For me, wilderness is a state in which the direction of man is absent and the presence of man is a respectful guest stay. In the course of my life as a scientist, I have been able to experience and explore nature on various continents. I often found only remnants of pristine nature or nature that had been heavily impacted by humans, while species were also disappearing at home in Germany.

In 2011, I experienced the rainforests on the Pacific coast of Canada for the first time during a WI expedition. I was captivated by the centuries-old Douglas firs and giant live trees that were over 70 meters tall. Often there were only a few trees left that could be quickly counted, surrounded by the growth of young trees on former clear-cuts. How do we humans manage to leave these trees to the wilderness and not one day take a saw to them?

WI is always on the lookout for the last wilderness forests, seeking to acquire them through purchase in order to prevent their deforestation. I find this nature conservation concept so convincing that I am very pleased to be part of WI and to be able to work for the preservation of the last wilderness areas on our planet.