Chris Hoffmann
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, AMBASSADORS & SPECIAL PROJECTS
There are moments in life like that … ,
which realign and set my inner compass straight. For me, this moment is my annual expedition into a wilderness area where I feel incredibly at home and which, through my work on my laptop, I feel I know inside out. The Misty Forest in British Columbia, Canada. The geographical coordinates and aerial photographs are firmly etched in my mind; in meetings, we repeatedly discuss the impressive statistics and the global significance of this temperate rainforest ecosystem. And once a year, part of our team sets off on an expedition into this incredible wilderness. This is the third time I’ve had the privilege of being part of our Canada expedition – and the anticipation is just as great every time as it was the first time. Together with our international team from Germany, Peru and Canada, inspiring ambassadors and dedicated partners, we organise this trip alongside Tobi, our expedition leader and Managing Director of WI Canada. The whole endeavour is therefore preceded by several weeks of intensive planning to ensure that all the tasks and expectations for the expedition are successfully managed.
Between research, nature conservation and adventure
Our mission on the expedition to the Canadian protected area is the same every year: to collect data, monitor our conservation measures on the ground and draw up plans for new research projects. And yet we can never be one hundred per cent sure of what lies ahead. That’s where I come in.
In my role, I’m responsible not only for numerous planning tasks and scheduling arrangements ahead of the expedition, but also for collaborating with organisations and ambassadors who are committed to protecting these majestic wilderness areas. With their help, we’re able to bring the forest – in all its breathtaking facets – closer to even more people and communities. So, on our expeditions, it’s not uncommon for people to come together who, whilst working towards the same goal, often have backgrounds, mindsets, needs or fears that couldn’t be more different.
Nothing’s impossible!
But I love this challenge too. My motto: “Nothing is impossible!” We coordinate a wide variety of processes and sort out countless details together:
- Who is travelling with whom and when?
- What stories do we want to tell?
- Who documents what – and with what equipment?
- ...
An expedition is all about sticking together. And that’s exactly what we’ve done again this year. I love this mix of meticulous planning, boundless teamwork and the knowledge that, in the end, something will emerge that moves people.
And below, I’d like to try and share some of these moving impressions from our two-week expedition to Canada with you.
Back to Basics
21 June 2026, 11.00 am: Together with a group of awestruck people – OK, some of whom are also feeling a bit seasick after a very choppy boat crossing – I set foot once more on Porcher Island, part of our Misty Forest conservation area. Far removed from civilisation, it is so unspoilt here that you can almost hear the silence. And instantly, I feel it again: no digital record could ever capture the sheer power of this wilderness in all its reality. I am grateful and hope that everyone could experience this feeling at least once – from my friends and all our donors to sustainability managers and managing directors, but more on that later …
Far away from any sort of infrastructure ...
Arriving in an ‘all-weather vessel’, lugging countless 25-litre water containers, duffel bags and crates into camp (we could even ‘market’ it as a boot camp), pitching tarps to shelter from the unpredictable wind and rain, gathering firewood for nights of campfire chats – and drifting off to sleep to the sound of the Pacific Ocean on one of Canada’s wildest beaches. And then there’s the matter of food. Thanks to our expedition leader Tobi (“Only those with something decent in their stomachs can work productively and in good spirits.”) our menu doesn’t consist of packet soups and tinned ravioli, but mainly of vegetables, wraps, porridge, home-cooked stews and, thanks to me, litres of fresh lemon-honey-ginger tea. The fact that our kitchen team is basically all of us makes it all the more wonderful (though, to be fair, special thanks go above all to Noel, Isi, Anna and Friederike). As you can see – teamwork makes the dream work.
When the wilderness calls
This year, too, the experiences in the wilderness are pushing some members of the group to their physical and mental limits. But that is precisely where the magic lies: when we overcome this extreme remoteness together, support one another, show understanding for one another and, in the end, ‘stick it out’, we learn a great deal about ourselves once again. Raw and unfiltered. Overwhelming. Beautiful. Sorry for the sentimentality, but anyone who has ever experienced just how closely nature and human wellbeing are intertwined will understand why the wilderness is so much more than just unspoilt countryside. It grounds us, brings clarity and reminds us of what really matters.
