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As a non-profit organization, we owe it to you, our donors, partners, volunteers, employees and committee members, to use our funds responsibly. Your donations should arrive directly and achieve the greatest possible success in our projects. This is the only way we can be an effective fundraising organization.
In Germany, there are no uniform disclosure requirements for non-profit organizations. Nevertheless, we consider it important to disclose our structures, activities and finances in order to strengthen trust and credibility.
we have already bought with a land register entry. This is an area about 5 times the size of Central Park in New York.
of which have already been refinanced thanks to wilderness sponsorships.
remain permanently bound in the biomass of the forest. This corresponds to the emissions of around 172,500 long-haul flights.
In 2023, we received the Phineo "Wirkt!" seal. It confirms that our work has a demonstrable impact and that we are a high-performing and transparent organization. To receive it, we were analyzed by independent experts over a period of 6 months in a four-stage process.
As a donor or partner, you can be sure that your contribution will be used effectively.
In 2017, we joined the Transparent Civil Society Initiative.
In doing so, we commit ourselves to high standards of transparency, accountability and effectiveness for international NGOs. We have signed the voluntary commitment of "Transparency International e.V." to disclose our actions, in the form of 10 points.
Many of you will be familiar with the DZI donation seal. We have decided against it, among other things because it entails high costs and a large administrative burden - more about that here:
Why does Wilderness International not have a DZI donation seal?
In our impact report, we show you where your donation goes and what we have already achieved together.
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On the initiative of Transparency Deutschland e.V., numerous actors from civil society and academia have defined ten basic points that every civil society organization should make accessible to the public. These include the articles of association, the names of key decision-makers and information on the source of funds, use of funds and personnel structure.
Name: Wilderness International Foundation (WI)
Headquarters: Dresden, Berlin
Address:
Dresden:
Grundstr.1
01326 Dresden
Berlin:
c/o Bürogemeinschaft Treibende Kraft
Wilsnacker Straße 66
10559 Berlin
Year established: 2008
Contact: Kai Andersch, kai.andersch@wilderness-international.org
Here you can find the statutes of Wilderness International including our goals.
In addition, you can learn more about our goals in the form of mission and vision on the page"About Wilderness International".
With the certificate of the tax office Dresden I StNr 202/143/05950 from 10.02.2023 we are recognized as serving tax-privileged purposes. It is confirmed that the donation is used only for the promotion of environmental protection and nature conservation, promotion of animal welfare, promotion of education, promotion of science and research, promotion of international understanding, and promotion of development aid.
Here you can find the current certificate of exemption from Wilderness International (valid until 09.02.2028).
The Board of Trustees is composed as follows:
Stephan Hürten (Chairman), Dr. Steffen Kolschmann (Deputy Chairman), Marit Richter, Sandra Zügge, Vera Phillips, Charlotte Voigt, Anton Kamolz, Thomas Mach, Carina Büder, Matthias Nuss
The board of the foundation is composed as follows:
Kai Andersch (Chairman), Ronny Scholz (Projects)
Period: January 2025
WI Germany
14.46 full-time equivalent employees, approx. 25 volunteers
Kai Andersch: Chairman of the Board
Ronny Scholz: Director Projects, People & Culture
Tom Andersch: Geocoordinates
Henriette Wessel: Communication, WI Peru
Friederike Klasen: Communication, People & Culture
Ulrike Pröschild: Communication
Marie Schreiber: Scientific communication
Claire von Quast: Teamlead Communication
Tobias Zimmermann: Media production
Christiane Hoffmann: Teamlead Cooperations & Special Projects
Anne Magoltz: Cooperations
Vincent Schöning: Cooperations
Huu Nguyen: Teamlead Product & Development
Dung Nguyen: Development
Tina Oldenburg: Payment
Claudia Römer: Accounting
Erik Ackermann: Research (doctoral candidate)
Leon Köpke: Coordination of the CO2 calculator and CO2 compensation
Marten Gierth: Working studentCO2
Fanny Stratmann: Working student CO2
Fee
Marie Luise Grübler: Google Ads
Jan Luther: IT
Manuela Child: SEO
Michael Schade: Google Analytics
Studio Good: Design
Philipp Züchner: IT
Lai Ho: Frontend Developer
Tin Huynh: Backend Developer
Chuong Ton: Fullstack Developer
Volunteers
Tino Kreßner: IT & Compliance
Pascal Cürsgen: Text
Henri Bisch-Chandaroff: Education
Daphne Siekmann: HR consulting
Robert Pohle: Media & Design
Ulrich Henrik Streckenbach: Media & Design
Mona Hederich: Communication
Johann-Georg Cyffka: Cooperation, Networking Sustainability
Jürgen Thiele: Consulting
Sarah Sassenhagen: Texts
Lennardt Hachmeister: Cooperation
WI Peru
Chris Kirkby: CEO WI Peru
Flor Ugarte Villavicencio: CTO
Maria Laura Tolmos: Member of the Board
Henriette Wessel: Member of the Board
Kai Andersch: Land Management
Alexandra Suaquita Aragon: Office Assistant
Gabriela Veneros Zerpa: Botany Coordianton
Šimon Hrbek: Agroforestry Coordination
Chris Ketola: Research & Social Media
Fabian Mühlberger: Member of the Board, Photos & Education
Stefany Rado Serrano: Forest Guardian & Coordination
Ana-Paula Bezzolo: Forest Guardian & Education
other forest guardian:innen:
Guido Nuñez, Guimo Granados Isita, Luis Marvin Perez Salazar, Ezequiel Quezada Taricuarima, Henry Torres Martínez, Omar Torres Martinez, Luis David Guzmán Lomas, Branco Francisco Montalvan, Jhon Fasabi, Eudes Pashanaste, Lenin Sangama Panduro
WI Canada
Marco Lou: Management
Tyler Bruce: Executive Board
Stephen Gabrysh: Executive Board
Tyra Bain: Partnerships & Research
Tobias Hürten: Director
Kai Andersch: Director, Land Management
Our balance sheet and income statement for 2023.
