As a generation we are taking a journey that none of those going before us has had to face – our world is changing quickly, dramatically and possibly irreversibly. An initiative launched in 2006 by the European outdoor sector, the EOG Association for Conservation, is aiming to make a difference. Its key objectives are the preservation of the natural, wild areas that as outdoor enthusiasts, we care so passionately about and to raise awareness within the industry for the need to conserve and protect the environment.
In 2007 the EOG Association for Conservation was able to fund five projects, with the help of the outdoor industry, its new members and fundraising events that have taken place over the past twelve months, for 2008, eight projects will receive funding, receiving a total of almost EUR€175,00.
Hiking Trail, Jablanica-Shebenik Mountain Ridge, borders of Macedonia and Albania
An area of Europe that has suffered great hardship and a green belt project are brought together to develop a Trans Boundary Trail on the Jablanica-Shebenik Mountain Range between Macedonia and Albania. Euronatur has been awarded EUR€25,000, to help build a sustainable result that really benefits the local area and simultaneously protects the environment.
Wet Meadowland, Czech Republic
Wet sphagnum meadowlands were once common in the Czech Republic but are now becoming increasingly rare due to intensive agriculture. The trust aims to purchase and rent important areas of wet meadowland with the aim of protecting and further enhancing the land, the EOG Association for Conservation has awarded EUR€12,400 to the Sdru�ení Krajina land trust to help.
Kyrgyzstan Mountain
Project Kyrgyzstan is one of the poorest Post-Soviet countries, located in central Asia, bordering China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A combination of cheap prices and a high number of peaks of 6000-7000m has led to it becoming an increasingly popular mountain tourism destination. EUR€30,000 has been awarded to The Association for Intercultural Exchange and Development e.V. (Verein für kulturellen Austausch und Entwicklung e.V.). The project aims to develop ecological and sustainable tourism in these mountain areas along with measures to clean, re-habilitate and improve trails, shelters and base camp areas.
Bergwald Project, Allgäu, Germany
The Bergwald Project, awarded EUR€30,000, gives volunteers the opportunity to work on forestry conservation projects. Since 1991 the project has planted over 180,000 indigenous trees in the Allgäu region to help stabilise the ecosystem giving the forest the best opportunity to withstand global warming. In addition to planting, the project volunteers work to block drains, re-establish high level wetlands, and maintain trails.
PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe)
Farming is an area not immediately thought of as affecting the outdoor sector, but pesticide usage on crops is still having a drastic effect on European wildlife. PAN Europe is a campaigning network that informs and lobby’s EU policy makers to encourage them to legislate to protect the environment by restricting the use of pesticides. PAN has commissioned a scientific study of pesticide usage and the EOG Association for Conservation is contributing EUR€12,000 towards the preparation of a major report that will be used in their work.
Kites Hill Woodland Project, UK
The international conservation charity, The World Land Trust, has a flagship site in the UK called the Kites Hill Reserve. Awarded EUR€15,500 the Trust is seeking to enhance the biodiversity of the site and increase the educational value of the nature reserve, improving interaction with volunteers, community members and schools through a biodiversity monitoring project.
Ett klick för skogen (one mouse click for the forest), Sweden
Ett klick för skogen was started by a group of people who felt passionately that Sweden’s indigenous forest needed better protection. The current project is aimed at saving an area of ancient woodland called the Verle Forest which is located approximately 50 kilometres North East of Gothenburg. This forest is threatened by logging and a maximum amount of EUR€30,000 has been awarded to contribute towards the EUR€533,000 needed to save the forest.
Gottmadingen Nature Reserve, Germany
The ‘Bodensee Stiftung’ (Lake Constance Foundation), Gottmadingen Reserve project is developing a special trail to educate and inform visitors about the important biodiversity of the area. The trail will cover 4.2km, framing an area of some 60 Hectares. A project that is local to Friedrichshafen and the OutDoor Fair, it offers an opportunity for outdoor sector to put something back into the local community and the environment on which we encroach each year as we attend the Fair. A total of EUR€15,500 has been awarded to help the project develop its work with the local community and enhance the biodiversity of the region.
