Person seated beneath tall trees in a lush forest with ferns in the foreground.

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.

Always on site

Each of the three organisations was co-founded by local people, and locals are actively involved in each one. There are always local projects, such as forest guardians in Peru or wilderness runs in Germany.
A large diverse group of people pose together on a grassy lawn, smiling and waving with trees and tropical plants in the background.

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.

A tree has a lot to tell

Some of the giant trees in our protected areas are already 1,000 years old. They could live for another 1,000 years. But how can we ensure that they are not destroyed before then?
Tree ring cross-section with timeline markers: 1203 (tree's birth), 1492 (Americas discovery), 1865 (oil use), 1867 (Canada founding), 1872 (first national park), 2015 (Paris climate accord).

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.

  • A foundation operates independently of political structures and, in some cases, of states.
  • To fulfil its purpose, it receives endowment assets, which are preserved in perpetuity.
  • 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.
The legal form of a foundation, more than any other, enables a (charitable) purpose to be pursued on a permanent basis and independently of external interests, thereby achieving the desired outcomes in the long term.
Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen

Our team

Find out more

Our Impact

Go to the Impact Report

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

We don’t measure our success in euros. We measure it in square metres.

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