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CHILE.TRAVEL
Update BIG IDEA At one with Chilean nature
Chile is converting 10 million acres of land into fi ve new national parks, preserving the beauty of Patagonia’s wilderness
What In March 2017, the Chilean government and the Tompkins Conservation signed a unique deal which will see a staggering 10 million acres of land transformed into fi ve new national parks and public spaces across Patagonia in southern Chile. Nine million acres are federally owned, while the Tompkins Conservation has donated one million acres, making it the largest private donation of land ever, anywhere in the world.
Who Founded by conservationists Kristine Tompkins, former CEO of clothing brand Patagonia, and her late husband, Doug Tompkins, the co- founder of T e North Face and Esprit, the Tompkins Conservation has spent almost two decades obtaining and restoring land across Chile and Argentina. After initial doubt from the Chilean government, president Michelle Bachelet fi nally gave the preservation project the green light earlier this year.
Why Due to threat from intensive logging and agriculture, the Tompkins placed their focus on Chile, with the aff ordability of the land also playing a role. T ey saw great potential in acquiring, restoring and preserving the available land, as well as safeguarding age-old biodiversity in the region, including endangered South American species like the South Andean deer, pumas and Darwin’s rhea that would otherwise be under threat.
How T e Tompkins spent a hefty chunk of their personal fortune on buying up land across Chile and Argentina; over the course of 23 years they acquired 2.1 million acres, creating 12 protected areas of land. When they initially approached the Chilean government, their protected area idea was met with skepticism — but it’s estimated to generate millions in eco-tourism revenue and employ around 43,000 people in surrounding communities.
Where With the addition of the newly obtained land, the area, straddling the border of Chile and Argentina, is set to become part of a proposed tourist route called Ruta de los Parques. Plans are in the pipeline for the route to link 17 national parks across the region, spanning more than 1,500 miles from the port city of Puerto Montt to Cape Horn. T e new national parks is likely to set Chile on the map as one of South America’s most eco-conscious countries.
ASTAnetwork | Summer 2017 | 33
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