The wilderness is the best teacher. That’s why, after a certain amount of time, we take our permanent team members out into our conservation areas. Sarah is someone who loves to lend a hand and is always there for others – often quite naturally and without making a big fuss. It was all the more wonderful to see her experience the Misty Forest for the first time with her own eyes this year, together with Cody. What had previously consisted of maps, satellite images, scientific reports and numerous video calls suddenly came to life. And anyone who has ever trudged through this rainforest comes to understand our work on a whole new level – and carries that experience with them forever. The fascination ranges from the temperate rainforest to millennia-old, metre-deep bogs and on to the tidal pools – a unique transitional zone between ocean and land. It is precisely this close interplay that makes the Misty Forest so extraordinary: whilst otters search for food along the rocky coasts, even the rare coastal wolves use the intertidal zone to hunt for mussels, fish and marine creatures washed ashore. Moments like these transform the way we view our work in the Cooperation Team. Numbers become landscapes. Protected areas become places teeming with life. And a professional task becomes, even more so, a personal responsibility. This is precisely why these trips are so valuable to our team – because every decision, every partnership and every square metre of protected land takes on a significance that goes far beyond what can be expressed in impact reports or presentations.
The tidal pools are far more than just small bodies of water – they form a vital lifeline for numerous species throughout the coastal ecosystem.
Life is flourishing in the tidal pools on Porcher Island – quite literally!
Starfish are just one class of the many unique creatures found in the intertidal zone.
Water is an essential element for ecosystem functions in the temperate rainforest – not only in the intertidal zone, but also far inland.
This is exactly where my colleagues were in their element: Sarah, Cody and some of our partners, in particular, were a constant presence on the beach from early in the morning.
A diverse team – a diverse range of forest animals
Our focus on expeditions remains on expanding our biodiversity monitoring programme: Our science team has been tirelessly covering many kilometres (Chris Ketola is clearly top of the rankings – if he were given sweets for every extra step, he’d probably manage 50,000 steps a day) whilst analysing and repositioning numerous wildlife cameras.
Our partner cameras in the CAUDALIE nature reserve regularly capture images of majestic coastal wolves – proof of an intact wildlife population.
As well as the camera traps, we were also very lucky enough to see many of the reserve’s inhabitants in the wild, such as white-tailed deer ...
elegant grey herons ...
or majestic bald eagles. Although the young birds do not (yet) have their distinctive white plumage, their appearance is nonetheless impressive!
A real first …
This year, we were able to set up our first unmanned field station here on Porcher Island. The fully solar-powered station is our first practical experiment in a self-sufficient monitoring system right in the heart of the nature reserve. It collects ecological data all year round without the need for a permanent human presence on site. This allows us to continuously observe changes in the ecosystem, analyse them scientifically and soon share our findings with you almost in real time. This is made possible by state-of-the-art technology: a solar panel system supplies the system with energy. A weather station continuously measures climate data, audio recorders capture the soundscape of the forest, and a hydrophone records the underwater acoustic world – from whale songs to other underwater sounds. All data is transmitted from the wilderness via a Starlink system and analysed using AI. This first Unmanned Field Station demonstrates how cutting-edge technology and consistent wilderness conservation can be combined to collect valuable scientific data even in the most remote regions of our protected areas. What did it take to make this happen? Passion, expertise and many hours of preparation, tinkering and on-site installation work by Tom (Land Digitalisation). And, of course, funding: the station is part of a long-term monitoring project funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation.
And on to even greater heights!
Furthermore, this year we ventured into the vertical dimension of the forest in Canada for the first time: Together with professional tree climbers Sophie and Gabriel, we are testing various methods of tree-canopy monitoring at a height of over 25 metres – in an area where a large proportion of biodiversity thrives and yet remains surprisingly little researched. We aim to assess which methods are feasible and appropriate under the given conditions, with a view to incorporating them into our long-term monitoring programme in Canada.
Strong ties with the local community
We were able to make progress on two further important issues during the outward and return journeys of the expedition. Part of our team met again with the Homalco First Nation to further develop our long-term partnership. The focus was on the mutual exchange of knowledge and on how we can work even more closely together in the future to develop joint environmental education projects and wilderness conservation. This dialogue is of central importance to us, as the knowledge of the First Nations, passed down through generations, complements scientific findings in a unique way.
We
also used the trip to carry out several Land Rapid Assessments. During these, our team evaluates potential conservation areas directly on site: it assesses the ecological condition of the areas, documents their conservation value and holds discussions with private landowners who may wish to sell their land to Wilderness International. These visits often mark the first step towards securing permanent protection for valuable wilderness areas.
Photographs documenting our work are essential.
As you can imagine, we have, of course, once again produced a wealth of environmental education content in the forest and on the moor, so that we can continually provide our donors with new, exciting insights and facts about the wilderness and our work. That’s why our photographers, drone pilots and cameramen, Mattis Weber and Sebastian “Basti” Unger, were essential members of the team on this expedition too!
One of the highlights for us this year was being accompanied by reporter Imke de Vries from Pro7, who will soon be publishing a multi-part feature on our work. Stay tuned. What’s more, in the evenings after all the day’s adventures, we’ll be recording the newly launched podcast “Wildbaden – the expedition podcast” here with our guests.
