From whom does Wilderness International purchase the land to be protected?

We purchase the land we protect mainly from private individuals, but also from forestry companies, businesses, and mining speculators. Often, these parties have owned the land but have not (yet) used it for economic activities, meaning that the ecosystem is still intact and has been little affected by humans. 

In most cases, private owners have inherited the land or it has been in their family for a long time. However, most owners live in the city or further away from the wilderness areas, so they have no interest in using the land we purchase. They are much more interested in making money from the sale. If Wilderness International did not purchase the land, it would most likely fall into the hands of individuals, forestry or agricultural corporations seeking to generate income through deforestation, the sale of timber, and agricultural or forestry use. 

In every rapid assessment prior to a land purchase, we include individual contact and protect ecologically valuable areas that are at risk of being destroyed or that represent important strategic plots of land for us. Often, prospective sellers approach us independently because they are aware of the economic implications and the importance of nature conservation, which is why they want to hand over their land to us for the preservation of the local flora and fauna. When we actively search for new areas, we approach the owners of ecologically valuable and geographically suitable plots of land (e.g., for animal migration corridors or adjacent to our protected areas) and ask if they are interested in selling their land to us and thus bequeathing it to a foundation that can protect the area for much longer than a private individual could.