For me, wilderness a state in which human control is absent and human presence is that of a respectful guest. Throughout my life, as a scientist, I have had the privilege of experiencing and researching nature on various continents. In doing so, I often found only remnants of pristine nature or nature heavily impacted by humans, while species were also disappearing back home in Germany.

In 2011, during a WI expedition, I experienced the rainforests along Canada’s Pacific coast for the first time. The centuries-old Douglas firs and giant thuja trees, over 70 meters tall, captivated me. Often, only a few trees remained—so few that they could be counted quickly—surrounded by young saplings growing on former clear-cut sites. How can we humans manage wilderness these trees wilderness and not end up cutting them down one day?

WI is constantly on the lookout for the last remaining wilderness forests, seeking to purchase them to prevent their deforestation. I find this conservation approach so compelling that I am thrilled to be part of WI and to be able to work toward preserving the last wilderness areas on our planet.