Wilderness Fund (Wildnisfonds)

Enriched Federal (DE) · Found: 2026-03-10 12:35

BMUV programme supporting development and protection of wilderness areas. Rolling applications. Eligible: NGOs, associations, municipalities.

Source: https://www.bmuv.de/themen/naturschutz/wildnisfonds

Funding Details

Funder

BMUV / BMUKN (German Federal Ministry for the Environment)

Funding Goal

Support the acquisition and permanent protection of large wilderness areas in Germany to achieve the national target of designating at least 2% of German land area for undisturbed natural processes by 2030.

Funding Amount

€10 million total program budget at launch in 2019. Individual grant amounts not specified.

Deadline

2030-12-31 (Rolling)

How to Apply

Applications are submitted on a rolling basis through ZUG gGmbH (Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft), the designated project coordinator. Applicants contact ZUG by phone (+49 30 72618 0400) or through their website to initiate the process. The program accepts applications continuously until December 31, 2030.

Target Region

Germany

Contact

ZUG gGmbH (Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft), Phone: +49 30 72618 0400

Last Checked

2026-03-11 18:40

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a nature conservation organization, foundation, or owner of suitable wilderness land
• Land must be suitable for wilderness development: forests, moors, floodplains, former military/mining sites, coastal or alpine areas

Project Scope

• Funding covers land acquisition, land swaps, or compensation for permanent non-use commitments

Required Documents

• Applications are submitted through ZUG gGmbH as the administering organization

Constraints

• Funded areas should contribute to creating contiguous wilderness zones of 500-1,000+ hectares
• Applications must be submitted before December 31, 2030
• Wilderness areas must be permanently designated for undisturbed natural processes without human interference

Summary

The Wildnisfonds (Wilderness Fund) is a German federal funding program launched in July 2019 by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV/BMUKN). It provides financial support for the acquisition and protection of large wilderness areas across Germany. The program aims to achieve Germany's National Biodiversity Strategy goal of allowing nature to develop freely on at least 2% of the country's land area — approximately 714,000 hectares — by 2030. At launch, only about 0.5% had been achieved, making the fund an urgent policy tool. The program funds land purchases, land swaps, and compensation for permanent cessation of land use on suitable areas including forests, moors, floodplains, former military training grounds, mining reclamation sites, river and coastal areas, and alpine regions. Eligible wilderness areas should target 500-1,000 hectares, though individual funded plots need not meet this threshold if they contribute to creating larger contiguous wilderness zones. Eligible applicants include nature conservation organizations, foundations, and owners of suitable land. The program is administered by ZUG gGmbH (Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft) on behalf of the ministry. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through December 31, 2030. A complementary program called KlimaWildnis was launched in 2024 for smaller areas (25-50 hectare minimum) under the Natural Climate Action Program.

Historical Context

The Wildnisfonds was launched on July 9, 2019 with a €10 million budget. It was advocated for by the initiative "Wildnis in Deutschland" comprising 18 nature conservation organizations. A complementary program, KlimaWildnis, was added in 2024 for smaller wilderness areas (25-50 hectare minimum) under the Natural Climate Action Program (ANK), running through 2027.

Why it was added

Could potentially cover coastal wilderness areas and marine-adjacent habitats. Less directly marine-focused but still relevant.

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