Rainforest protection together with erlebe Fernreisen

Wilderness International purchases primary rainforest areas with land title and legally protects them for all future. Donations refinance the purchases and at the same time finance long-term protection as well as environmental education and research. Donors receive a personalized certificate with the exact geo-coordinates and aerial photograph of the forest area they are protecting. Thus, the use and impact of the donation is tangible and directly traceable. We are currently working in the temperate rainforest of Western Canada and the Amazon rainforest of Peru, where we are protecting ancient primary rainforests.

It is important to protect the rainforest because this is the only way we can stop species extinction and climate change. They are home to the world's greatest biodiversity and store huge amounts of CO₂. It is also important to protect rainforests because they are the basis of our existence: they provide us with clean air, clean water and stable rainfall. They also cool the environment. 

Unique and species-rich nature

The tropical rainforest of the Madre de Dios region is a unique ecosystem. Its primeval forests are home to the world's greatest diversity of species. Nowhere else on earth has developed such a diversity of life forms. Mysterious jaguars and playful monkeys are just as much at home here as clumsy tapirs and liana-covered jungle giants. There are ten times more reptiles and amphibians here than in Germany, around 10% of all bird species in the world can be observed here and you can find more tree species on one hectare of forest than in the whole of Europe, to name just a few examples.

Climate Conservation

The rainforest plays a major role in the greenhouse effect, the heating of the atmosphere, in two ways.

On the one hand, large amounts of CO2 are bound in the biomass of the rainforest. If the forest is cut down, huge amounts of CO2 are released into the atmosphere, where they also contribute to climate change. This happens, for example, through the slash-and-burn methods that are unfortunately still practiced, e.g. for cattle farms, which release very large amounts of CO2. It is estimated that around 10-15 percent of annual CO2 emissions can be attributed to slash-and-burn agriculture.

On the other hand, tropical forests are also extremely important for the climate because they balance out temperature differences and regulate the global distribution of rainfall.

Greenhouse gases are distributed evenly in the atmosphere. According to the principle of climate neutrality, it is therefore irrelevant where emissions are caused or saved. Rather, the decisive factor is that the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is reduced globally. Protecting Peruvian rainforests is therefore a tangible contribution to climate protection. You can find out more here

Wilderness has a positive impact globally

The protection of wilderness areas has many positive effects: Stable rainfall, clean air, clear water, biodiversity, climate preservation, quiet spots for retreat and relaxation, fantastic landscapes, space for adventure and challenge, reflection on our roots. Where we protect these places has no influence on how much we can benefit from these positive effects globally.

There is still wilderness in Peru

Wilderness or untouched nature is the only place where natural processes can take place undisturbed. Only here can countless species find a suitable habitat. Wilderness areas are therefore a refuge in which species can survive in the long term. If nature reserves are established, biodiversity can spread again from there. In Germany, too, there used to be primeval forests with old trees all over the country. The fact that there is nothing left of it today shows that wilderness is not a matter of course. It is our responsibility to protect the remaining wilderness areas, no matter where they are.

Saying thank you to nature

The natural balance is only maintained if we no longer just take, but also give. Therefore, it is time to finally give back to nature. Let's say thank you for everything she provides us with - let's protect her.

Legal certainty and permanent protection

The land is purchased by Wilderness International and our sister foundations Wilderness International Peru and Wilderness International (Canada) by land registry entry. Our statutes stipulate in the foundation's purpose that the land is to be left untouched and only visited for research and documentation purposes. The foundation structure prevents the rights to dispose of the property from being held by a single person. Instead, the foundation, and therefore its land, always belongs to all the people involved in the foundation at the time. This ensures the long-term protection of the purchased areas. We always make advance payments when purchasing land. Your donation refinances the purchase. This ensures that your donation is used to protect the exact piece of forest you have chosen. In Peru, Council member Chris Kirkby is on site with our partner organization Fauna Forever. In addition, the local population monitors the protection of the areas as part of our forest guardian*innen program and thus earns a living.

Acute threat

The scientific community describes the effects of rainforest destruction as the greatest natural disaster since the last ice age. According to the FAO, around 10 million hectares of tropical rainforest were lost annually between 2015 and 2020, with the Amazon region suffering the most damage each year (FAO and UNEP 2020). Amazon Conservation (ACCA) estimates that over 2 million hectares of primary forest were lost in the nine countries involved in 2020, an area the size of Israel. Peru holds a sad record in third place (Finer/Mamani 2020). The extinction of a single plant species is often associated with the extinction of a further 10 to 30 animal and plant species, as most organisms in the rainforest are interdependent (Spitzer et al. 2004). Millions of species have thus disappeared along with the forest in recent decades.

The last areas are exposed to various threats, e.g. gold mines and deforestation and slash-and-burn for agriculture or for use as cattle pasture.

Unique and species-rich nature

The temperate rainforest is a unique ecosystem. Its virgin forests are home to a unique biodiversity and giant trees that are thousands of years old. Rare ghost flowers are at home here, as well as bears, wolves and eagles. 

Wilderness is the only place where countless species find a suitable habitat. The older forests become, the greater their genetic diversity and the better the reproductive capacity of their creatures. Thus, virgin forests guarantee the survival of countless species and are essential for the preservation of biodiversity (8). Only if existing nature is preserved can biodiversity spread from there again. This is essential for the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded forests, lands, and soils, especially those affected by desertification, drought, and floods.
After deforestation, some functional groups such as fungi, lichens, and beetles take up to 180 years to recover and never return to virgin forest levels. These slow recovery rates of some functional groups that are essential for ecosystem functioning make primary forests an irreplaceable biodiversity resource (9).