The Hidden Treasure of the Moors
Whilst these landscapes appear almost minimalist from the air, their true ecological wealth lies metres deep beneath the thick layer of peat, acting as a gigantic carbon store. The moors of Porcher Island – living archives of our climate history – are, for me, among the most impressive places of all. Beneath every step lie millennia of natural history and vast quantities of sequestered carbon.
Bogs store more carbon than almost any other ecosystem on Earth; they regulate the water cycle in conjunction with the surrounding forests and are therefore a quiet but indispensable ally for our global climate stability.
My personal highlight – apart from the forest and the moor themselves? Setting off with Kai and Cody. The two of them are walking encyclopaedias, and every tour we go on together feels like a masterclass in the wilderness. Kai in particular – our founder, CEO and forestry scientist – never fails to convey the complex interrelationships of the temperate rainforest in a way that is clear, inspiring and full of infectious passion. Kai has this rare gift of telling the story of an entire ecosystem from an inconspicuous patch of moss, a fallen tree or a handful of soil. I listen, fascinated, and am convinced every time: this time, it’ll all stick. The plan usually lasts until the next bend in the forest – because that’s where the next incredible story is already waiting. An hour later, Kai is already opening the next chapter from the entire scientific library he carries around with him. I’ve come to accept by now that his head start in knowledge isn’t a gap to be bridged – but a life’s work.
Together with Cody, we explore the Moore Porcher Islands. Reporter Imke is also fascinated by these giant carbon sinks!
From the moor, we head into the woods with Kai – a walking encyclopaedia of the wilderness.
The stories that these centuries-old giant trees can tell often go beyond our imagination.
Experience, learn, protect.
It is precisely these intensive learning sessions that form the basis for making our work transparent and tangible to our partners, and for explaining why their commitment is so incredibly important. Also joining us on our journey is Manja Hoffner from the ‘Gesunde Erde – Gesunde Menschen’ (Healthy Earth – Healthy People) Foundation, which was founded by Eckart von Hirschhausen. The foundation is dedicated to inspiring people from the worlds of politics, business and society to protect the health of our planet and ensure a future worth living for coming generations. Together with her and participants from long-standing partners such as GERL., Bühnenkunst, MyMerch and HomeToGo, we spend days on this expedition roaming through the dense undergrowth, unravelling the fascinating interactions of this unique ecosystem and eventually even diving into the ice-cold Pacific. Claudi and Dennis, at least, are the adventurers of the group – I would definitely describe them, amongst other things, as our cold-water special forces. Amidst vast kelp forests, they explore a hidden underwater world that is not only breathtakingly beautiful but also ranks among the largest natural CO2 sinks on our planet.
This forest is not some faraway place. It is part of the web that sustains us all. And once you’ve been there, you realise that protecting nature is not something abstract, but something quite personal.
Our scientific team has once again managed to spark ‘that’ twinkle in all our eyes, because nothing can replace experiencing it for oneself. Anyone who experiences the Misty Forest with all their senses, surrounded only by ancient trees, or who wanders through millennia-old bogs – or sinks deep (!) into them – immediately feels and understands why this wilderness is so worthy of protection. Out of curiosity, a desire to make a contribution, and this experience, a genuine, long-term partnership (hopefully 😉) is born – and that is precisely why our ambassadors and partners can convey the significance of these forests in an authentic, well-informed and transparent way.
Our ambassadors are going all out for the forests!
Since that expedition, Cindy has also been part of the Wilderness International family. On her Instagram channel, she shows how she is renovating her house, sharing her practical skills along the way, whilst critically examining gender roles – in the trades and beyond. Together with her community, she has been campaigning since July to protect the temperate rainforest in Canada. With every order placed in her online shop, the “Weil Frau Kan(n)ada Wald” automatically grows – and is thus protected forever! Because women can.
Sasan Amir was also joining us for the first time, volunteering for our foundation to capture the wildlife of the Misty Forest – with boundless patience and a keen eye for the perfect moment. From sea otters to bald eagles – his photographs tell stories that inspire people to protect this unique landscape. But Sasan doesn’t just document the wilderness – he also helps to preserve it for the long term. Together with his huge community, he’s also helping to protect the temperate rainforest, demonstrating that inspiring images and practical conservation can go hand in hand. Thank you for that.
Last but not least, there are two further points I’d like to make – particularly as I hope that many people from my professional network will also read this report.
My request to you:
After every expedition, I come back with a broad grin on my face. Because the wilderness is key to preserving our world. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
#WildernessInternational #ExpeditionCanada2026 #MistyForest #Biodiversity #SpeciesRichness #ClimateStability #IntactHabitats #CorporateSustainability #EcosystemServices #PrimaryForests
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