Ranked by Forbes as one of the most philanthropic people in the world, Hansjörg Wyss had charitable foundations with assets of over $2 billion before his Wyss Campaign for Nature commitment in 2018. Wyss has pledged to donate $1 billion dollars over the next decade through a partnership with the National Geographic Society.
Prior to his 2018 pledge, the Wyss Foundation had already donated more than $450 million to conservation and wildlife protection programs around the world. Due to the work of Wyss and his foundation, almost 40 million acres of land and water have been protected to this day.
The Wyss Foundation Pledge
“For my part, I have decided to donate $1 billion over the next decade to help accelerate land and ocean conservation efforts around the world, with the goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet’s surface by 2030,” wrote Wyss in his Oct. 2018 New York Times Op/Ed, announcing his campaign.
So why do Wyss and his foundation care? According to the Wyss Campaign for Nature website, nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s wetlands and half of all rainforests have been eliminated and we’ve lost 60% of Earth’s wildlife population since 1970. The Wyss Campaign for Nature wants to help prevent further damage.
