The Wilderness Committee is people powered wilderness preservation for a wild future.
Founded in 1980 as a registered non-profit society and federal charity, 60,000 supporters, volunteers and activists from coast to coast to coast work together to protect nature, defend wildlife and fight for a stable and healthy climate. Our head office is in Vancouver, with field offices in Victoria, Winnipeg and Toronto.
In order for wilderness and wildlife to thrive for the wellbeing of all, we are united in our mission to protect life-giving biological diversity through collaborative grassroots mobilization that transforms systems. We believe:
- Healthy nature is vital to thriving communities and biodiversity
- People taking informed action together create change
- Relationships with communities and the land ground our work
- Solutions challenge systems to create equity and justice for all
While our work often involves opposing destructive resource extraction projects, the world we're working for is one where we no longer have to. In 2022, our staff team created a vision for the world in 2050, please enjoy this graphic illustration of what that could look like.
It is the combined voices of many supporters like you, in partnership with our dedicated board, staff and volunteers, that has allowed the Wilderness Committee to:
- Establish millions of hectares of protected areas
- Participate in dozens of successful court actions in defense of endangered species and wilderness areas
- Construct hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails into some of the most vital wild areas, through volunteer-driven multi-day field trips
- Partner with dozens of First Nations communities on projects to protect traditional and unceded territories, including the renowned tribal park model
- Publish and distribute nearly 200 editions of free educational newspapers, 55 wilderness and wildlife calendars, numerous books, posters, videos, technical briefs, research documents, and maps
- Develop and present hundreds of lectures, slide shows, and briefs for public hearings, government meetings, school presentations, and community events, reaching over 100,000 people each year
- Engage thousands of volunteers in hands-on projects, and inspiring many to become knowledgeable, passionate environmental advocates
- Facilitate concrete actions taken by tens of thousands of activists and supporters to gain legislation to protect wild places
Our current strategic plan reflects where we are headed in terms of strengthening the organization and the impact of our work.