SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds is a national nature conservation NGO and the Portuguese partner of BirdLife International. We combine scientific research, long-term biodiversity monitoring, applied conservation, ecological restoration and policy work across terrestrial, coastal, marine and island ecosystems.
Our expertise includes monitoring and conservation of birds and their habitats; seabird ecology and marine spatial planning; ecological restoration; assessment and mitigation of pressures from climate change, invasive alien species, human disturbance, fisheries and renewable energy infrastructures; and the translation of scientific evidence into conservation management and public policy.
SPEA has extensive experience in EU-funded collaborative projects, including LIFE and other European programmes, and works closely with research institutions, public authorities, local communities and other stakeholders. We can contribute long-term biodiversity datasets, field studies and case studies from mainland Portugal, the Azores and Madeira, as well as stakeholder engagement, demonstration actions and science-policy transfer.
SPEA is interested in joining a transnational consortium addressing the emergence, functioning and future trajectories of novel ecosystems, particularly where ecological change has direct implications for biodiversity conservation and management.
We are especially interested in projects exploring how climate change, land- and sea-use change, invasive alien species, human activities and other pressures are reshaping biodiversity and ecological communities, and how management and restoration can guide transformed ecosystems towards resilient, biodiverse and functional states.
We can contribute expertise, long-term monitoring data and case studies from marine, coastal, terrestrial and island ecosystems in Portugal, including the Macaronesian islands. Of particular interest are coastal ecosystems undergoing rapid change, island ecosystems, changing marine ecosystems and biodiversity responses to interacting pressures.
SPEA can provide a strong link between research and implementation through field monitoring, conservation and restoration actions, stakeholder engagement, policy expertise and the testing and uptake of nature-positive management approaches.