Rettet den Regenwald

Rettet den Regenwald, known in English as Rainforest Rescue, is a Germany-based nongovernmental environmental organization focused on the protection of tropical rainforests and the communities that depend on them. Founded in 1986 by Reinhard Behrend, the organization operates as a politically independent association and frames rainforest destruction as both an ecological and social problem. Its work addresses the effects of tropical timber commerce, gold mining, oil and other extractive activity, industrial monocultures, infrastructure and development projects, and conflicts over land involving Indigenous peoples and other local populations. The organization’s principal public-facing instrument is campaigning. It publishes petitions and protest appeals through its multilingual online presence, enabling supporters to pressure companies, governments, financial institutions, and other decision-makers connected with rainforest destruction. Its campaigns are presented as international solidarity with people living in tropical forest regions, including Indigenous communities, rubber tappers, riverine populations, nomadic groups, and small farmers. Rettet den Regenwald argues that these communities often have limited political and economic power compared with logging interests, landowners, mining and oil companies, and officials who support or tolerate environmentally damaging development. Alongside advocacy, the organization collects donations for concrete projects in affected tropical regions and supports partner nongovernmental organizations in Africa, Latin America, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Its cooperation network has included environmental, social, and human-rights groups such as Rainforest Foundation UK, Amazon Watch, the Rainforest Information Centre, Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Relief, Environmental Defense, Acción Ecológica, DECOIN, Fundación del Río, Save Our Borneo, JATAM, WALHI, and Aldaw. These relationships extend the organization’s capacity to document local conflicts, communicate international concerns, and support community-based responses. Rettet den Regenwald also produces information for schools and the media and publishes a German-language quarterly journal titled Rainforest Report. Its petitions and explanatory materials are available in German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, reflecting an effort to connect German-based fundraising and advocacy with disputes in tropical regions worldwide. The organization states that it does not receive subsidies from German federal, state, or local governments and is financed through donations. Around 3,500 sustaining members have been described as supporting its work through annual contributions, in addition to thousands of occasional donors. The organization has been recognized as serving public-benefit purposes by the Hamburg tax authorities, allowing eligible donations to be deducted from taxable income under applicable German rules. In November 2002, the consumer and environmental magazine Öko-Test examined its handling of donations and gave it a very good rating. Reinhard Behrend led the organization until shortly before his death on June 5, 2020; the available reference material does not identify a subsequent named executive. Rettet den Regenwald remains an active advocacy and fundraising organization rather than a commercial consumer brand.

Rettet den Regenwald, or Rainforest Rescue, emerged in Germany in 1986 under the leadership of Reinhard Behrend. From its beginning, the organization treated rainforest conservation as inseparable from the protection of people who live in tropical forest regions. Its stated concern was not only the loss of biodiversity, but also the displacement and weakening of Indigenous peoples, nomadic groups, rubber tappers, riverbank communities, and small farmers whose livelihoods depend on forests and customary land. The organization developed an advocacy model centered on public protest and international pressure. It campaigns against rainforest destruction associated with tropical timber trading, oil and mineral extraction, gold mining, industrial monocultures, and large development projects. It also addresses land conflicts in which Indigenous or local populations face companies, landowners, state agencies, or political actors promoting commercial exploitation. Petitions published through its website allow supporters to communicate with decision-makers and to connect local disputes with an international audience. Rettet den Regenwald’s work has combined campaigning with financial and organizational support for partner groups in tropical regions. Its cooperation network has included environmental, social, and human-rights organizations in Europe, the United States, Australia, Latin America, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Through these relationships, the organization has sought to support locally grounded opposition to destructive projects while amplifying issues that might otherwise receive limited attention outside the affected region. Communication and education have remained important parts of the organization’s activities. It provides information for schools and journalists and publishes the German-language quarterly Rainforest Report. Its petition and information work has been made available in German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, giving the organization a multilingual international profile despite its German base. Rettet den Regenwald describes itself as politically independent and says it receives no subsidies from federal, state, or local governments. Its activities are financed through donations. Reference material has described approximately 3,500 sustaining members contributing annually, alongside thousands of occasional donors. The organization has been recognized by Hamburg tax authorities as serving public-benefit purposes, making qualifying donations tax-deductible under German law. In November 2002, Öko-Test reviewed its treatment of donations and rated it very good. Behrend remained the organization’s head until shortly before his death on June 5, 2020. The available material does not provide the name of a successor or a detailed account of governance after his death. Rettet den Regenwald is therefore best understood as an active, donation-funded environmental association whose identity is built around rainforest campaigning, international cooperation, public education, and support for communities affected by tropical forest destruction.

• 2020

  Death of founder Reinhard Behrend

  [1]Rettet den Regenwalden.wikipedia.org

  Reinhard Behrend died on June 5, 2020, after leading the organization for most of its history.

• 2002

  Öko-Test reviews donation handling

  [1]Rettet den Regenwalden.wikipedia.org

  Öko-Test examined the organization’s handling of donations and gave it a very good rating in November.

• 1986

  Organization founded

  [1]Rettet den Regenwalden.wikipedia.org

  Reinhard Behrend founded Rettet den Regenwald in Germany as an organization dedicated to tropical rainforest protection and the defense of rainforest inhabitants.

A politically independent, donation-funded rainforest advocacy organization that combines international campaigning with support for local environmental, Indigenous, and human-rights initiatives.

• Advocacy

  Multilingual petitions

  Online petitions are the organization’s central public campaigning format. They address rainforest destruction, extractive industries, industrial agriculture, tropical timber, development projects, and conflicts affecting Indigenous and local communities. The petition platform is presented in German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

• Publication

  Rainforest Report

  Rainforest Report is a quarterly publication in German covering rainforest protection, environmental conflicts, social consequences of resource extraction, and the organization’s campaign and project work.

• Nonprofit project support

  Donation-funded protection projects

  Rettet den Regenwald solicits donations for concrete projects in affected tropical areas and supports partner organizations in Africa, Latin America, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The available material does not specify a single branded project portfolio.

• Tropical rainforest protection campaigns

  International

  The organization runs protest actions and petitions against rainforest destruction linked to logging, tropical timber commerce, oil and mining companies, industrial monocultures, and development projects.

  Outcome. Campaign-specific outcomes are not identified in the available reference material.

  Source
• Land and Indigenous rights advocacy

  International · Latin America · Africa · Indonesia · Philippines

  Rettet den Regenwald links rainforest conservation with the defense of Indigenous peoples and other local communities affected by land conflicts and commercial development.

  Outcome. No single campaign result is specified in the available reference material.

  Source

1. 1Rettet den Regenwalden.wikipedia.org