For the wilderness

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 protect the areas we have selected exclusively by purchasing them and registering them in the land register, in countries with a high degree of legal certainty. All three international foundations (Peru, Canada, Germany) are registered as owners in the land register. The forest areas we have purchased as foundations can no longer be bought from us, and we are also no longer permitted to sell them. 

The foundation’s organisational structure prevents the rights to dispose of the property from resting with a single individual and ensures its long-term survival. You can find out more about the longevity of the foundation concept here. Our articles of association stipulate that the plots of land must be left undisturbed and may only be visited for research and documentation purposes. 

In Canada: 

Due to their remoteness and the fact that the area is undeveloped, our protected areas in Canada can only be reached at great financial, material and time-related expense, and not without risk. Furthermore, the high level of legal certainty in Canada ensures that damage to land results in severe penalties. The British Columbia Trespass Act explicitly prohibits trespassing on private land. Violations are prosecuted in court upon complaint, even if no damage has been caused. Furthermore, we visit and monitor the areas as part of regular research trips and have partnerships with local companies that support us. In Canada, we also benefit from the fact that property is held in very high regard for its cultural and historical value and is respected.

In Peru:

In Peru, we have Forest Guardians on the ground whose day-to-day duties include monitoring our protected areas and preventing unauthorised entry. By using drones, the Guardians can survey a larger area, and special sensors trigger an alarm instantly if, for example, a fire breaks out or the sound of chainsaws is detected. In addition, we work there with the organisation ‘Fauna Forever’, which also has a permanent presence on the ground and, as part of its research projects, patrols and monitors our areas.

Furthermore, the Forest Guardians are in direct contact with the local population, promote our conservation objectives within the community, erect information signs and actively work on community projects – such as our current agroforestry project – to show the local population ways to benefit from the rainforest without clearing it. Should a conflict nevertheless arise, we report poachers and other individuals acting illegally to the local law enforcement agencies (such as the police, lawyers and authorities), and work closely with them.

‘Forever’ really does mean ‘forever’ – or, at least, for as long as the foundations exist. The areas protected by Wilderness International are privately owned by the foundation. This means that all three sister foundations (Germany, Peru, Canada) are the owners of the land. The foundation’s organisational structure prevents the rights to dispose of the property from resting with a single individual and ensures its long-term survival. 

What is so special about a foundation? 

• 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 dating back over a thousand years. This makes the foundation the only entity aligned with the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.
• A foundation operates independently of political structures and, in some cases, of states.
• It receives its endowment, which is always preserved, for the purpose of the foundation.
• 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, unlike any other, allows a (charitable) purpose to be realised permanently and independently of external interests, thereby achieving the desired long-term effects.
• Examples of some foundations that are over a thousand years old: 
• • since 1161: Johanneshof Foundation, Hildesheim
  • since 1177 St. Johannis Convent of the Virgins, Lübeck
  • since 1184: Magdalenen Hospital, Münster 

Our articles of association stipulate that the land must be left undisturbed and may only be visited for research and documentation purposes. This entire structure ensures that the protected areas remain secure even in the event of a change in operational management.

If other organisations do not own the land they protect, they can only guarantee its long-term permanence to a limited extent. Without ownership, external factors such as political changes, economic pressure (e.g. rising value of agricultural land) or social conflicts can jeopardise the long-term conservation of the forest. With the three sister foundations of Wilderness International owning the protected areas, long-term protection is permanently secured.

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.”