The Nature Conservation Subscription

Wilderness International is a non-profit environmental organisation with a single goal: to protect the Earth’s last remaining unique forests and wilderness areas for ever. To this end, Wilderness International purchases plots of land through registration in the land register, thereby ensuring their legally secure and permanent protection. The land purchases are funded by donations towards so-called ‘wilderness sponsorships’. Wilderness sponsors receive a personalised certificate stating the exact geographical coordinates of the protected forest area.

WI Germany and WI Canada were founded in 2008 by 25 people from six countries, representing 24 different professional fields and aged between 18 and 69. In 2019, the Peruvian organisation dedicated to protecting the tropical rainforest joined the initiative. Today, Wilderness International consists of three sister foundations: 

In addition to the founding donors, Wilderness International Germany is supported by eight members of the Foundation Board, three members of the Executive Board, our operational team, many volunteers and countless donors, partners, sponsors and supporters. You can find out more on the “Wilderness International Germany” page.

At Wilderness International Canada, alongside Tobias Hürten and Kai Andersch, Marco Lou, Tyler Bruce and Stephen Gabrysh also work directly on the ground to manage our partnerships, land acquisitions, expeditions and the protection of our forest areas. Volunteers, donors and supporters are also actively involved here. You can find out more under “Wilderness International Canada”.

At Wilderness International Peru, the seven founders form the board of trustees. On the ground, the organisation’s president, Dr Chris Kirkby, works alongside a team of forest rangers and the rest of the operational team to oversee the protected areas, carry out research and biodiversity monitoring in the forests, the search for and purchase of new plots of land, and projects with local schools, communities and partners. You can find more information on the “Wilderness International Peru” page.

We want to do something very specific, highly effective and immediately tangible, and give every single person the opportunity to get involved by helping to protect a unique piece of precious nature for all time. 

The tangible impact of our work and donations

Every € donated protects one specific square metre of ancient rainforest for all time. We have purchased this land, as evidenced by a land registry entry, and it is now funded by the donors. We are driven by a passion for protecting irreplaceable ecosystems. Our reward is every additional square metre of habitat that we can protect for all time. The effectiveness of our work was also recognised in 2023 with the Phineo WIRKT! seal of approval. 

Transparency

We use precise coordinates to ensure that every donation can be traced down to the exact square metre. We know the areas we protect very well because we carry out rapid assessments before purchase and visit them regularly on expeditions, or, as in Peru, have them monitored by our forest rangers. Direct involvement is of paramount importance to us. We also ensure transparency through the use of drones and other technical tools by capturing high-quality, georeferenced aerial images.

Effectiveness, Urgency & Irreversibility

Primeval forests are habitats for a vast array of biodiversity and are therefore incredibly important for the conservation of species diversity. They are also hugely important for the climate (CO₂ sinks, cool environments, clean air, water reservoirs, regular rainfall, nutrient-rich soils, etc.). For us, these forests are also a place of peace and tranquillity. This makes primeval forests an all-round solution to the environmental problems of our time. However, only 2.8 per cent of the Earth’s surface remains wild (Plumptre et al., 2021). This means we must act now to protect these last remaining areas. Once they are gone, they are lost forever.

Long-term sustainability

It is important to us that protection is absolutely secure and long-term, as we take our cue from the lifespans of ancient ecosystems and trees, which can survive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The foundation’s organisational structure enables this long-term and secure protection, as foundations are not tied to individual persons or political structures. In this way, we protect forest areas in a truly sustainable manner, rather than merely for the next 30 years (as many nature conservation organisations do), or just for the duration of our own lifetimes. We only purchase woodland areas that are registered in the land register. This ensures the maximum possible long-term legal certainty of protection. 

A positive focus in our work, positive motivation

We focus on positive communication, inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm to achieve our shared goal. We do not try to appeal to your conscience by constantly highlighting all the terrible things happening in the world and for which we are responsible. Instead, we want to show you solutions – concrete and effective actions you can take right here and now to make a real difference and contribute to a future worth living. We want to motivate you positively by informing you about the importance of wild nature and thereby sparking your enthusiasm.

The scientific foundation of our work

The diverse professional backgrounds of our active staff ensure a multidisciplinary approach. Through collaborations with scientific partners such as the Leipzig Centre for Environmental Research, ETH Zurich, the Senckenberg Natural History Collections and Fauna Forever, we ensure the quality of our work. We also carry out long-term studies on biodiversity and CO₂ sequestration in our protected areas during scientific expeditions.

Everything under one roof

From research, through the purchase of land and long-term conservation, to documentation through photographs and films, CO₂ calculations, expeditions and so on, we have no middlemen. We do everything ourselves and thus have full control over and responsibility for the process. This also helps us to keep costs down.

A small and flexible organisation

Volunteer work is a cornerstone of our work. Since our foundation, Wilderness International’s administrative costs have always been below 10 per cent, and in most years even below 5 per cent.

In March 2015, our Foundation Council and Executive Board decided that Wilderness International would not apply for the DZI charity seal, but would instead join the Transparent Civil Society Initiative. This decision is based, amongst other things, on the recommendations for action set out in the master’s thesis by our long-standing Chair of the Foundation Board, Ellen Weiland, on the topic of ‘Responsible Management in the Foundation Sector – Deriving Recommendations for Action Using the Example of Wilderness International’.

