About Us

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is a charity organisation, set up in 2006 by the European Outdoor Group (EOG) to enable companies from the Outdoor Industry to work collectively together.  EOCA, with its members, supports and funds a growing number of much needed grassroots conservation, protection and regeneration projects around the world, protecting the wild places and wildlife everyone cares so much about.

 

Funded by membership and other fundraising activities, with over 150 members, EOCA is unique as it provides companies from an entire industry the opportunity to work together, making a difference to threatened wild places, species and habitats, multiplying the effect and positive impact on nature.

Funded projects tackle the loss of biodiversity and mitigate against climate change, whilst also having a link to the outdoor enthusiast, being beneficial to local communities and leave a lasting, positive legacy.

EOCA has now funded 184 projects in over 65 countries around the world, investing over €5 million in conservation.  Take a look at our funded projects.

As part of a key focus which started in 2021, and is still ongoing, Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project, funding is prioritised to projects that mitigate against biodiversity loss and the climate emergency.  In the past two years, EOCA’s funding has contributed to projects implementing conservation in over 710,000 hectares of landscape.  It is hoped that by the end 2023, the area of protected landscape will reach one million hectares.

New EOCA members are always welcome.  Membership is open to any company operating within the outdoor industry, whether they are a manufacturer, supplier, service provider or retailer etc.  The more companies that get involved, the greater the impact will be, working together we can do so much more to protect nature, the environment and the great outdoors!

Applications for project funding take place twice a year, 1st – 15th June and 1st – 15th December, and are open to non-profit organisations.  Shortlisted projects are put forward to the public vote to determine which will receive funding from EOCA.  This is then followed by a Members’ vote where a number of additional projects will be chosen to also receive funding.  Find out how to apply for funding and what we look for in a project.

Julian Lings

Team Role: EOCA President, Sustainability Manager for The North Face EMEA

Maite Angleys

Team Role: Vice President of EOCA and Advisor Corporate Responsibility for BSI

Mark Held

Team Role: Executive Director of EOCA

Stefanie Lemcke

Team Role: EOCA Board member. Trade Marketing Specialist - EMEA at Stanley - A Brand of PMI Worldwide

Arne Strate

Team Role: EOCA Board Member and General Secretary of the European Outdoor Group

Annemarie Keiser

Team Role: EOCA Board Member and 1% Grants Lead for Patagonia

Jon Nash

Team Role: EOCA Board Member. Director of Business Administration/Sustainability Director at Nikwax LTD

Melanie Gruenwald

Team Role: EOCA Board Member. Head of Sustainability at Yonderland

Antje Fehling

Team Role: EOCA Board Member. Brand Services Manager - Europe, at bluesign

Tanya Bascombe

Team Role: General Manager - Job Share

Catherine Savidge

Team Role: General Manager - Job Share

Cat Barker

Team Role: Conservation Project Coordinator

Sharon Bianchi

Team Role: Marketing and Communications

Professor Martin Price

Team Role: Founding Director, Centre for Mountain Studies, Perth College, University of the Highlands and Islands

Professor Charles Sheppard

Team Role: Professor Emeritus at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK

Dr Nick Brown

Team Role: Oxford University Lecturer in Forestry, Principal of Linacre College

Dr Kathy Velander

Team Role: Director of the Centre for Ecotourism and Wildlife Management and the Institute for Science and Health Innovation

Rob Stoneman

Team Role: Director of Landscape Recovery, Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts

Professor Robbie McDonald

Team Role: Professor at the Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter