Year in Review

What did you make possible with your donations in 2022?

A successful year

Together, we can look back on an incredibly successful year for wilderness conservation. This was only possible because we worked together! We are incredibly grateful to you all for that.

Protected areas

Our previous online map, where you could choose and protect a patch of woodland, is now offline. There are only positive reasons for this: 

  • All the plots of land that were listed there are now fully protected!
  • In future, we’ll be organising our protected areas into regions – larger, contiguous habitats. You can view them here.
  • We’re working on a new online map that will let you see exactly which patch of woodland you’re protecting right within the donation process.

In total, through your donations for wilderness sponsorships in 2022 alone, you have protected an incredible 1,429,706 m2 of old-growth forest for ever, of which 320,327 m2 are in Canada and 1,174,404 m2 are in Peru. Taking into account all the land we have purchased to date, this leaves 1,070,294 m2 still available, awaiting long-term protection through wilderness sponsorships.

This year, we were able to purchase a new plot of land in Canada, measuring 62.7 ha. It is situated on Calvert Island, approximately 300 km south of Porcher Island, where we already have protected areas. As it is part of the same ecosystem (temperate north-coast rainforest), both now belong to the “Misty Forest” region.

Media

New design & new website

We have launched a new website and a new donation tool. It boasts a fresh new design, created from scratch for the entire foundation by Studio Good in Berlin. Above all, however, you can now once again easily help protect forests via the site and receive your certificate straight away.
Wilderness International webpage with yellow background:

Promotional film

My euro is one square metre in size! You can find out how and why in our new promotional film, produced by Lukas Dürnegger.
Person standing on rock in river with arms spread wide, sunset sky and forested banks in background.
Watch now

impact report

Together, we have made the world a little bit better. After 14 years, we can now officially announce this and express our heartfelt thanks: in our first impact report! Jan Luther has also brought it to life online on this landing page:
Open book with forest canopy imagery on cover and white text reading
Read now

Partnerships

We are delighted to have the support of 17 new corporate partners who are working with us to protect wilderness and promote sustainability within their organisations:

In Canada, we were once again given a door in the “24 Good Deeds” Advent calendar this year. On 4 December, donations were collected across Canada for our forest guardians’ project to protect the Amazon rainforest in Peru.

Mission Earth

Thanks to the tremendous dedication of environmentalist, filmmaker and photographer Robert Marc Lehmann and his team at Mission Erde e.V., an 8-part YouTube series about his journey with us to Peru has been released. And even more amazing: the Mission Erde community alone has permanently protected more than half a million square metres of rainforest in Peru within eight months – that’s a record! To be precise, by 16 December 2022, the total stood at 572,880 m2 – and the figure is growing every day!
Two men pose on an elevated platform overlooking a vast green forest canopy on a sunny day.
The Mission Earth community has already protected a staggering 572,880 m2 old-growth forest in just a few months. Well done – keep it up! kai
Find out more

Tomary Community Forest

YouTuber Tomary was also with us in Peru this year and, together with his community, has protected an impressive 103,835 m2acres of old-growth forest in Peru for good (as at 16 December 2022). He has also informed the 496,000 people who have watched the two videos so far about our projects and the importance of rainforest conservation. Thank you very much!
Five people wearing blue t-shirts stand in front of a massive tree trunk in the rainforest.
Find out more

Expeditions & Travel

In March, August and October, we travelled to Peru and Canada to check that everything was in order in our conservation areas, to map them using drones, and to explore new plots of land and potential partnerships.
Man operating a drone on rocky lakeshore with forested mountains and calm water.
Porcher and Calvert Island: Two new wilderness refuges in Canada. We’re documenting them from the air and setting up our team on site. Join us!
Two people on an elevated wooden platform with railings overlooking a lush rainforest canopy under a partly cloudy sky.
March in Peru: Through the ‘Plant for Future’ initiative, we secured 10,000 m² of rainforest and developed new conservation strategies.
Wooden boat on river at sunset, golden sunlight reflecting off water, forested shoreline on horizon.
In August, we will be mapping two new wilderness areas (each covering 800–1,500 ha) using drones. Negotiations are under way – one of them is located within Manu National Park.

News about the CO2 calculator

Cache & Memo Function

New features now make our calculators even more user-friendly: there’s now a save function in case you can’t or don’t want to fill in the calculator all at once. And you can set it up to send you a reminder email every year, and simply adjust last year’s figures so that you can easily offset your carbon footprint each year. 

Over 100,000 m2 Forest

Using the CO2 calculator, you have already helped protect over 120,000 m2 of rainforest! This was made possible, amongst other things, by numerous extra donations via the Forest Booster.

Country selection

The calculators now offer a wide range of countries to choose from for businesses, households and individuals, meaning that electricity consumption can now be calculated even more accurately using the specific emission factors for each country.

Average figures

We now have our own average figures, so for many fields there are average values that you can adopt or use as a guide.

New computers

New additions include calculators for cars, flights, live streaming and dialysis.
Go to the CO2 calculator

My Tree – My Dresden

Children and adults plant trees together in a grassy field, using shovels to dig holes. Groups participate in a community tree-planting initiative.

A further 7,009 trees and shrubs

This year, with the help of more than 300 volunteers, including many school pupils, we planted 7,009 trees and shrubs in Dresden and the surrounding area as part of the “Mein Baum – Mein Dresden” initiative. We carried out the planting over four weekends in November in Wachau, Schönborn, along the Wostra and in Luga on the Maltengraben.

News from the team

Developers

For the relaunch of our website and, above all, the new map application where you can help protect wilderness, we’ve had support from a team in Vietnam, led by Huu. Among other things, they’re developing lots of useful tools and features that make our lives easier behind the scenes. One example is a new system for managing donations, partners and campaigns.
  • Dung Nguyen

    Dung Nguyen

    Full-stack Developer, DevOps,

  • Lai Ho

    Lai Ho

    Front-end Developer

  • Ha Nguyen

    Ha Nguyen

    Quality Assurance

  • Nhut Ma

    Nhut Ma

    Back-end Developer

  • Tin Huynh

    Tin Huynh

    Back-end Developer

Dresden Office

Maaria has been supporting us as an assistant to the Executive Board since July. In this role, she is primarily responsible for the organisational management of our growing Dresden office. We are delighted to once again have the support of three young volunteers there. In addition, Jan Großmann is supporting us in many areas with his experience and knowledge of organisational development, particularly in the areas of human resources and finance.
  • Maaria Juva

    Maaria Juva

    BACK OFFICE & EVENTS
    I’ve always wanted a job that makes a difference. And ever since I’ve had children, it’s become even more important to me to do my bit to make a real difference to our planet. At Wilderness International, I get to work in a very dedicated team who have welcomed me with open arms and warmth. What’s more, communication here is respectful and honest, and there’s a constant drive to develop. I get to carry out a wide variety of tasks: coordinating our dedicated volunteers, organising events, and keeping on top of our day-to-day office work. This suits me perfectly, and as a result, I regularly get to see very tangible results from our work.
  • Leoni Thieme

    Leoni Thieme

    VOLUNTEER (VOLUNTARY ECOLOGICAL YEAR)
    Hi, I’m Leoni. I’ve just finished secondary school and heard about WI through friends. Preserving the forests has always been close to my heart, as I’ve loved being out in nature ever since I was little. So it was clear to me that I wanted to do my FÖJ with WI. My main areas of work this year will be processing payments and office administration.
  • Marten Gierth

    Marten Gierth

    Working Student (CO2 Calculator)
    Hi, I’m Marten and I completed my Voluntary Ecological Year in 2022 with Wilderness. My fascination with the rainforest and my belief in its enormous importance have motivated me to continue my involvement with Wilderness as a working student. I’m highly motivated to do my bit to protect our planet. My responsibilities include developing a CO2 calculator and creating media content. I’m looking forward to continuing to play an active part in projects that make a lasting contribution to our environment.
  • Ludian Jahnke

    Ludian Jahnke

    Volunteer (Federal Voluntary Service)
    After finishing school, I wanted to start by doing something that interested me and gave me a sense of purpose. I’ve long been concerned about the environmental crises facing our planet and, by extension, the foundations of our existence. That’s why it was clear to me that Wilderness International was exactly the right place for me. Here, I can make a tangible contribution to protecting nature from further destruction.
  • Jan Grossman

    Jan Grossman

    Finance

WI Canada

Marco joined the operational team in Canada in May as a new member of the Executive Board. He is responsible for partnerships, land acquisitions, structures and organisational development at WI Canada.
  • 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.

External

  • Jan Luther

    Jan Luther

    Front-end Developer
    I love programming and optimising fast websites. Many people are unaware that slow websites consume more electricity than unoptimised ones. So when the PageSpeed score moves into the green zone, it’s not just good news for users, but for the environment too. Wilderness International and I share a commitment to protecting our remaining ecosystems. This gives my work at my desk a significance that goes beyond PageSpeed.

Outlook for 2023

  • Focus: further land acquisitions in Peru and Canada
  • the long-term protection of these new and existing areas through wilderness sponsorships 
  • Expansion of the software platform for transparent nature conservation, including impact dashboards, widgets and an API
  • Research projects on biodiversity, CO2 sequestration and other ecosystem services in our protected areas
  • Expanding our collaborations and nature conservation partnerships
  • Strengthening conservation measures (e.g. by expanding the team of forest guardians)
  • Further transparency initiatives (e.g. real-time data from forest plots, regular aerial surveys, Accountable Now certification)
  • VERRA certification of some of our nature conservation areas (concessions)

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