Celebrate Sustainability Day with the European Wilderness Society!

Today we celebrate Sustainability Day – a moment to reflect on our relationship with nature, our consumption patterns, and the legacy we leave for future generations.
For the European Wilderness Society, sustainability isn’t just another topic – it is at the heart of our mission to designate, promote and steward Europe´s last wilderness.

Why wild places matter for sustainability

WILDforests, WILDrivers, WILDcoasts and WILDislands are not only beautiful, they play essential roles in ecosystem services, biodiversity, climate regulation and human well-being. European Wilderness Society acts via European Wilderness Network to identify, audit and support wild areas across Europe.

By promoting non-intervention, natural dynamics, and well-managed human access, they help ensure that wild areas remain resilient and beneficial.

How European Wilderness Society contributes to sustainability in practice

Here are some of the ways our organisation advances sustainability:

Education & youth engagement

We run youth-oriented programmes, conferences and volunteering opportunities. One of them is the Youth Green Conference, that foster environmental awareness and sustainable mind-sets among young Europeans.

Wilderness certification and audit system

We developed a European Wilderness Quality Standard & Audit System to ensure wild areas meet criteria of naturalness, size, dynamic processes and management.

Sustainable tourism and regional development

By promoting wild areas as destinations for responsible nature-based tourism, European Wilderness Society helps local economies while safeguarding ecological integrity. In addition we spread the word and implement Respect Nature concept in many European countries.

Research, monitoring and policy advocacy

Our organisation participates in multi-disciplinary work on biodiversity, climate resilience, wilderness management and integrates these insights into their projects and communications. Among such current projects are Horizon ALFAwetlands research project and LIFE Apollo2020 nature conservation project.

Restoration and non-intervention management

By supporting wilderness area designations and encouraging natural dynamic processes, we contribute to long-term ecosystem health and sustainability.

What Sustainability Day means for us

On this day, European Wilderness Society encourages everyone to reflect and act:

• Choose to respect wild places and their natural processes.
• Support conservation efforts, for example, via donations or volunteering that promote wilderness as part of sustainable development.
• Educate yourself and others on how wild nature and sustainable human systems can go hand-in-hand.
• Advocate for policies that value and protect wilderness for its climate, biodiversity and human-well-being benefits.

In conclusion, Sustainability Day is a reminder that protecting our natural world is not optional: it is integral to a thriving planet and society. The European Wilderness Society stands as an experienced actor in shaping a Europe where wilderness and human sustainability reinforce each other.