Common Ground with Eco Defense Group

The Vista Outdoor Foundation is supporting 12 nonprofit organizations in Fiscal Year 2023. These organizations represent a cross section of outdoor and recreational causes.

Common Ground is a deep dive into each of these organizations to tell the story of our partners, what is behind their mission and how each partner is using the grant.

This Common Ground feature highlights Eco Defense Group.

Eco Defense Group | Park City, UT

Website: https://www.ecodefensegroup.org/

Why Eco Defense Group?
Poaching continues to be a huge problem in Africa. It's a multi-billion-dollar trade that has cost the lives of iconic African wildlife as well as the lives of the conservation officers protecting them from this illegal trade.

"Eco Defense Group is not after headlines and prefers to keep confidentiality in its work toward the mission to protect African wildlife and stop poaching," said Jason Nash, VP of Marketing for Sporting Products. "The dedication to working behind the scenes to keep wildlife thriving in Africa is commendable and critical to help stop at least some of this great loss. This is why the Vista Outdoor Foundation felt supporting Eco Defense Group was a perfect choice."

Mission:
Eco Defense Group consults with, trains and enables wildlife professionals in national and regional parks to identify and deter poaching before it happens.

Serves:
Eco Defense Group provides solutions for African wildlife and its protectors.

The Power of the Grant
The Vista Outdoor Foundation joined Eco Defense Group as a strategic partner in developing unique capabilities in Kruger Park and other key sites where the rhino population faces a high level of threat.

The Vista Outdoor Foundation grant enables Eco Defense Group to equip, train, mentor, consult and develop coordinated wildlife programs in national parks to help the organization fulfill its mission.

"Vista Outdoor Foundation is a crucial partner, not only for their investment in our programs, but because of their insight and understanding of the crisis facing the wildlife protection units we support," said Nathan Edmondson, Eco Defense Group founder. "We have the great privilege of partnering together to help protect areas where rangers and rhino are at the greatest risk."