As the sun rises above the treetops along the Tambopata River, the rainforest begins to ‘breathe’.
T-Systems is committed to protecting endangered wilderness areas
Save the old-growth forest now opens in a new tabFor the conservation of biodiversity and wilderness
Since 2022, the Dresden-based IT service provider – T-Systems MMS – has been working alongside the Wilderness International Foundation to preserve our planet’s last remaining rainforests and wilderness areas. T-Systems MMS has so far protected 20,388 m2 of rainforest in Peru.
Let’s continue on this path together and permanently preserve even more unique wilderness: you too can help protect a part of the T-Systems rainforest now.
As part of its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection, Telekom MMS has entered into a partnership with Wilderness International. The aim of this collaboration is to make a regular contribution to the protection of the rainforest. The partnership enables Telekom MMS to make a tangible contribution to the long-term protection of ecologically valuable and critically endangered wilderness areas. Wilderness International uses the donations to acquire forest land in a legally secure manner and to preserve it for ever.
The T-Systems Forest in Peru
The areas protected by Telekom MMS are situated in the Madre de Dios region, not far from the town of Puerto Maldonado, along the Tambopata River. This is home to the most species-rich ecosystem on Earth: playful monkeys, mysterious jaguars and liana-draped jungle giants all find their habitat here.
Rare spider monkeys find a safe habitat in the protected areas.
Colourful macaws add a splash of colour to the green of the treetops.
The giant trees in the Peruvian nature reserve are up to 100 metres tall and provide a habitat for countless species of flora and fauna.
Each of the trees in the nature reserve is an ecosystem in its own right and part of a larger whole.
Transparency
Why old-growth forest protection with WI?
What particularly impressed T-Systems MMS about Wilderness International was the transparent and specific use of donations: a €1 donation protects 1m2 of old-growth forest – forever. Donors receive a certificate showing the geographical coordinates and an aerial photograph of the protected area, as well as a tax-deductible donation receipt.
You too can protect a bit of the T-Systems MMS Forest
Let’s continue on this path together and permanently preserve even more unique wilderness:
Your Wilderness Conservation Certificate
Immediately after making your donation, you will receive a personalised certificate detailing the piece of wilderness you have helped to protect.
Protect forest now opens in a new tab
Protect the wilderness of Peru with T-Systems MMS
Convert donation amounts, protected forest area and offset CO2 directly into one another.
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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 the long term. 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
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is Wilderness International, and what does the organisation do?
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.
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What role does the tropical rainforest play in Peru?
More than half of Peru’s land area is covered by forests. This makes the country home to the world’s fourth-largest area of tropical rainforest – after Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia. In 2018, 87 per cent of this area was still virgin forest. The forests of the Amazon Basin are the largest contiguous rainforests on Earth. This means they are not only a huge CO2 sink, but also generate their own weather – a unique water cycle that carries rain from the Atlantic up to 5,000 km into the west of the continent. The only thing that sustains this water cycle is the vast extent of the contiguous rainforests.
At the same time, the Amazon rainforests play a vital role in cooling the surrounding environment and purifying the air of pollutants. Over the millennia, these rainforests have also produced the oxygen in the atmosphere that is essential for our survival. Furthermore, the rainforests in the Madre de Dios region are considered the most biodiverse place on Earth! Thanks to favourable climatic conditions and geological history, there are 10 times more reptiles and amphibians here than in Germany. Around 10 per cent of all the world’s bird species can be observed there, and on one hectare of forest you can find around 400 tree species – more than in the whole of Europe north of the Alps!
Unfortunately, however, the forest is under serious threat: according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), between 2015 and 2020 around 10 million hectares of tropical rainforest were lost each year, with the Amazon region suffering the most damage annually. In 2020 alone, an area of primary forest the size of Israel disappeared – that’s more than 22,000km2.
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How do you ensure the long-term protection of these areas?
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.