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.
Who We Are
Our Team
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
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
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
