It coordinates bird monitoring and research at a national level according to standardised scientific criteria, and encourages the participation of as many volunteers as possible in bird monitoring.
[1] Sovon was founded in 1973 by three biologists who were at the time involved in research on birds (Luit Buurma, Jan Wattel and Herman Klomp), with the name Stichting Ornithologisch Veldonderzoek Nederland (SOVON).
The first major SOVON project was the (first) Dutch Breeding Bird Atlas, which was published in 1979.
The most recent Dutch Breeding Bird Atlas (Vogelatlas van Nederland) was published by Sovon in 2019, in cooperation with partner organisations including Vogelbescherming Nederland.
[3] Sovon publishes the magazine Limosa, jointly with the Nederlandse Ornithologische Unie [nl].