Wilderness International

Wilderness International Germany

old-growth forest protection in Germany?

Once upon a time, there were virgin forests all over Germany. The fact that they no longer exist shows that healthy primeval forests cannot be taken for granted. 

We therefore want to preserve the last wilderness areas on earth while we still can. No matter where they are located. At the same time, we are working locally with environmental education, environmental projects at schools and tree planting for more native nature and biodiversity.

Team

Team

Our team in Germany consists of a foundation board (control function), a board of directors (responsibility for projects), an operational team and many volunteers.

Wilderness International
Kai Andersch

CEO WI Germany, Director WI Canada, Land Management

Wild nature is a source of inspiration for me and I feel at home there. Next to a huge tree in the old-growth forest, on the foggy riverbank or sitting on a mountain - nature helps to recharge my batteries and to experience small and big wonders. In the last 20 years I have seen whole forest landscapes disappear, cities and roads have covered lakes and valleys. Pristine nature is becoming rarer by the year - at a frightening rate that compels action. I love nature and, as part of Wilderness International, I want to fight to ensure that our Earth will continue to be one thing: Wild and beautiful.

Wilderness International
Ronny Scholz

COO, Board of Directors, People & Culture, Education Projects

Sustainable change only happens from the bottom up and out of personal conviction. I believe in that. That's what motivated me to join WI in Dresden as a volunteer 10 years ago. Making nature conservation a tangible experience for everyone and even motivating entire companies to do so has excited me since my early years at WI. I started with networking and accompanying projects with pupils. The course of my illness has given me additional time for reflection. Since my disability, I can invest the time available to me in a focused manner in my tasks. With transparency. With fun. With WI.

Wilderness International
Henriette Wessel

Communication, Member of the Board of Directors WI Peru

I never thought I would end up in conservation. Actually, I've always been interested in other, more social issues. But no one can convince you to protect the environment as much as nature itself. Standing under a giant tree and feeling its age, seeing whales and hearing wolves howl. I cannot and will not imagine a world without that. And so, since the first time I went to the wilderness as a high school student with WI, I've stuck with it. I organized an exchange with the Gwich'in in the West Arctic and lived north of the Arctic Circle for five months to do it. After that, I studied intercultural communication. In Team Communication I can combine both passions and share the beauty of wilderness with others.

Wilderness International
Johann-Georg Cyffka

Cooperation

I am proud to be part of a movement that is committed to the protection of the primal nature that still exists today, as well as to education for sustainable development of future generations. The aim is to raise awareness of our environment as a society and to actively establish climate protection with real solutions for both individuals and companies. Making visible the consumption of nature in our lives and at the same time transforming it into environmental protection concepts drives me to push for both permanent nature protection and modern development solutions at Wilderness International.

Wilderness International
Marie Schreiber

Science & Communication

Since my childhood I love to question and explore things. This open view of the world awakens in me an immense reverence and humility for life and nature. That's why during my bachelor's and master's studies I intensively studied a wide variety of agricultural and environmental topics on a scientific level, but I also traveled a lot to learn about new languages and cultures. Having recently finished my studies, I am now looking forward to combining this scientific approach with the active protection of nature in the communications team at Wilderness International.

Wilderness International
Tino Kreßner

Strategy & Product 

Tino Kreßner is a crowdfunding pioneer in Germany and co-founder of the crowdfunding platform Startnext.com. In doing so, he advocates for a participatory and transparent allocation of capital to promote sustainable and creative ideas. With Finlane GmbH, he operates parallel crowdfunding technology to promote non-profit projects together with banks. As a founding member of the Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland (SEND), he shapes better framework conditions for companies that focus on their impact rather than profit maximization. 

Together with the Wilderness International Foundation, Tino Kreßner initiated the largest private tree planting campaign in Germany and today protects the last intact ecosystems on our planet. 

Wilderness International
Huu Nguyen

Product & Development

Before coming to WI as a volunteer, I worked as a software engineer for five years. A good friend, who always inspires me to take on new challenges and experiences, turned me on to WI. At WI, I want to dedicate my time, energy, and youth to protecting the wild places of this earth. I will use my work experience mainly for improvements in the organization and cooperation in the IT sector, but I will also help where I can.

Wilderness International
Tom Andersch

Land Digitization

I am involved with Wilderness International because I care about protecting nature and preserving indigenous culture for our children and our children's children. The rainforests of Canada are one wilderness area among many on our planet that must be saved, because many of the current global conflicts are due to a globally disrupted ecosystem and resulting resource shortages. If we humans do not preserve and protect our environment, there will be serious consequences. I vouch for Wilderness International because I know here that my commitment to the protection of nature and the local population will also reach there.

Projects

Every day, we put our major project, international wilderness protection, into practice step by step in a wide range of projects. In Germany, these include, above all, cooperation with schools in environmental education and wilderness running or the commitment to biodiversity on the doorstep, for example through tree planting campaigns.

 

  • Wilderness International
    Tree Planting Campaigns

    In 2019, the initiative "My Tree - My Dresden" was launched in Dresden as a blueprint for independent tree planting initiatives. Non-politically and collectively, citizens are greening their city and thus improving climate, biodiversity and quality of life.

  • Wilderness International
    Wilderness Run & Environmental Education

    Students look for sponsors and become active in sports to protect wilderness themselves. We come to the school before the run for environmental education presentations.

Contact
Wilderness International
Wilderness International

non-profit foundation under civil law

Suite 345, 108-4301B Southpark Drive

Stony Plain, AB, T7Z2A9

Canada

We are registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.