Bettervest raises awareness for the protection of endangered rainforests

Wilderness International is a nonprofit environmental organization with a single mission: to protect the Earth’s last remaining unique forests and wilderness areas forever. To achieve this, Wilderness International purchases land through land registry entries to ensure its legal and permanent protection. These land purchases are funded by donations for so-called wilderness sponsorships. Wilderness sponsors receive a personalized certificate with the exact geographic 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 ranging in age from 18 to 69. In 2019, the Peruvian organization dedicated to protecting the tropical rainforest joined the group. Today, Wilderness International consists of three sister foundations: 

In addition to the founding donors, Wilderness International Germany is supported by eight members of the Board of Trustees, three members of the Executive Board, our operational team, many volunteers, and countless donors, partners, sponsors, and supporters. You can learn more about this on the page “Wilderness International Germany”.

At Wilderness International Canada, alongside Tobias Hürten and Kai Andersch, Marco Lou, Tyler Bruce, and Stephen Gabrysh 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 at “Wilderness International Canada”.

At Wilderness International Peru, the seven founders serve on the board of trustees. On the ground, the organization’s president, Dr. Chris Kirkby, works alongside a team forest guardian and the rest of the operational team to oversee the protected areas, conduct research and biodiversity monitoring in the forests, identify and acquire new land parcels, and manage projects with local schools, communities, and partners. For more information, visit “Wilderness International Peru”.

More than half of Peru’s land area is covered by forests. This makes the country home to the world’s fourth-largest expanse of tropical rainforest—after Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia. In 2018, 87% of this area was still old-growth forest. The forests of the Amazon Basin are the largest contiguous rainforests on Earth. This makes them not only a massive CO2 sink but also a system that generates its own weather—a unique water cycle that carries rain from the Atlantic up to 5,000 km westward across 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! Due to favorable climatic conditions and geological history, there are 10 times more reptiles and amphibians here than in Germany. About 10% of all bird species in the world can be observed there, and on one hectare of forest, you can find approximately 400 tree species—more than in all of Europe north of the Alps!

Unfortunately, however, the forest is seriously threatened: between 2015 and 2020, , according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), , approximately 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 —that’s more than 22,000 km².

When you think of Canada, images of dense forests and untamed wilderness come to mind. And with good reason: 70% of the country consists of vast natural areas. 34% of Canada’s land area is covered by forest, 53% of which is old-growth forest. In total, Canada is home to 20% of the world’s remaining wilderness areas, yet this pioneer’s dream of endless expanses is fading. 

Everyone knows about the value and the threats facing the Amazon rainforest. Yet hardly anyone speaks of British Columbia’s forgotten ecosystem: it is home to the world’s last large contiguous area of temperate rainforest. This old-growth forest a wonder of nature. It is home to wild coastal wolves, salmon-feeding bald eagles, mystical spirit bears, rare carnivorous sundews, and gigantic primeval giants such as maple trees, Alaska cedars, Douglas firs, and giant sequoias, which can grow up to 2,000 years old and 100 meters tall. This makes the old-growth forests of Western Canada the most species-rich ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere. Furthermore, the forests, old-growth giants, and forest bogs in our Canadian protected areas are absolute masters of CO2 storage and one of the most important “sinks” in the Earth’s carbon cycle.

And yet British Columbia, of all places, is one of the last jurisdictions in the world that continues to allow the large-scale logging of ancient forest giants ranging from 600 to 1,800 years old. Between 2003 and 2010, deforestation in British Columbia alone was responsible for higher annual CO2 emissions than the entire country of Finland. The main causes are the timber industry, agriculture, and infrastructure development.

We protect the areas we select exclusively by purchasing them and registering them in the land registry, and we do so only in countries with a high degree of legal certainty. All three international foundations (Peru, Canada, Germany) are registered as owners in the land registry. No one can buy the forest areas we have purchased as foundations from us, and we are also prohibited from selling them. 

The foundation’s organizational structure prevents any single individual from having sole authority over the disposition of its assets and ensures its long-term existence. Learn more here about the longevity of the foundation model. Our bylaws stipulate that the land must be left undisturbed and visited solely for research and documentation purposes. 

In Canada: 

Due to their remoteness and undeveloped nature, our protected areas in Canada can only be reached at great financial, material, and time-related cost—and not without risk. Furthermore, the high level of legal certainty in Canada ensures that damage to the land results in severe penalties. The British Columbia Trespass Act clearly prohibits trespassing on private land. Violations are prosecuted in court upon complaint, even if no damage has occurred. Furthermore, we visit and monitor the areas during regular research trips and have partnerships with local companies that support us. In Canada, we also have the advantage that property holds great cultural and historical value and is respected.

In Peru:

In Peru, we have forest guardian on the ground whose daily tasks include monitoring our protected areas and preventing unauthorized 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 heard. In addition, we collaborate there with the organization “Fauna Forever,” which also maintains a permanent presence on the ground and, as part of its research projects, patrols and monitors our areas as well.

In addition, the Forest Guardians maintain direct contact with the local population, advocate for our conservation goals within the community, put up informational signs, and actively participate in 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 engaged in illegal activities to local law enforcement agencies (such as the police, lawyers, and government authorities) and work closely with them.

We protect land exclusively through purchase with land registry registration and in countries with a high degree of legal certainty (i.e., sound laws and political institutions). The land is purchased by our three sister foundations in Germany, Canada, and Peru. Thus, Wilderness International holds the sole right of disposal. Our bylaws stipulate, as part of the foundation’s purpose, that the land parcels must remain untouched and may only be visited for research and documentation purposes. They cannot be resold. The foundation’s structure prevents the rights to dispose of the property from resting with a single individual. Rather, the foundation—and thus its land—always belongs to everyone currently involved with the foundation. Those who donate to us are not buying the forest; rather, the donations refinance the purchase and enable us to protect the forest areas in the long term. In doing so, we always pay in advance and only collect donations once the area already belongs to us.