Climate Conservation

Temperate rainforests are the world's leaders in CO₂ storage. The trees and peatlands, which are up to 2,000 years old, play a crucial role in climate protection. Nowhere else do the trees and forest peatlands bind so much CO₂ - over 60 kg per square meter in the Misty Forest! In addition, large diameter trees have disproportionately massive amounts of carbon stored (10). By protecting them, we ensure that the carbon remains sequestered and does not return to the atmosphere as CO₂, where it would accelerate global warming. Greenhouse gases distribute themselves evenly in the atmosphere. According to the principle of climate neutrality, it is therefore irrelevant where emissions are caused or saved. Rather, the decisive factor is that the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is reduced globally.
In addition, we ensure other important functions of the forest for a stable climate: for example, its cooling and water storage function, without which important precipitation would not occur, so that it would become increasingly hot and dry. Furthermore, the forest produces vital oxygen and filters the air.
Protecting Canadian rainforests is therefore a tangible contribution to climate protection. 

Wilderness has a positive impact globally

Protecting wilderness areas has many positive effects: Stable precipitation, clean air, clear water, biodiversity, climate preservation, resting places for retreat and recreation, fantastic landscapes, space for adventure and challenge, reflection on our roots. Where we protect these places has no bearing on how much we can benefit from these positive effects.

There is still wilderness in Canada

 In Germany, too, there were once primeval forests with old trees all over the country. The fact that there is nothing left of it today shows that wilderness cannot be taken for granted. It is our responsibility to protect the remaining wilderness areas, no matter where they are.

Saying thank you to nature

The natural balance is only maintained if we no longer just take, but also give. Therefore, it is time to finally give back to nature. Let's say thank you for everything she provides us with - let's protect her.

Legal certainty and permanent protection

Canada is a constitutional state with strict regulations on ownership. This makes arbitrary expropriation impossible. Unlike in countries with less pronounced legal security, damage therefore entails comprehensive sanctions. The British Columbia Trespass Act clearly prohibits trespassing on private land. Violations are prosecuted on complaint, even if no damage has been done. A fence, natural boundaries or signs should be a given, which is why our lands are marked with signs. In addition, due to their remoteness and the undeveloped area, our protected areas can only be reached with great financial, material and time effort and not without risk. We control the protected areas during regular expeditions. The areas are purchased by Wilderness International and our Canadian sister foundation Wilderness International (Canada) by land registration. Our bylaws stipulate with the foundation's purpose that the lands will be left untouched and visited only for research and documentation purposes. The foundation construct prevents the rights over the disposition of property from resting with any one person. Rather, the foundation, and thus its land, always belongs to all the people involved in the foundation at time X. This ensures the long-term protection of the purchased land. We always make an advance payment when purchasing land. Your donation refinances the purchase. In this way, we ensure that your donation is actually used to protect exactly the piece of forest that you have selected.

Acute threat

Only about 25% of the original area of temperate rainforest remains in Canada. These last areas are exposed to various threats:

• Timber extraction in virgin forests
• Agricultural land displaces forests
• Urban sprawl and construction of infrastructure such as roads
• Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol

Sources:
1: Mongabay (2010). Canada Forest Information and Data. Retrieved 02/04/2022.
2: Watson, James E. M., Allan, James R. et al. (2018). Protect the last of the wild. Nature 563, p.27-30 (2018).
3: DellaSala, D.A.(ed.), 2010. temperate and boreal rainforests of the world: ecology and conservation, Island Press, Washington,D.C.
4: Wu, K., Sept. 14, 2019. what will it take to save B.C.'s old-growth forests?, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver.
5: Wieting, J., 2015. B.C. Forest Wake-Up Call: Heavy Carbon Losses Hit 10-Year Mark, Sierra Club BC, Victoria.
6: Quarks (2018). This is why rainforest destruction is worse than you think.
7: Ritchie, H. (2020). Climate change and flying: what share of global CO2 emissions come from aviation? Our world in data.
8: Gibson, L., Lee, T.M., et al. (2011). Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity. Nature 478, 378-381 (2011).
9: Spake, R., Ezard, T.H.G., Martin, P.A. et al. (2015). A meta-analysis of functional group responses to forest recovery outside of the tropics.
10: Mildrexler, D. J., Berner, L. T., Law, B. et al. (2020). Large Trees Dominate Carbon Storage in Forests East of the Cascade Crest in the United States Pacific Northwest. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 3(20).

In Canada, good legal security helps us, as well as the legal situations and sanctions that even prohibit trespassing.

In Peru, we have additionally started a forest guardian program with local people. To ensure long-term protection, we also have several other measures in place. In general, we visit the areas on regular expeditions to check on them. We also work with local partners who inform us of any irregularities if necessary. The donations per square meter also already include the costs for property taxes.

Like no other, the legal form of the foundation allows a (charitable) purpose to be realized permanently and independently of outside interests, thus achieving the desired effects in the long term. It is thus the most long-term organizational construct currently known. Not even states, companies or national parks are designed for such a long term. This makes the foundation the only one that is oriented toward the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.

There are no further obligations for you. The donation is one-time, and enables us as a foundation to ensure the long-term protection of the area. The sponsorship is a symbolic one. The forest area remains the property of the Foundation.