput, entre els ocells no passeriformes; mentre que al grup dels passeriformes o xicotets ocells destaquen la cogullada del topet, el totestiu, l’oroneta vulgar, l’oroneta cuablanca, la busquereta de capell, la busquereta capnegra, el trist, l’estornell negre, la merla, el papamosques gris, el pit-roig, el fumat, la blanca, el teuladí, el teuladí morisc, la cueta blanca, el verderol, la cadernera i el gafarró. Les activitats que realitzem estan obertes gratuïtament a totes les persones que vulguen participar en elles. Ens reunim tots els dimecres a la vesprada, en horari de 18 a 20h. en la seu social que tenim al carrer Pintor Velázquez, 3 The Burjassot, on estarem encantats de poder atendre a totes les persones que tinguen interés pels ocells i la natura i on podeu tirar-nos una maneta en tot allò en què desitgeu participar.
