In 1986, Varela was appointed as Director of the Spanish Ornithological Society a post that he occupied until 1990 when he started to dedicate more time to art, eventually making of this a full-time job. He was co-founder of the Mediterranean seabird association that for many years contributed to the conservation of biodiversity of the Mediterranean basin. As an active Council member he participated in the organization of international symposium and congress in Spain, Italy and Tunisia.
