There are currently over 150 members of this ‘not-for profit’ Association, stretching from Norway to Spain and from the UK across to the Czech Republic. As a charitable organisation directly funding specific projects, the association wants to show that the European outdoor industry is committed to putting something back into the environment, and all working together a real difference can be made.
Conservation bodies which are nominated by Association members can apply for grants of up to €30,000 for specific projects – not an insignificant amount as far as conservation projects go. The projects chosen are as wide ranging as the members, with projects extending across many areas of the globe, for example, thus far projects have included the establishment of an environmental trail in Nepal, clean-up operations on a mountain peak in Kyrgyzstan, the protection of brown bears in northern Spain, replanting of native ‘virgin’ forest in the Czech Republic, creation of a trans-boundary hiking trail in Macedonia and Albania, protection of marsh fritillaries in Ireland and the saving of an ancient forest in Sweden from logging.
Membership is open to any company operating within the outdoor industry, whether they are a manufacturer, supplier, service provider or retailer etc.
As awareness of climate change and the damage man is doing to the environment grows, the importance of the work that the European Outdoor Conservation Association does increases. The more companies that get involved, the bigger the impact will be and the more difference the industry can make to the great outdoors that it depends on.
IÂ am delighted to have the opportunity to support and promote an organisation which makes a real difference in supporting conservation in the great outdoor environments.
Together we have repaired trails in the Eastern Tyrol and Scotland, protected raptors in Bulgaria and Georgia, brown bear in Spain and red squirrels in the UK. We have protected forests in Sweden and planted trees in Indonesia, India, Madagscar and Uganda. Â We have removed metal and plastic pollution from mountains and beaches in the alps, Kyrgystan, Nepal, the UK and Guatamala. Â And the list goes on. And on. And we have been operating since 2006. Imagine what we could look back on after 20 years. Thirty? What a difference we could have made. Just a drop in the ocean, you might say – but that drop is growing bigger every time a new member joins…
Please click on the tabs to the right to find about more about the application and voting processes, and to read about all of the projects which have in the past or are currently receiving funding from EOCA.
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