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Poland
Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP) is the BirdLife Partner.
Founded in: 1991Members: 2,000
Staff: 12
Address: The Polish Society fot the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
ul. Odrowaza 24
05-270 Marki k. Warszawy
Poland
Email: office@otop.org.pl
Web: http://www.otop.org.pl/
Mission of the organisation
Help to:
- to protect birds and their habitats
- to estabilish and manage new bird reserves
- to lobby local authorities for the promotion and protection of Important Bird Areas
- to promote knowledge of birds and their life
- to prevent human activities which harm nature
- to support nature-friendly land-use
- to support research for bird protection
- to support the birdwatching movement
Key Activities
Conservation
- Important Bird Area (IBA) conservation programme
- Karsiborska Kepa: a long-term program to maintain the habitat of water birds, and Aquatic Warbler Beka protection programme
- Campaign for the protection of the Vistula Valley
- Campaign for the protection of the Bialowieza Primeval Forest
Promotion
- World Bird Watch: an event for all OTOP's members. 20 new members joined OTOP
- Local meeting of local OTOP groups
Education
Recent Achievements
- Campaigned for the protection of Bialowieza National Park, a relic of Europe's natural lowland forest
- Implemented the official management plan for Beka Reserve, an important saltmarsh site for waders, particularly Dunlins of the race schinzii
- Continued to monitor and manage the OTOP reserve, Karsiborska Kepa, a breeding ground for the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler
- Collected data along three adjacent rivers located in the coastal zone for the Baltic Sea Project
- Campaigned for increased protection of the Vistula River, which is threatened by a development scheme
- Undertook a programme, in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Development, on field monitoring of nature protection as part of the preparation for accession of Poland to the EU
- Continued to expand membership: currently there are just over 2,000 members, half of whom are below the age of 24