We expect to have the figures for 2024 available in December 2025.
Wilderness International is not a subsidiary organization of any other entity, nor is it otherwise affiliated with any third party under corporate law.
The German foundation works in close partnership with its sister organizations Wilderness International (Canada), a Canadian NGO based in Stony Plain near Edmonton, Canada, and Wilderness International Peru, based in Puerto Maldonado, Peru.
Since 2015, DIAMIR Adventure Travel has taken responsibility for the nature consumption of its trips and has contributed more than 10% to Wilderness International's annual budget each year in 2015-2019 and 2022. There were no other legal entities with more than 10% annual budget contributions in 2008-2023.
we have implemented locally
we have already been able to enter into partnerships with companies to jointly protect nature and make their core business more sustainable
support nature conservation with us through donations
was with us in Peru
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann, known as an environmentalist, filmmaker and YouTuber, was with us in Peru and visited the areas he protects with his "Mission Earth" community. The result is an 8-part series with about 400,000 views each. In the video you get an insight into our work, the nature and the people on site in Peru.
I have seen firsthand how Wilderness International tirelessly protects forests, sustainably and tangibly, in collaboration with local people and scientists from around the world. Buying up forests is the best way to ensure that they will still be standing thousands of years from now.
Tomary
YouTuber
Thanks to our corporate partners, we can protect more nature than would otherwise be possible. At the same time, we are thus implementing sustainability in our core business.
How are our three sister foundations connected and what makes each one special? Who are we, the Wilderness International team?
How we find, purchase, protect long-term, and use wilderness areas for environmental education and research.
95% of your donations go directly to forest conservation and related environmental education and research. Our administrative cost ratio is only 5%.
The Foundation Board and Executive Board decided in March 2015 that Wilderness International will not apply for the DZI donation seal, but will instead join the Transparent Civil Society Initiative. The decision is based, among other things, on the recommendations for action contained in the master's thesis of our long-time Foundation Board President Ellen Weiland on the topic of "Responsible Management in the Foundation Sector - Derivation of a Recommendation for Action Using the Example of Wilderness International".
Key points that speak against applying for the DZI donation seal:
"In addition to an investigation of how the trust relationship between the stakeholders and the foundation stands, the question of whether it is ethically correct to spend a portion of the collected donations on the costs of applying for the DZI donation seal had to be clarified. From the point of view of the foundation's management, this is tantamount to misappropriation, since the management has a very specific and correct responsibility to use the donated funds for the intended purpose, and should not incur costs for this in the form of time and resources for submitting the manifold documents that would be required for an application for the donation seal." - Ellen Weiland, Responsible Management in the Foundation Sector - Derivation of a Recommendation for Action Using the Example of Wilderness International.
In addition, there are also large, very well-known associations recognized as charities that do not have a DZI donation seal, such as BUND, WWF and Grüne Liga.
All future costs are already included in the donation for the protection per square meter. The costs after the land purchase are only small, for example for forest guardians in Peru or expeditions for control, research, environmental education and communication. We do not interfere with nature and do not make any changes in the forest. We already finance most of the land taxes for our nature reserves from the annual income of Wilderness International's capital stock.
We do this with 1€ donation (figures are based on real expenses since our foundation):
38 Cent: Land purchase and purchase process
In addition to the costs for the purchase of the land, this also includes costs for the notary and the land register entry as well as property taxes.
19 Cent: Land acquisition preparation - find, research and document relevant conservation areas.
In rapid assessments, we work with researchers to determine the area's biodiversity and CO2 storage capacity. Aerial photos from drones help us to document the areas.
20 cents: Environmental education and communication
This part goes directly into our projects such as wilderness runs and environmental education projects with schools, workshops and our web platform.
18 cents: Long-term protection and research
Through regular visits, local partnerships, and Forest Guardians, the ecological integrity of the areas is monitored and ensured. Environmental ambassadors and scientists visit the areas, conduct research together, and experience the forest they protect.
5 cents: Administrative costs
Numerous donations in kind also enable us to keep costs for equipment and events low. For example, companies support our wilderness runs and other activities with water, food, tables, transportation rentals, public transportation tickets, and communication. We also often receive donations of equipment, clothing and food for our expeditions.
The land is purchased by our three sister foundations, Wilderness International Germany, Wilderness International (Canada) and Wilderness International Peru by land registration. Thus, the sole right of disposal lies with Wilderness International. Our statutes stipulate with the purpose of the foundation that the land will be left untouched and will only be visited for research and documentation purposes. They cannot be resold. The foundation concept prevents the rights over the disposition of property from resting with any one person. Rather, the foundation and thus its land always belong to all the people involved in the foundation at the time.
Together with our conservation experts and scientific partners such as the Environmental Research Center Leipzig (UFZ), the Senckenberg Natural History Collections and others, we select the land according to its particular need for protection. The decisive factors are species diversity, biomass and acute threat.
Rapid Assessments
Learn more under " How we protect forest
non-profit foundation under civil law
Suite 345, 108-4301B Southpark Drive
Stony Plain, AB, T7Z2A9
Canada
Registered Canadian Charitable number: 840904817 RR0001
