What makes Wilderness International different from other NGOs?
We want to do something very concrete, highly effective and directly traceable, while giving every single person the opportunity to participate: to protect a unique piece of precious nature for all time.
- The concrete impact of our work and donations
Every donation protects a specific square meter of ancient primary rainforest for all time. We work out of enthusiasm for protecting the forests we love. Our reward is every square meter of primeval forest that we can protect for all time. - Transparency
Thanks to coordinates, the use of donations can be traced down to the square meter. We also know the areas we protect very well because we visit them regularly on expeditions. Direct involvement is very important to us. We take students and partners on expeditions so that they can see the areas they are protecting for themselves and experience them firsthand. We also create transparency through the use of technology by taking high-quality, georeferenced aerial photographs. - Effectiveness, urgency & irreplaceability
The jungle is home to a huge amount of biodiversity and is therefore incredibly important for the preservation of species diversity. It is also important for the climate (CO2 storage, cool environment, clean air, water storage, regular rainfall, nutrient-rich soils, etc.). For us, it is a place for rest and relaxation, etc. The jungle is therefore an all-round weapon for the environmental problems of our time. Furthermore, only 2.8% of the Earth's surface is still wild nature. This means that it is incredibly urgent to protect it. Once it is gone, it is irretrievably lost. - Long-termprotection
It is important to us that protection is absolutely secure and long-term, because we are guided by the lifespan of ancient ecosystems and trees that can survive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The foundation's organizational structure enables this long-term and secure protection. In this way, we protect forest areas in a completely sustainable manner and not just for the next 30 years (as many nature conservation concessions do) or only during our lifetime. We only purchase forest areas that are registered in the land registry. This ensures maximum long-term legal certainty for the protection. - Positive focus of our work, positive motivation
Instead of a guilty conscience, we focus on positive communication, inspiration, motivation, and enthusiasm. We don't try to make you feel guilty by constantly showing you all the bad things that are happening in the world and what we are responsible for. Instead, we want to show you solutions, concrete and effective things you can do right now to make a real difference and contribute to a future worth living. We want to motivate you in a positive way by inspiring you with wild nature and informing you about its importance. - The scientific foundation of ourwork
The diverse professional backgrounds of our active employees ensure a multidisciplinary approach. We ensure the quality of our work through collaborations with scientific partners such as the Leipzig Environmental Research Center, the Senckenberg Natural History Collections, and Fauna Forever. We also conduct long-term studies on biodiversity and CO2 storage in our protected areas during scientific expeditions. - Everything from a single source
From research, to the purchase of land and long-term protection, to documentation in pictures and films, CO2 calculations, expeditions, etc., we do not use any intermediaries. We do everything ourselves and thus have full control over and responsibility for the process. This also saves us costs. - Small and flexible organization
Volunteering is a cornerstone of our work. Since our founding, Wilderness International's administrative costs have always been below 10%, and in most years even below 5%.