European Wilderness Society

What European Wilderness Society does

European Wilderness Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Tamsweg, Salzburg, Austria. It focuses on protecting and promoting wilderness areas across Europe through a combination of advocacy, education, certification, and field conservation projects. Its primary constituents are European protected area managers, national parks, rangers, farmers operating in large-carnivore landscapes, youth and early-career conservationists, and partner NGOs.

The organization's core offerings include the European Wilderness Network and its proprietary European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System — a certification framework for assessing wilderness areas against a standardized definition. It operates a portfolio of EU-funded projects including the Horizon Europe ALFAwetlands program, LIFE Apollo2020 (Apollo butterfly conservation), LIFEstockProtect (livestock protection from large carnivores), Interreg Centralparks, Interreg Beech Power, and multiple Erasmus+ youth initiatives. Educational channels include the European Wilderness Academy, the Let's Get Wild podcast, the peer-reviewed European Wilderness Journal, and a newsletter with 287+ subscribers. No proprietary technology platforms are operated; the moat lies in standards, networks, and policy access rather than software.

The business model is nonprofit-funded through three streams: direct donations and fundraising campaigns (a recent €50,000 campaign), EU project grants (Horizon Europe, LIFE, Interreg, Erasmus+), and lightweight membership/newsletter engagement. Pricing is not applicable as no commercial products are sold. The organization employs approximately 9 people, including a chairman, wilderness director, sustainable tourism expert, and project staff, supplemented by ESC/IVY volunteers. Geographic operations span Austria, Ukraine, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Germany, Finland, France, Sweden, and Albania.

Name

European Wilderness Society

Legal name

European Wilderness Society

Website

https://wilderness-society.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

European Wilderness Society is an Austrian nonprofit that protects European wilderness through the European Wilderness Network, a proprietary Quality Standard and Audit System, EU-funded conservation projects (Horizon, LIFE, Interreg, Erasmus+), education programs, and policy advocacy targeting protected areas, rangers, farmers, and youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Environmental Conservation & Sustainability Volunteering (EDAIAGAB), Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Wilderness conservation
• Protected area management
• Habitat preservation
• Environmental education
• Conservation standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Tamsweg

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Organization raises funds through direct donations on website, fundraising campaigns with specific goals (e.g., €50,000 campaign), and donor wall recognition. Donations support local wilderness protection activities, European political lobbying, and reporting on wilderness destruction.
2. EU Project Grants: European Wilderness Society participates in multiple EU-funded projects including Horizon Europe (ALFAwetlands), LIFE programs (LIFE Apollo2020, LIFEstockProtect), Interreg programs (BEECH POWER, Centralparks), and Erasmus+ initiatives. These grants fund conservation projects across Europe.
3. Membership/Subscriptions: Newsletter subscription model with 287+ subscribers. Career center and volunteer programs serve as engagement mechanisms.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

European Wilderness Society is a nonprofit that protects and certifies European wilderness areas through the European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit System, runs the European Wilderness Network for protected areas, and delivers conservation projects (ALFAwetlands, LIFEstockProtect, LIFE Apollo2020, Interreg Centralparks, Beech Power). It also provides environmental education via the European Wilderness Academy, webinars, the Let's Get Wild podcast, and the European Wilderness Journal.

Product overview

European Wilderness Society is a nonprofit organization focused on protecting and promoting wilderness conservation across Europe. The organization operates as a platform offering multiple interconnected programs and services including: the European Wilderness Network (a certification and quality assurance system), the European Wilderness Academy (educational platform with webinars and courses), various conservation projects (ALFAwetlands, LIFEstockProtect, LIFE Apollo2020, Interreg Centralparks, Interreg Beech Power), publications (European Wilderness Journal, European Wilderness Registry), media content (Let's Get Wild Podcast), and community programs (WILDArt). Together, these services provide wilderness area certification, conservation research, education, and public engagement for wilderness protection across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• European Wilderness Network A network connecting protected wilderness areas across Europe, providing certification, auditing, and quality standards support for member sites such as Hohe Tauern, Kalkalpen, Majella, and Uholka-Shyrokyy Luh.
• European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit System
• European Wilderness Academy
• Let's Get Wild Podcast
• European Wilderness Journal
• European Wilderness Registry
• LIFEstockProtect
• ALFAwetlands (Horizon Europe)
• LIFE Apollo2020
• Interreg Centralparks
• Interreg Beech Power
• WILDArt En Plein