Key points arguing against applying for the DZI Donation Seal:

• Misallocation of donation funds to cover the costs of applying for certification
• a high workload and financial burden for a small foundation run like an NGO

“In addition to examining the state of the relationship of trust between the stakeholders and the foundation, it was necessary to clarify whether it is ethically correct to spend part of the donations collected on the costs of applying for the DZI Donation Seal. From the foundation management’s perspective, this amounts to a misuse of funds, as the management fulfils its responsibility to use the donated funds for their intended purpose in a very specific and correct manner and should not have to factor in any costs in the form of time and resources for submitting the extensive documentation required to apply for the donation seal.” – Ellen Weiland, Senior Manager in the Charitable Sector – Deriving a recommendation for action using Wilderness International as an example

Furthermore, there are also large, very well-known organisations recognised as charitable that do not hold a DZI donation seal, such as BUND, WWF and Grüne Liga.

Since 2023, however, we have held the PHINEO Wirkt! seal, of which we are very proud. Find out more here: What is the PHINEO Wirkt! seal?

To reassess our impact, we also commissioned a comprehensive process assessment from BAUM e.V. in the spring of 2025. BAUM is a non-profit business network in Europe that promotes sustainable business practices and climate protection. The assessment was carried out by Rainer Kant, a qualified forester and Senior Advisor for Biodiversity and Ecosystems at BAUM e.V., one of Germany’s leading sustainability experts in this field. You can find out more about the assessment here.

In Canada, we are aided by the high level of legal certainty – or rather, the legal framework – and the penalties, which even prohibit trespass, as well as the cultural and historical significance of property.

In Peru, we have also launched a programme for forest guardians in collaboration with local people. We have put several measures in place to ensure long-term protection. Generally, we visit the areas on regular expeditions to check that everything is in order. We also work with local partners who inform us of any issues that may arise. The donations per square metre also already include the costs of property tax.

The legal form of the foundation, unlike any other, allows a (charitable) purpose to be realised permanently and independently of external interests, thereby achieving the desired long-term effects. It is thus the most long-term organisational structure currently known. Not even states, companies or national parks are designed with such a long-term perspective. This makes the foundation the only organisation oriented towards the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.

We are absolutely convinced that it is only by working together with the people of the region that we can protect the primeval forests in Canada and Peru in a sustainable way. We are also committed to social sustainability and therefore involve as many stakeholders as possible in forest conservation. 

Local projects in Peru increase acceptance amongst landowners and offer them the opportunity to continue supporting the region’s natural environment in the future. We have also set up a forest ranger programme with local people. Our Forest Guardians regularly patrol the forest areas, ensure their protection, maintain contact with the local community, and, together with our researchers, develop environmental education materials and assist with biodiversity monitoring. To protect the Madre de Dios region sustainably, minimise the causes of deforestation and develop alternative sources of income together with local families, we launched our agroforestry project in December 2023 and joined forces with two local agroforestry pioneers – Camino Verde and Fundo Ten Paciencia. The aim of the project is to train farmers in agroforestry and sustainable farming practices. In addition, the WI Peru team has launched an environmental education project designed to instil in local people a greater understanding of and enthusiasm for the rainforest and its inhabitants, and to provide them with arguments as to why it is important to actively protect this fragile ecosystem. This includes themed events in towns and communities, various projects in schools, and visits by schoolchildren directly to our research station in the Secret Forest.

In Canada, our existing protected areas are uninhabited, as they are quite isolated. The Wilderness International Canada team consists mainly of Canadians who are also promoting environmental education and our conservation goals within the country, for example through partnerships with organisations such as whale-watching agencies, which raise awareness of complex ecological interrelationships, or other local research or nature conservation organisations. In the past, we have organised environmental ambassador programmes, through which German school pupils were able to engage with local people and First Nations on environmental conservation issues. We hope to be able to resume these programmes in the future. 

Looking ahead, we do not rule out the possibility of jointly purchasing plots of land for nature conservation purposes together with Indigenous peoples or First Nations in Canada. It is very important to us that this collaboration takes place on an equal footing. Naturally, we would never displace anyone from their homeland for the sake of nature conservation. If our approach helps local people (whether Indigenous or not) to combine environmental protection with their traditions, ways of life and sustainable livelihoods, then we see such partnerships as a wonderful opportunity to generate synergies.

The involvement of local communities in our projects is also highlighted by Rainer Kant of BAUM e.V. in his independent process assessment: “The integrative approach is evident in the way Wilderness International links various sectors of society: environmental and climate protection are combined with educational work, technological innovations and economic financing models. Businesses, schools, researchers and local indigenous communities are actively involved, thereby creating synergies between civil society, the business sector and academia.”

You can cancel your subscription yourself via your donation portal. To do so, request a link here, select your donation, click on ‘Your documents’ and then on ‘Payment’ in the top-left menu. There you can edit and cancel your subscription – just click on the pencil icon.

You can also temporarily pause your subscription or adjust the donation amount. Simply send us an email at kontakt@wilderness-international.org.