Upward view of tall trees in a dense forest with lush green canopy against a bright sky.

Rüdiger’s Forest

Protect forest now

Why Wilderness International?

Wilderness International is a charitable foundation that permanently preserves critically endangered wilderness areas in Peru and Canada – as habitats, climate regulators and CO2 sinks – through legally secure land purchases. The organisation’s work was awarded the Phineo WIRKT! seal in 2023, and its Impact 2025 was reaffirmed by a comprehensive process assessment carried out by BAUM e.V.

Wilderness International’s approach is clear, measurable and scientifically sound. €1 protects 1 m² of rainforest forever. This land is legally secured, georeferenced and traceable – no vague promises, but tangible nature conservation characterised by transparency and accountability.

Join in and protect a piece of wilderness in Canada now to mark Rüdiger’s departure – in Rüdiger’s Forest.

Donations

have wilderness sponsors

m2 old-growth forest

protected for ever, thereby ensuring that

tonnes of CO2

remain permanently bound in the forest’s biomass

For many years, I have been committed to protecting biodiversity. In my role as Head of Environmental Protection at Audi worldwide and as Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation, I have had the privilege of initiating and supporting numerous valuable technical and innovation projects that strengthen precisely this protection. The protection of wilderness rainforest areas demonstrates just how much we can achieve when technological expertise and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.
Rüdiger Recknagel

Every contribution counts!

We have a grand vision: to protect the world’s last remaining true wilderness areas for ever!
To achieve this, we purchase ecologically valuable and critically endangered forest areas by registering them in the land register, thereby ensuring their protection in a legally secure, permanent and transparent manner. These purchases are funded by your donations and safeguarded for the long term.

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Here’s how you can protect forests

  1. Select size

    On the donation form, select the size of the area of woodland you would like to protect.

  2. Fill in the donation form

    Fill in your details on the form – this will ensure that you receive all the information and your donation receipt.

  3. Design a certificate

    You can now add your name or the name of the person you’re giving the certificate to. If you like, you can also add an occasion.

  4. Received a certificate

    You can download the certificate showing the geographical coordinates of the protected area from our donation portal immediately after making your payment. We will email you the link to the certificate and details of the square metres you have helped to protect.

Your Wilderness Conservation Certificate – also a perfect gift

Immediately after making your donation, you’ll receive a personalised certificate detailing the piece of wilderness you’ve helped to protect. It also makes a brilliant gift, by the way!
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Wilderness International conservation certificate for 25 m² of rainforest in Canada's Misty Forest, sponsored by Toni Tropenwind.

Transparent, tested & recommended!

  • Logo for Initiative Transparent Civil Society with layered blue squares and magenta vertical line

    Transparency

    In 2017, we joined the Transparent Civil Society Initiative. 

    In doing so, we are committing ourselves to high standards of transparency, accountability and effectiveness for international NGOs.

  • WIRKT! seal showing certification as a proven and recommended effective organization by PHI NEO, September 2023.

    Effect

    The Phineo ‘Wirkt!’ seal also confirms that our work has a demonstrable impact and that we are a high-performing and transparent organisation. To obtain it, we underwent a six-month assessment by independent experts as part of a four-stage process.

Impressions from the temperate rainforest

The wilderness areas that your donation helps to protect in the temperate rainforest are located on Porcher Island on Canada’s west coast. They form the most species-rich ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere. Their ancient giant trees provide a safe habitat for an incredible number of animal and plant species.

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Impressions from the temperate rainforest

The old-growth forests of western Canada are home to wild coastal wolves, mighty bald eagles, rare carnivorous sundews and gigantic forest giants such as maple trees, Alaskan cedars and giant thuja trees that are up to 2,000 years old.
Upward view of an old-growth forest with massive, moss-covered tree trunks and green canopy against blue sky.
The giant arborvitae trees in the temperate rainforest can grow to over 70 metres in height and live for more than 1,000 years!
Lush forest path lined with green ferns and moss-covered trees in dappled sunlight.
The forest floor is thickly covered with ferns and mosses. 
Bald eagle in flight with wings spread, carrying a fish in its talons above blurred green forest.
A bald eagle had a successful hunt.
Aerial view of wetland with dark water winding through light brown moss and green vegetation patches.
The raised bogs on Porcher Island provide a habitat for countless endemic plant and animal species and act as CO2 sinks that are thousands of years old.
Red sundew plant covered in dewdrops with delicate tentacles, surrounded by grass and blurred background.
The sundew is a rare carnivorous plant and relies on the bogs in the nature reserve as its habitat.
Grey-brown wolf standing on rocky shore with blurred water and trees in the background.
If you’re very lucky, you might spot the mysterious and rare coastal wolves on the beach.
Brown mink inspecting water among mossy rocks and stones along the shoreline
American minks hunt for mussels and snails on the beach and in the sea, before devouring them in the shelter of the nearby woodland.
Humpback whale's tail flukes break through the ocean surface in a spray of water.
Humpback whales and orcas are frequently sighted off the coast of British Columbia.

