Wiggert saves rainforest by buying it: ‘Too crazy for words’

Buy and give away rainforest? It sounds strange, but it is possible. Wiggert will buy it from a restaurant owner in Brazil who heard him talking about his plan. Chance? “I don’t believe it. It had to be like that,” he said. The woman needed money and wanted to leave the land. It was supposed to cost 25,000 euros.

Forty days with the tribe

This money was so close. His foundation to save the Amazon raised 40,000 euros for the plan in two weeks. But after buying it, Wiggert immediately gives the land back.

Wiggert gives it to old acquaintances. Acquaintances with whom he spent a privileged moment in 2016. Due to a burnout, the entrepreneur decided to live with the tribe for forty days. There he took part in an ancient ritual: cleansing the soul by taking the herbal beverage Ayahuasca.

105 soccer fields

He wrote a book about the wisdom he learned there. He is now using part of the proceeds from the book to purchase the area of ​​rainforest adjacent to the same tribe’s habitat. These are 105 football pitches of dense jungle in Acre, the westernmost point of Brazil bordering Peru.

Wiggert is surprised by the many donations which amount to 5000 euros. Many donations come from readers of his book. “They feel connected to the place and the tribe.”

105 football pitches of untouched nature sounds like a lot, but does it make sense? Wiggert doesn’t have to think about it for a second. “I can’t save the world, but I can save a piece of Brazil. I hope it can start a chain reaction.”

Wiggert thinks it’s “words crazy” that he has to buy the rainforest back to the people. Yet he decided to play on the system instead of fighting it. “I’m an entrepreneur and I saw that it was the fastest way to help the tribes in Brazil.”

“I just need something”

Wiggert repurchases the land for the original owners. “That’s how I expand their backyard.” If it doesn’t, there are two possible outcomes: someone else with unknown intentions buys it, or it doesn’t sell, and the invaders destroy the rich wildlife through illegal logging and poaching.

Wiggert sees no better option than returning the land to the native tribes. “They know better than anyone how to take care of the forest, what animal species live there and how nature should be restored.” The problem is of course far from solved after his action. “But I just need something.”

More recently, British journalist Dom Philips and his guide Bruno Pareira were murdered in the Javari Valley. It’s just above the land that Wiggert is going to buy. “I was shocked, if you put the ruler next to it, it’s actually 1 centimeter away.” This did not change Wiggert’s opinion. “Although my Brazilian colleagues who came for the sale received threats.”

Nature and indigenous peoples have been a target for years

In the Brazilian Amazon, nature and the indigenous population have been targets for years. This has risen sharply since far-right President Bolsonaro took office in 2019. For example, deforestation in the Amazon was the highest in 15 years last year. Wiggert: “The president also made it clear that native tribes don’t have to rely on an extra inch of land.”

Recently, the president signed an executive order to strengthen the protection of the Amazon. However, nothing seems to have changed. In the first months of this year, records for deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon have again been broken.