Koster's Family & Friends Forest
Why Wilderness International?
We, the Koster family, believe in making decisions that have a lasting, positive impact - not only for ourselves, but also for future generations. That's why we support Wilderness International, an organization dedicated to the permanent protection of some of the world's last remaining old-growth forests.
Wilderness International's approach is exactly in line with our values: it is clear, measurable and scientifically sound. For every euro donated, one square meter of rainforest is protected forever. This land is legally protected, geo-referenced and traceable - no vague promises, but tangible conservation with transparency and accountability.
Join in and protect your piece of wilderness now - for yourself or as a gift!
Donations
m2 of old-growth forest
tonnes of CO2
remain permanently stored in the biomass of the forest
What has moved us the most is the urgency. Primeval forests store huge amounts of carbon, regulate the water cycle and are home to irreplaceable biodiversity. Once they are lost, they cannot be restored. Protecting them is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change - and we can all help, one square meter at a time.
Koster family
Every contribution counts!
We have a great vision: to protect the last real wilderness areas in our world forever before it is too late!
To achieve this, we buy ecologically valuable and acutely endangered forest areas by land register entry in order to protect them in a legally secure, permanent and transparent manner. The purchases are refinanced by your donations and protected in the long term.
This is how it works:
Select size
Select the size of the forest area you want to protect in the donation form.
Fill in the donation form
Enter your details in the form to ensure that you receive all the information and the donation receipt.
Design certificate
Now you can personalize the certificate with your name. If you want, you can also add an occasion.
Receive certificate
You can download the certificate with the geocoordinates of your protected area directly after payment. It will also be sent to you by e-mail, together with a link that shows you your personal protected area down to the square meter.
Your wilderness protection certificate
Immediately after your donation, you will receive a personalized certificate about the piece of wilderness you have protected. It also makes a great gift!
Transparent, tested & recommended!
In 2017, we joined the Transparent Civil Society Initiative.
We are committed to high standards of transparency, accountability and effectiveness for international NGOs.
Impressions from the tropical rainforest
Wilderness International's Peruvian protected areas are located in the Madre de Dios region - the most biodiverse place in the world.
These gigantic trees can grow over 40 meters high - and never cease to amaze us.
You can really lose yourself in the many shades of green of the rainforest.
But there are also some splashes of color - like these flowering lianas ...
... or the macaws that can be heard from afar.
The small agoutis have an important task in the rainforest: they are the only ones who ensure that the seeds of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) are distributed and that it can continue to spread.
The impressive howler monkeys - the loudest animals in the jungle - are also impossible to ignore.
There is also plenty to discover in and around the Tambopata River. From caimans ...
... to the cute capybaras, the largest rodents in the world.
FAQs
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Wilderness International purchases legally secure wilderness areas and protects them for all future generations. The purchases are refinanced through donations, which at the same time ensure the long-term protection of the areas and enable environmental education projects and research into CO2 storage and biodiversity. Donors receive a personalized certificate with the exact geo-coordinates of the protected forest area, so that the protection is directly traceable. We are currently active in the temperate rainforest of Western Canada and in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, where we are protecting ancient primary rainforests.
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.
We protect the areas we select exclusively through purchase with entry in the land register and in countries with a high level of legal security. All three international foundations are registered as owners in the land register. The forest areas that we have purchased as foundations can no longer be bought from us and we are no longer allowed to sell them.
The organizational form of the foundation prevents the rights over the disposal of property from resting with a single person and ensures its permanent existence. Our statutes stipulate that the land is to be left untouched and only visited for research and documentation purposes.
Due to their remoteness and the undeveloped area, our protected areas in Canada can only be reached at great financial, material and time expense and not without risk. In addition, the high level of legal certainty in Canada ensures that damage to land results in severe sanctions. The British Columbia Trespass Act clearly prohibits trespassing on private land. Violations are prosecuted in court, even if no damage has been done. We also visit and inspect the areas as part of regular research visits and have partnerships with local companies that support us.
The rainforests in Peru and Canada are among the last 2.8% of intact wilderness areas on our planet - and are unfortunately under acute threat (Plumptre et al., 2021). 10-15% of all annual emissions are caused by the destruction of these forests and their peatlands - so we need to act now!
Numerous studies prove the threat to the rainforest in Peru and Canada. In British Columbia, Canada, this is especially true:
- It is home to the last large contiguous area of temperate rainforest in the world (DellaSala, 2010). And yet British Columbia, of all places, is one of the last jurisdictions in the world that continues to allow the large-scale deforestation of 600 to 1,800-year-old primeval forest giants (Wu, 2019).
- Between 2003 and 2010, deforestation in BC was responsible for higher annual CO2 emissions than the country of Finland as a whole (Wieting, 2015). The main causes of this are the timber industry, agriculture and infrastructure construction.
- On the online map of the Ancient Forest Alliance (2016 ) you can see an impressive visualization of how deforestation has progressed in southeastern BC up to 2016.
If we lose the last intact rainforests, this will have catastrophic consequences for our planet. The concept of planetary boundaries states that there are certain ecological limits which, if exceeded, will jeopardize the stability of the Earth's ecosystem and thus the progress of humanity. Numerous studies show that we are well on the way to exceeding at least five of the nine planetary boundaries, also known as 'tipping points' or 'tipping elements'. One of these elements is the loss of the tropical rainforest. We can already feel the consequences of climate change, but we still have the chance to avert the worst effects, as the summary of the book 'Earth for all' shows.
About us
The foundation, which is based in Peru, Canada and Germany, purchases legally secure wilderness areas and protects them for the future. The purchases are refinanced through donations, which ensure the long-term protection of the areas, supports environmental education projects, and research into CO2 storage and biodiversity.
non-profit foundation under civil law
Suite 345, 108-4301B Southpark Drive
Stony Plain, AB, T7Z2A9
Canada
Registered Canadian Charitable number: 840904817 RR0001