EOCA's June Newsletter

Earth Day Fundraiser

Following the cancellation of the in-person event of ISPO in January, when the association would normally have held a fundraiser to raise money for its conservation projects, the event was moved online to coincide with Earth Day on 22nd April.  With the support of a number of EOCA members, the organisation has raised nearly €28,000 to add to this year’s conservation project funding total.

Many thanks to all EOCA members who got involved for their generosity and support. 

KEEN Lunch Time Meeting

Following on from the successful lunch time Q&A with Rohan staff a couple of months ago, Tanya and Catherine were invited to take part in a similar presentation at KEEN in front of their European HQ staff.  The meeting went well and it was lovely to be able to meet more staff and understand better how the company works.

PLASTIFISH KOSTERA Project Event

Tanya and Catherine were recently invited to Spain to take part in an event celebrating the success of one of EOCA’s funded projects.  The PLASTIFISHAREN KOSTERA worked with 40 organisations including local schools, adults and maritime agents to work on clearing up plastic waste in, around and under their local coastal waters.  2023 participants from 10 municipalities of Gipuzkoa removed almost 2000 kg of marine litter in 45 collections, school students created 112 projects, 4 local eco-citizen patrols were set up and 6 awareness workshops were held with 10 maritime agents in the Bay of Pasaia.   Due to COVID travel restrictions, Tanya and Catherine were unable to attend the event personally, but instead were able to record a short video for use during the event, which was well attended.

New Funded Projects

We are pleased to give you a quick overview of the first new projects we will be funding this year.  Fitting into our new focus ‘Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project', all these projects were chosen through a public online vote and also by a member vote earlier this spring.   Every one of them is working to conserve, protect, enhance, restore and reconnect habitats within landscapes that are particularly important for the biodiversity and nature that lives and grows there, and further information on each one can be found in the links below.

New Projects Funded

Promoting Wildlife Comeback in Ina river,  Poland

The 129km Ina River was modified for shipping in the 15th Century leaving an artificial riverbed morphology, which is increasingly impacting disconnected floodplain habitats.  The project will restore an area of river, reconnecting it to and rewetting floodplains, recreating fish spawning grounds, planting trees and undertaking clean ups involving kayakers and anglers.

New Projects Funded

Bogs: the Best Weapon against Climate Change, UK

Peatlands, or ‘bogs’ lock away carbon, help to prevent flooding, and support a host of plant and animal species. Foulshaw in north west England is a summer home to rare breeding ospreys and an important habitat for red deer, rare dragonflies, and many birds. The project will remove invasive species over 75ha of the reserve, create new habitat, and maintain bunds so that the peat holds its water content. The importance of this habitat will be shared with 15,000 visitors to the site, and 300 school children.

New Projects Funded

Portofino Seaweed Garden, Italy

Cystoseira forests are among the most important foundation species in the Mediterranean Sea, supporting food webs and sequestering large amounts of CO2. Threatened by habitat destruction, human trampling and chemical pollution, this project will involve marine outdoor enthusiasts in protecting, monitoring and restoring Cystoseira seaweed forests and their supporting habitat in Portofino Marine Protected Area. Using kayaks, StandUp Paddleboards and via snorkelling and coasteering, volunteers will help to transplant, grow and monitor juvenile plants in an 89 hectare study site.

New Projects Funded

Saving La Primavera's last wildlife corridor for pumas, Mexico

Biosphere Reserve “Bosque La Primavera” in Mexico covers 30,500 ha of oak-pine and tropical deciduous forest. The area hosts many species, including pumas, however, it cannot provide a viable habitat area for them if connections to other forests are not conserved. Moreover, nearby Guadalajara means forest fires and land-use change drive biodiversity loss. This project will restore 10 ha of critical habitat using 10,000 native tree species, linking the mountains to the reserve, enabling wildlife to travel between both.

New Projects Funded

Walk the Trail! Bog Protection in Patagonia, Argentina

Refugio Frey is an iconic spot for trekking and climbing, and the most visited in the Nahuel Huapi National Park. However up to 700 visitors per day is damaging the high mountain Andean bog which is important for carbon storage and home to several endemic, endangered species. The project will reduce the impact on 85ha of the valuable habitats by moving sections of the trail away from the bog, and adding designated access points to the Toncek lakeshore to avoid trampling sensitive riparian plants. Work will reduce erosion and water drainage into the lake, as well as restoring habitat around the old trail.

New Projects Funded

Removing Biological invasions in Coastal Ecosystems, Brazil

Restinga (coastal scrub) ecosystem is a vegetation type that develops on sandy soils and sand dunes. It acts as a barrier between the ocean and inhabited areas, such as on the island of Santa Catarina, which have been increasingly damaged by extreme weather events as a result of the degradation of restingas by invasive plants. The project will increase the resilience of coastal areas by eliminating 165ha of invasive alien species, thereby restoring these fragile natural areas. It will also raise awareness of climate change and adaptation measures amongst local communities.

Business For Nature Coalition

EOCA has been accepted as a partner of the Business for Nature Coalition, alongside over 50 other globally recognised organisations including WWF, IUCN, the Born Free Foundation, the World Resources Institute and the World Economic Forum.   Healthy societies, resilient economies and thriving businesses rely on nature. The natural resources that power businesses are under huge strain, and the private sector is a major contributor to nature’s depletion. Business for Nature is a global coalition that brings together business and conservation organisations and forward-thinking companies to be a powerful leading business voice calling for governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss this decade.  The EOCA team is thrilled to be part of this group and has been actively participating in regular meetings, in order to keep members informed on how we can jointly act to ensure nature is kept high on the agenda of all governments and concrete actions are made policy - particularly in the run up to COP15 and COP26 later this year. 

And Finally ….....

Following the launch of EOCA’s 5 year strategy earlier this year, alongside its new 2 year focus:  Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project, we have made a short video to explain why the loss of biodiversity is such an urgent issue and what EOCA is doing about it.