Over the past few years, Original Buff, S.A. has been a very keen supporter of conservation projects through EOCA. To date, the company has entirely funded 8 projects:
2018- ECO Relief Lesvos
This funding will be used by Lighthouse Relief to add to its humanitarian work with the refugees on the island, by cleaning up the environment. It will run 100 beach cleans to clear around 37km of shoreline on the north shore of Lesvos; mark, clear and repair about 100km of hiking and biking trails to access remote beaches for the clean up which will also benefit the outdoor enthusiasts that come to the island; and then take the collected waste to projects on the island to use it to raise awareness of and funds for the refugees
2017 - Heart of Scotland Forestry Project
With this funding, the John Muir Trust plans to restore native broadleaves and scots pine across the lower sections of Schiehallion, one of Scotlands most iconic hills. They will also restore willow scrub on the glen floor and link the forest with woodland on neighbouring properties in a new partnership in the geographical 'Heart of Scotland'.
2013: Mountain Forests Catalonia (nominated by Petzl Foundation)
This forest management project enabled the outdoor user to get involved in conservation during 9 individual weeks of voluntary work, involving forest path restoration, forest thinning, habitat restoration, and bio-engineering work to mitigate erosion. This work, amongst other things, enhanced the habitat for the Capercaille and improved access to outdoor users by restoring and maintaining forest tracks.
2012 Mountain Forests Catalonia (nominated by Patagonia)
Mountain forests of the Pyrenees are one of the largest protected areas in Europe, including threatened species, habitats and endemic plants. This are is very important for hikers, skiers and climbers. The project ran 8 volunteering weeks involving path and habitat restoration, forest thinning, wildlife surveys and bio-engineering against erosion.
2012 Into the Meadows, UK (nominated by Snugpak)
This project restored 88 hectares of degraded meadows in the Yorkshire Dales, one of the last UK strongholds for traditionally managed, upland hay meadows, seen as one of the scarcest and most threatened habitats in the EU.
2011 Sustainable Tourism in Iceland (nominated by Deuter)
Hot springs, glaciers, vast volcanic landscapes, and a variety of natural phenomena and rarities in Iceland are major attractions for hikers. This project promotes sustainable tourism by setting up code of conduct for tourists visiting geothermal areas, and working with tourist bodies to provide educational material to domestic and foreign visitors.
2011 Conservation and Restoration in Snowdonia, Wales (nominated by Mountain Equipment)
Working to ensure that the Snowdonia National Park remains in great condition as a home for native flora and fauna, and as a top outdoor visitor destination, this project provided opportunities for people to participate in practical conservation work, controling and eradicating non native invasive plant species, and maintaining and repairing the most heavily used footpaths
2011 Wild Ennerdale – Woodland and Red Squirrel Conservation, UK (nominated by Berghaus)
The ancient oak and birch woodlands of the Ennerdale valley in the Lake District, Cumbria, are rich in species including ferns, mosses and the threatened native red squirrel. This project protected and expanded these woodlands, protected the native red squirrels from the invasive grey squirrels, and provided opportunities for people to share these special woodlands.
Further details on all of these projects can be found in the funded projects pages
here