The bi-annual European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) public conservation vote has started in earnest and anyone with an interest in protecting or restoring wild spaces, species and habitats is being asked to go online and have their say as to which of the proposed nature conservation projects should receive funding of up to €30,000.
The ever popular spring vote, which has taken place each year for the last 6 years, asks the public to help EOCA choose projects from three approved shortlists. The project in each category (Nature, Outdoor and Alpine) with the most votes will each gain funding of up to €30,000. As well as raising awareness of what the European outdoor industry and EOCA’s member companies are doing to conserve and protect wild spaces, the voting process is also a massive opportunity for many of these conservation organisations to put themselves on an international stage for the first time, gaining new support for their work along the way.
The public vote has attracted huge interest internationally over the years with national radio stations, politicians, presidents and celebrities all getting involved in encouraging people to join in. The coverage increases each year with the process reaching a staggering 31.5 million people in 2015. This is therefore a valuable tool in raising awareness of critical conservation issues around the world.
Joint General Manager of EOCA Tanya Bascombe said,”This is always an incredibly exciting time of year for us and for the projects as we see many thousands of people getting involved to have their say as to which of these vital projects should be supported for the coming year. Each project has already undergone a rigorous assessment, which has then been reviewed by a panel of scientific advisors, before getting on to the shortlist, so we would be extremely happy to fund any one of those taking part.”
Voting in each of the three categories is now open. You can read about all of the projects looking for funding and vote by visiting www.outdoorconservation.eu or www.eoca.de
