Person wearing Wilderness International shirt sitting on fallen log above water in lush jungle forest. Person sitting on log over green water wearing blue Wilderness International t-shirt

About us

Three foundations, one mission

It all began with a passion for huge trees…

At that time, 26 people from six countries, representing 24 different professional fields and aged between 18 and 69, were united by their love of stunning, wild nature and their desire to preserve it for future generations. This led to the founding of the environmental organisation Wilderness International in Germany and Canada in 2008. In 2019, the Peruvian organisation dedicated to protecting the rainforest joined the network.

Today, Wilderness International comprises three sister foundations with one major goal: to protect the last remaining unique forest and wilderness areas for ever.

Achieving more together

Above all, however, the three organisations work together at an international level to promote wilderness conservation and environmental education. Furthermore, all three foundations are always entered in the land register to strengthen the security of the conservation measures.
A group of about 13 people stands on a forest trail surrounded by lush green vegetation, posing together for a group photo.

Mission

The team at Wilderness International dedicates its daily work to the legally sound acquisition of ecologically valuable and critically endangered forest and wilderness areas around the world, in order to protect them from disappearing forever and to preserve them for future generations.

Vision

We still have the opportunity to save the Earth’s last remaining wilderness areas. This knowledge, combined with our passion for the wonders of nature, drives us to turn our vision into reality, step by step. By 2050, we aim to protect the remaining 2.8 per cent of our planet’s intact habitats through legally secure purchases.

Working together to protect the wilderness

  • One Percent for the Planet logo featuring a stylized blue globe with white numeral and organization text

    One Percent for the Planet

    We are a non-profit partner of One Percent for the Planet. This means that companies from all over the world can donate one per cent of their turnover to old-growth forest protection through us.
  • Turquoise geometric paper plane illustration with dark blue

    Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany e.V.

    We are a member of the Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany. This enables social enterprises to gain greater visibility and ensures that the interests of social enterprises and the not-for-profit sector are better represented in the political arena.

Team

The team at our three foundations always consists of a board of trustees (which acts as a supervisory body), an executive board (responsible for projects) and an operational team, as well as many volunteers.
  • Kai Andersch

    Kai Andersch

    CEO of WI Germany, Director of WI Canada, Land Management
    For me, the wild outdoors is a source of inspiration, and I feel at home there. Whether sitting beside a huge tree in the primeval forest, on the misty banks of a river or on a mountain – nature helps me recharge my batteries and experience wonders both big and small. Over the last 20 years, I have seen entire forest landscapes disappear, with towns and roads encroaching on lakes and valleys. Unspoilt nature is becoming scarcer by the year – at an alarming rate that demands urgent action. I love nature and, as part of Wilderness International, I want to fight to ensure that our Earth remains just that in the future: wild and beautiful.
  • Flor Ugarte Villavicencio

    Flor Ugarte Villavicencio

    Chief Financial Officer
    I was born in the Andes, in Urcos, near Cusco, which was a wonderful place full of nature back then. As a child, I moved with my family to Madre de Dios, where I have now lived for more than 45 years. I love the trees, rivers, streams and waterfalls, the heat and the sounds of nature with its thousands of animal species here. Although I must admit that I’m not particularly fond of mosquitoes. I have worked for numerous organisations in Puerto Maldonado, ranging from tourist accommodation to government bodies and family-run businesses. But working with Wilderness International is the most fulfilling for me, because I can see that we are preserving the things I love so much. And above all, because I feel that in this way I can also raise awareness among others about how to look after, protect and preserve our beautiful natural world.
  • Marco Lou

    Marco Lou

    Director, WI Canada
    I grew up in rural western Canada and was lucky enough to experience the wilderness first-hand – hiking, camping and horse-riding. These experiences continue to shape me to this day and have forged my deep connection with nature.

    Today, one thing is clear: these places need protection. Through photography and adventure travel, I preserve and share these experiences. Direct contact with nature helps us to understand our spiritual connection to the Earth – a connection we lose in our everyday lives.

    We have become too desensitised to have a genuine relationship with the world on which we depend. When I think in collective terms, I realise that the individual is small, yet significant as part of a greater whole. Every element contributes to an astonishing network – of which we, too, are a part. It is in this sense of belonging that I find meaning.

    My commitment is to building bridges and providing protection. Family, the environment and community are inseparable. At Wilderness International, I have finally found a sense of community and a way to make a meaningful difference.
  • Henriette Wessel

    Henriette Wessel

    Communications, Member of the Board of Directors, WI Peru
    I never thought I’d end up working in nature conservation. Actually, I’ve always been interested in other, more social issues. But nothing can convince you of the importance of environmental protection quite like nature itself. Standing beneath a gigantic tree and sensing its age, seeing whales and hearing wolves howl. I cannot and will not imagine a world without that. And so, ever since I first went into the wilderness as a school pupil with WI, I’ve stuck with it. I organised an exchange programme with the Gwich’in in the Western Arctic and lived five months north of the Arctic Circle for that. Afterwards, I studied Intercultural Communication. In the Communications team, I can combine both my passions and share the beauty of the wilderness with others.
View the whole team

Why set up a foundation, anyway?

I want to grow as old as a tree.

During our fleeting human lives, we can only protect a tree for a short time. That is why we want to create structures that will guarantee the protection of these ancient living beings for generations to come – regardless of political changes.

A foundation is the most long-term organisational concept currently known. Not even states, companies or national parks are designed to last that long. Many foundations are very old, some over a thousand years old. This makes the foundation the only organisation aligned with the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.

We would like to thank our founders and co-donors!

Founders: Agnes S. Weiland, Ellen Weiland, Dr Georg H. Merkur, Dr Gert Andersch, Dr Guido Richter (✝), Hans Dierstein, Henner Kollenberg, Johanna Diehl, Kai Andersch (WI Germany, Peru and Canada), Kathrine Kollenberg, Marit Richter, Matthias Burchert, Matthias Kappelhoff, Nelli Theyel, Niels Hahmann, Jürgen Thiele, Sandra Zügge, Sebastian Reuter, Sissel Hammerstrøm, Dr Steffen Kolschmann, Stephan Hürten, Tom Andersch, Dr Ulrich Zügge, Vera Philliipps, Yvonne Sirtl, David MacDonald (WI Canada and Peru), Maria Laura Tolmos Coquelet (WI Peru), Fabian Mühlberger (WI Peru), Tobias Hürten (WI Peru), Henriette Wessel (WI Peru), Chris Kirkby (WI Peru)

Co-donors: Petra England, Prof. Dr Bernd Klauer, Thomas Kimmel, Henrik Voigt, Anton Kamolz, Charlotte Voigt, Thomas Mach, Carina Büder, Alexander Loße

  • A foundation operates independently of political structures and, in some cases, of states.
  • To fulfil its purpose, it receives endowment assets, which are always preserved.
  • It is independent of any individual and cannot be bequeathed, as it does not belong to any one person alone. A foundation always belongs to the community of people who are committed to its purpose at any given time.
We don’t measure our success in euros. We measure it in square metres.