Quantifiable outcome

• Newsletter reaches 287+ subscribers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• REWORK InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Wilderness Society conducted webinar series with REWILD Institute, collaborating on wilderness conservation education and awareness content.
• Linking Tourism and Conservation (LT&C)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on study tours to Wolf Mountains Wilderness Area covering Poland, Ukraine, and Slovakia. LT&C initiator of cross-border protected area cooperation.
• Hungarian Kuvasz Breeding AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Kuvasz Guard program to provide free livestock guarding dogs to farmers, with letter of cooperation between program and association.
• Bükk National Park (Hungary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong long-lasting cooperation with Bükk National Park on livestock protection programs and large carnivore conservation initiatives.
• European Wilderness Network MemberscoreOthersNetwork includes protected areas across Europe receiving European Wilderness Quality Standard certification and auditing services. Members include Hohe Tauern, Kalkalpen, Majella, Uholka-Shyrokyy Luh, and others.
• National Nature Park Skolivski Beskydy (Ukraine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtected area visited during study tours with expressed interest in joining European Wilderness Network. Partner in Areas of Inspiration EU project.
• Uzhanskyy National Nature Park (Ukraine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Trilateral Biosphere Reserve Eastern Carpathians and UNESCO World Heritage site. Partner in sustainable tourism and wilderness projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wetlands International: Specialist NGO on wetland conservation and restoration across Europe and globally. Directly comparable to EWS on the ALFAwetlands (Horizon Europe) wetland agenda and EU wetlands policy.
• Rewilding Europe: Large-scale rewilding operator across European landscapes, having absorbed the former PAN Parks wilderness certification program. Closest functional peer on rewilding, wilderness certification and EU-level project leadership.
• EUROPARC Federation: Federation representing Europe's protected areas, running certification and exchange programs for national parks and nature reserves across the continent. Most directly comparable to EWS as a trans-European protected-area standards and network body.
• Linking Tourism and Conservation (LT&C): Network linking tourism operators with protected-area conservation, organizing study tours and cross-border cooperation in the Carpathians. Explicit partner of EWS and functionally similar in linking protected areas to sustainable tourism.

Broad incumbents

• BirdLife International: Global bird and habitat conservation network with strong European policy footprint on Natura 2000 and biodiversity. Comparable to EWS in delivering conservation projects across multiple EU countries and habitats.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Global authority on biodiversity and protected-area standards (IUCN Green List, protected-area categories). Overlaps with EWS on wilderness definitions and EU policy engagement but operates at a far broader scope.
• WWF European Policy Office: Major conservation NGO with deep EU-policy engagement on biodiversity, forestry and habitat protection. Overlaps with EWS on EU Nature Restoration Law advocacy and Carpathian landscape work, but at substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE): IUCN-supported specialist platform on large carnivore (wolf, bear, lynx) coexistence and policy. Directly comparable to EWS on the LIFEstockProtect-type livestock-protection and human-wildlife conflict agenda.
• Butterfly Conservation Europe: European umbrella for butterfly and moth conservation, including species-specific LIFE programs. Overlaps with EWS on the LIFE Apollo2020 species-protection and habitat-management agenda.

Regional players

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature-conservation association with strong EU-policy activity on forests, biodiversity and Natura 2000. Comparable to EWS in member-driven conservation and project delivery, though primarily Germany-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/euwilderness
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrR4sfb3jXeQJeX-vmN7DXQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/EuropeanWildernessSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-wilderness-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/europeanwildernesssociety

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Wilderness Society