OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftung

OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftung, whose name means “The Tropical Forest Foundation,” is a German nonprofit environmental organisation focused on the preservation of tropical forests. Established in Frankfurt in 1989 by individuals associated with business and the natural sciences, the organisation combines field conservation with education, communications, and public-policy work in Germany. Its international model is based on cooperation with local partner organisations. OroVerde supports partners with technical expertise and project resources while aiming to strengthen their ability to manage conservation work independently. Activities described for its international portfolio include restoring degraded land, supporting protected-area staff and rangers, improving environmental education for local communities, developing sustainable forest-management approaches, and creating alternative livelihoods that reduce pressure on forests. Depending on local circumstances, these livelihoods may include agroforestry and sustainable cocoa production. The organisation has worked in tropical-forest landscapes in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. Examples include support for the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park in Cuba; land purchase, reforestation, and education in Guatemala’s Sierra del Lacandón National Park; reforestation and community water-management work in Honduras’s Patuca National Park; support for the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in Ecuador; restoration and sustainable-income initiatives on Venezuela’s Paria Peninsula; community livelihood work in buffer zones of protected areas in Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic; and biodiversity mapping, ecological monitoring, and environmental education on Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Islands. In Germany, OroVerde concentrates particularly on environmental education and on connecting environmental organisations, businesses, researchers, and policymakers. Its educational work includes teaching materials for schools and projects addressing tropical forests, sustainability, consumption, and the effects of advertising. The organisation also contributes to debates about the environmental consequences of global trade and subsidies, including commodities such as timber, soy, and palm oil. Through statements, political discussions, and formal hearings, it seeks to bring tropical-forest concerns into German and wider policy debates. OroVerde’s work also includes forest-and-climate activities. These involve communicating information about forest and climate projects, examining certification systems, and developing guidance for companies and private investors. The organisation’s projects are coordinated from Bonn. Reference material describes a small core staff supported by volunteers and interns, although the exact current staffing level is not established here. Volkhard Wille is identified as chairman, while Professor Manfred Niekisch, described as director of the Frankfurt Zoological Garden in the reference material, is identified as chairman of the foundation board.

OroVerde was founded in Frankfurt in 1989 by people from business and the natural sciences who sought to create an organisation focused specifically on tropical-forest protection. From its beginning, the foundation’s approach linked conservation on the ground with public understanding of the economic and social forces affecting tropical forests. The organisation developed an international partnership model rather than relying exclusively on projects managed from Germany. Local organisations carry out conservation activities with support from OroVerde specialists until they are able to manage the work themselves. The activities described in the organisation’s reference history include restoration of degraded land, protection and management of national parks, environmental education, sustainable forest-management planning, and the development of income sources compatible with forest conservation. Over time, OroVerde’s field activities expanded across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia. Projects were described in Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Indonesia. Their purposes differed by location: some focused on reforestation or protected-area staffing, while others supported indigenous rights, community water management, biodiversity monitoring, or environmentally responsible livelihoods such as agroforestry and sustainable cocoa cultivation. In parts of Central America and the Caribbean, OroVerde worked with Welthungerhilfe to improve nutrition and livelihood conditions in communities living near protected areas. The foundation also established a substantial domestic programme in Germany. Environmental education became a central area of work, with materials prepared for teachers and pupils and projects designed to explain the importance of tropical forests and the relationship between consumption, trade, climate, and biodiversity. Two cited education initiatives, “Weil wir es wert sind!” and the poster competition “Geist ist geil! – How Advertising Works,” were selected as Official German Projects of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. OroVerde’s German activities further developed into information and networking work involving environmental groups, business, science, and government. Its Forest and Climate project addressed forest-related climate initiatives, assessed certification standards, and developed guidance for companies and private investors. The foundation has also participated in policy discussions concerning the effects of international trade and public subsidies on tropical countries, including the environmental implications of imported timber, soy used in industrial agriculture, and palm oil. The organisation is coordinated from Bonn and operates with a small permanent staff alongside volunteers and interns. The reference material identifies Volkhard Wille as chairman and Manfred Niekisch as chairman of the foundation board. OroVerde remains an active nonprofit foundation whose public identity is built around practical tropical-forest conservation, community partnerships, education, and policy advocacy rather than commercial products.

• 2010

  Reported project financing and expenditure

  [1]OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftungen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports €1,497,812 in subsidies, donations, allocations, and project funding, with total expenditure of €1,474,472. It states that 85% of expenditure went directly to projects, 5% to public relations, and 10% to administration.

• 1989

  Foundation established

  [1]OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftungen.wikipedia.org

  OroVerde was founded in Frankfurt by individuals from business and the natural sciences to support the preservation of tropical forests.

A German tropical-forest conservation foundation combining locally led international field projects with environmental education, forest-and-climate guidance, and policy networking.

• Conservation programme

  International tropical-forest conservation projects

  A portfolio of projects implemented with local partners in tropical regions. Activities include reforestation, restoration of degraded land, protected-area support, environmental education, sustainable forest-management planning, biodiversity monitoring, and assistance with community-based livelihoods. The model is intended to transfer capacity to local organisations over time rather than maintain permanent external control.

• Research and advisory programme

  Forest and Climate

  A German programme providing information about forest and climate initiatives, reviewing certification standards, and developing guidance for businesses and private investors. It connects tropical-forest conservation with climate policy, responsible investment, and the evaluation of claims made by forest-related projects.

• Educational resources

  Environmental education programme

  Educational work for schools and the wider public that explains tropical-forest ecology, threats, consumption patterns, and sustainability. OroVerde develops materials for teachers and pupils and has supported projects such as “Weil wir es wert sind!” and the advertising-focused poster competition “Geist ist geil! – How Advertising Works.”

• Community development programme

  Community livelihood and agroforestry initiatives

  Projects that seek to reduce pressure on tropical forests by helping communities develop environmentally compatible sources of income. Examples in the reference material include agroforestry systems and sustainable cocoa production, as well as support for nutrition, water management, and sustainable livelihoods around protected areas.

• Weil wir es wert sind!

  Germany

  An OroVerde environmental-education pilot project addressing tropical forests and sustainability. The project was selected as an Official German Project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

  Outcome. Recognised as an Official German Project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

  Source
• Geist ist geil! – How Advertising Works

  Germany

  A poster competition used to explore advertising and its influence on attitudes and consumption within an environmental-education context.

  Outcome. Recognised as an Official German Project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

  Source
• El Refugio del Bosque

  Indonesia

  An environmental education centre supported by OroVerde in connection with forest protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihood work on the Raja Ampat Islands.

  Outcome. Supported as part of the organisation’s Raja Ampat conservation and education activities.

  Source

• Adoption of a local-partner conservation modelStrategy

  Background

  OroVerde’s international conservation work is carried out with local organisations in tropical-forest regions.

  Action taken

  The foundation supports local partners with expertise and resources while aiming for them to manage projects independently over time.

  Aftermath

  The model underpins projects involving restoration, protected areas, education, sustainable forest management, and community livelihoods.

  Source

• Expansion beyond field conservation into education and policyStrategy

  Background

  Tropical-forest loss is influenced by public awareness, consumption, trade, subsidies, and investment practices as well as by local land management.

  Action taken

  OroVerde developed German programmes for environmental education, forest-and-climate information, certification assessment, business guidance, and participation in political debates and hearings.

  Aftermath

  The organisation operates as both a field-conservation funder and a German platform for education, networking, and tropical-forest policy engagement.

  Source

1. 1OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftungen.wikipedia.org
2. 2OroVerde official websiteregenwald-schuetzen.org