Technology × Biodiversity

Every action counts. Together, we can protect wilderness areas for future generations.
Find out more
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Let’s talk Greenovation

The “Let’s talk Greenovation” series of events organised by the Audi Environmental Foundation is a platform for dialogue on innovative environmental projects and sustainable solutions. Among other things, the joint eDNA project on biodiversity monitoring, carried out in collaboration with Wilderness International and ETH Zurich, was presented.
Panel discussion at Audi Foundation for the Environment with speakers on stage and audience members attending the Greenovation event.

Man and woman in discussion at Greenovation event with large display screen behind them

Panel discussion on greennovation with four participants seated on stage in front of an audience

Panel discussion at Audi Environmental Foundation event on stage with audience members seated in foreground, discussing Greenovation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does Wilderness International do?

    Wilderness International purchases wilderness areas in a legally secure manner and protects them for generations to come. These purchases are funded by donations, which not only ensure the long-term protection of the areas but also enable environmental education projects and research into CO2 sequestration and biodiversity. Donors receive a personalised certificate showing the exact geographical coordinates of the protected forest area, so that the protection can be directly traced. We are currently active in the temperate rainforest of western Canada and the Amazon rainforest of Peru, where we are protecting ancient primary rainforests.

  • What obligations does sponsorship entail for me?

    There are no further obligations on your part. The donation is a one-off payment and enables us, as a foundation, to ensure the long-term protection of the area. The sponsorship is symbolic. The woodland remains the property of the foundation.

  • How can we ensure that the protected area is preserved for all time?

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

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

    The legal form of the foundation, unlike any other, enables it to fulfil a (charitable) purpose 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 to last that long. This makes the foundation the only organisation oriented towards the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.

  • Why is it important to donate NOW? Would that patch of rainforest be destroyed without my donation?

    The rainforests in Peru and Canada are among the last remaining intact wilderness areas on our planet – and are, sadly, under acute threat. 10–15 per cent of all annual emissions are caused by the destruction of these forests and their peatlands – which is why we must act now!

    Numerous studies confirm the threat to the rainforests in Peru and Canada.

    In Peru:

    • According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), around 10 million hectares of tropical rainforest were lost annually between 2015 and 2020, with the Amazon region suffering the most damage (FAO and UNEP, 2020).
    • There is no sign of this trend abating, as even in 2024 the destruction of primary forests remained well above the politically set targets (Forest Declaration Assessment, 2024). In 2024 alone, an area of primary forest larger than the whole of Belgium disappeared in Latin America (Forest Declaration Assessment, 2024). Peru holds the grim distinction of ranking third in this regard (Jong, 2024).
    • In the Tambopata region in particular – where our conservation areas are located – there has been significant pressure on the forest for agricultural development and gold mining since the completion of the motorway to Brazil. On this online map, you can see the deforestation that has taken place over the last 20 years in the region around Puerto Maldonado, where we are active. 
    • You can also see the deforestation in the region on this online map, which shows our protected areas. The historical development of deforestation is also very well illustrated in the video by YouTuber Tomary, who was with us in Peru.
    • In his independent expert report, Rainer Kant of BAUM e.V. has also confirmed that the areas we protect in the Madre de Dios region would no longer exist today, or in the coming years, were it not for our work.


    In Canada:

    Everyone is aware of the value of the Amazon rainforest and the threats it faces. Yet hardly anyone speaks of the forgotten ecosystem of the temperate rainforest in British Columbia: 

    • This is home to the world’s last large contiguous area of temperate rainforest (DellaSala, 2010). And yet British Columbia, of all places, is one of the last jurisdictions in the world that still permits the large-scale felling of ancient giant trees aged between 600 and 1,800 years (Wu, 2019). 
    • The main causes of this are the timber industry, agriculture and the construction of infrastructure. 
    • The Ancient Forest Alliance’s online map (2016) provides a striking visualisation of how deforestation in south-eastern BC had progressed by 2016.
    • In his independent expert report, Rainer Kant of BAUM e.V. has confirmed that the last remaining undisturbed areas of temperate rainforest in Canada are under threat from logging companies seeking timber, agricultural corporations expanding farmland, urban sprawl, construction and infrastructure, and Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol – and therefore require our protection.


    If we lose the last remaining intact rainforests, this will have catastrophic consequences for our planet. The concept of planetary boundaries states that there are certain ecological limits; exceeding these endangers the stability of the Earth’s ecosystem and, consequently, the future of humanity. Numerous studies show that we are well on the way to exceeding at least five of the nine planetary boundaries, also known as ‘tipping points’. One of these is the loss of the tropical rainforest. We are already feeling the effects of climate change, but we still have the chance to avert the worst consequences, as the summary of the book ‘Earth for All’ shows.

About Wilderness International

The foundation, which has offices in Peru, Canada and Germany, acquires wilderness areas in a legally secure manner and protects them for generations to come. These acquisitions are funded by donations, which ensure the long-term protection of the areas and enable environmental education projects and research into CO2 storage and biodiversity.
Find out more
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