With less than 100 breeding pairs distributed within Corsica, the Balearics, Morocco and Algeria, the osprey Pandion haliaetus shows traits of weakness and instability within a long time span, in the Mediterranean. During the last century, persecution by man and habitat alterations determined local extinctions which resulted in a reduction of its distribution range. Direct management actions (e.g. creation of nature reserves, environmental improvements and strict conservation laws) have allowed a partial recovery of this raptor species, in Corsica and Balearics, but present population numbers represent about 1-third of individuals living during the first half of the XXth century. In Morocco and Algeria, some surveys have been carried out to count breeding pairs, but data are still scarce. One of the most crucial strategies for conservation of the Osprey is its recovering at historical breeding sites (e.g. Spain, Italy), within a framework of a sound conservation strategy, at the Mediterranean/European scale. Here, a state of knowledge of the osprey is reported in the form of a monograph, in the framework of the Mediterranean Small Island Initiative (PIM) coordinated by the Conservatoire du Littoral. My paper includes a review of basic information on biology, ecology and geographical distribution of this species. Data are reported on trends of the populations and their conservation status. The main threats, at the Mediterranean scale, are identified and discussed. Some aspects of the biology and spatial ecology of ospreys in the Mediterranean far from being comprehensive, future research should be addressed to fill the gaps. In particular, collecting information about movement patterns and dispersal strategies of the Mediterranean Ospreys represents a primary condition for conservation purposes. In this way, it will be possible to detect any key conservation-related measures that should be applied in order to progress into an effective management of the species.
