Eric Holst

Eric Holst is associate vice president of Natural Climate Solutions. He is an expert in developing innovative strategies for environmental management on working forests, farms and ranches.

Throughout his career, Eric has worked to find a balance between his personal passions – including food, faith, woodworking, history and ecology – with his professional aspirations. As a child growing up in California, Eric was surrounded by national parks and working lands, which inspired his work on forests, farms and the ecosystems that surrounded them both.

While at EDF, Eric has worked to establish productive partnerships with farmers and ranchers, putting EDF at the forefront of collaborative conservation efforts. Included in these efforts is the creation of habitat exchanges as an efficient and effective tool for maximizing conservation dollars for at-risk species like the greater sage-grouse and monarch butterfly.

Eric also leads the development of policy solutions to improve the implementation and effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and other wildlife policies. His goal is always focused on improving the livelihoods and environmental conditions of both people and nature.

For Eric, the most exciting aspect of his work is breaking down the preconceived notions about environmentalists and finding common ground with uncommon allies.