Metalheads, we have a big goal!
Let’s do something together for nature and protect rainforest in Peru. In the coming years, we aim to protect an area the size of the entire festival grounds and thus protect an ecosystem as habitat for countless animal species and plants.
The organizers of the Wacken Open Air have already protected the first 1000 m2 of the Wacken Community Rainforest - and together we now ask you to support us in our goal.
With a donation of just 5 euros you can help to ensure that the Wackenfestival site of 4 million square meters is mapped in the rainforest.
Protect Wacken Rainforest Now
Mysterious jaguars, wild bats and liana-clad jungle giants - the Peruvian Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse place on earth! Together with the whole Wacken community and Wilderness International you can protect this forest forever.
Example of a wilderness protection certificate
Thank you to these great supporters for preserving unique habitats and a huge diversity of species. These people are making a contribution to a healthy climate on our planet.
Every euro donated saves one square meter of habitat. Sounds good. But it's even better. For example, with a donation of €64 to Wilderness International, you are protecting a piece of forest that is 64 m2 in size. This corresponds to a 3200 m2 habitat, with countless niche habitats for a huge variety of animals and plants that interact with each other in symbiosis.
What motivated me to join WI, and what continues to convince me, is the directness of the work. Instead of expensive awareness campaigns, WI actually protects unique wilderness areas. And not only the how, but also the what is sound. Areas for protection are selected based on acute threat, ecological importance, or strategic location. All of this can be tracked by anyone using geo-coordinates. It can't get more transparent than that!
Jenin Ziemens
Environmental Ambassador
In the Madre de Dios region there are 10 times more reptiles and amphibians than in Germany, about 10 % of all bird species in the world can be observed here and on one hectare of forest you can find about 400 tree species, more than in all of Europe north of the Alps.
Weighing up to 75 kg, capybaras are the largest rodents in the world.
Imposing buttress roots provide stability for the jungle's giant trees.
Insects look for the "tears" of tortoises which contain rare salt.
When the sun rises over the rainforests along the Tambopata River, the forest begins to breathe.
The Wilderness International team in front of a tree with large buttress roots in the tropical rainforest of Peru.
Ancient tree giants in the tropical rainforest
Wilderness International, based in Peru, Canada and Germany, purchases wilderness areas legally secure with land title and protects them for all future.
The purchases are refinanced through donations, which at the same time ensure the long-term protection of the areas as well as environmental education projects and research into CO2-storage and biodiversity.
As Wacken Community we want to protect together 4 million square meters old-growth forest in Peru forever! This area corresponds to the size of the entire Wacken site. The first 1000 m2 have already been protected by the organizers of the Wacken Festival. The aim of the action is to take responsibility and to say thank you to nature. By protecting valuable primeval forests, we preserve the habitat of a unique biodiversity and ensure a healthy climate.
We want to protect 4 million square meters of rainforest by 2032, i.e. within the next ten years. That would be a € 5 donation per festival visitor per year.
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.
In Canada, good legal security helps us, as well as the legal situations and sanctions that even prohibit trespassing, as well as the cultural and historical importance of property.
In Peru, we have additionally started a forest guardian program with local people. To ensure long-term protection, we also have several other measures in place. In general, we visit the areas on regular expeditions to check on them. We also work with local partners who inform us of any irregularities if necessary. The donations per square meter also already include the costs for property taxes.
Like no other, the legal form of the foundation allows a (charitable) purpose to be realized permanently and independently of outside interests, thus achieving the desired effects in the long term. It is thus the most long-term organizational construct currently known. Not even states, companies or national parks are designed for such a long term. This makes the foundation the only one that is oriented toward the lifespan of the ecosystems we protect.
In Peru, for example, we work intensively with local people as part of our forest guardian program. They regularly walk the protected areas and represent our organization in the community. They put up signs, talk to local people about our forest protection projects and confront unauthorized activities if necessary. Thereby, the forest guardians also generate a sustainable income.
In Canada, we not only work with partner companies, but also look back on great collaborations with First Nations. These include a sponsored run and several conservation expeditions with the Cowichan of Vancouver Island, as well as the joint effort to protect the Peel River Watershed with the Gwich'in of Fort McPherson.
Wilderness International purchases legally secure wilderness areas and protects them for the future. The purchases are refinanced through donations, which at the same time ensure the long-term protection of the areas and support environmental education projects and research into CO2-storage and biodiversity. Donors receive a personalized certificate with the exact geocoordinates 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.
