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

Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz (BMUV/BMUKN)

Funding Goal

Development and protection of wilderness areas in Germany to achieve the National Biodiversity Strategy (NBS) target of allowing nature to develop freely on at least 2% of Germany's land area. Eligible areas include forests, post-mining landscapes, former military training grounds, floodplain areas, coastal zones, bogs, and alpine areas. Supports acquisition, protection, development and management of wilderness areas.

Funding Amount

Not publicly specified per project; programme provides financial support from federal budget

Deadline

Rolling basis (Rolling)

How to Apply

Applications submitted on a rolling basis. Managed by project coordinator Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH on behalf of BMUV.

Target Region

Germany

Contact

ZUG gGmbH (Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft) via https://www.z-u-g.org/wildnisfonds/

Official Page

https://www.bmuv.de/programm/wildnisfonds

Last Checked

2026-04-20 13:42

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Eligible applicants: associations, membership organisations, and municipalities only

Project Scope

• Project must be located in Germany and contribute to 2% wilderness target of National Biodiversity Strategy
• Eligible area types: forests, post-mining sites, former military grounds, floodplains, coastal zones, bogs, highlands

Required Documents

• Applications submitted on rolling basis via ZUG gGmbH project coordinator

Constraints

• Goal must be natural development/rewilding without active human management
• Germany-only programme — no international projects eligible

Summary

The Wilderness Fund (Wildnisfonds) is a German federal grant programme established by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV/BMUKN) to support the development and protection of wilderness areas across Germany. The programme's core objective is to help achieve the National Biodiversity Strategy's (NBS) target that at least 2% of Germany's land area be allowed to develop according to its own natural processes, free from human management. Eligible wilderness areas include a wide range of landscape types: forests, post-mining landscapes, former military training grounds, floodplain areas along rivers, coastal zones along the sea coast, bogs and wetlands, and alpine areas. The programme supports activities related to the acquisition, designation, protection, and development of such areas, enabling natural succession and rewilding processes. Eligible applicants are associations (Verbände), membership organisations (Vereinigungen), and municipalities (Kommunen) with projects located in Germany. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis with no fixed annual deadline. The programme is administered by the project coordinator Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH on behalf of BMUV. Coastal zones and sea coasts are explicitly listed among eligible area types, creating a potential connection to marine fringe habitats. However, the core focus is terrestrial wilderness and rewilding, not active marine conservation. The programme is Germany-only with no international components.

Historical Context

Established by the German Federal Government to support the 2% wilderness target of the National Biodiversity Strategy. Administered by BMUV with ZUG gGmbH as project coordinator.

Why it was added

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

Sources

• https://www.bmuv.de/themen/naturschutz/wildnisfonds
• https://www.bmuv.de/programm/wildnisfonds
• https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/FG32

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