Over 4,450,000 hectares ( 11 million acres ) of private land and wildlands are now under shelter in the madly pretty region of Chile , ranging from its dusty northern land to its nipping tundras way down in the south .
It all started when the Tompkins Foundation agreed to donate 404,600 hectares ( 1 million acres ) of their land to Chile for internal parks to be make , in what ’s the largest state contribution in history from a individual entity to a res publica .
This unbelievable cornerstone was set up by the husband and wife duo Kristine McDivitt Tompkins , the former chief operating officer of the Patagonia clothing brand , and the late Doug Tompkins , co - founder of North Face and Esprit . During the 1990s , they bought massive clump of country in Patagonia to protect the land from developing , much to the annoyance of the Chilean government and developers whoaccused them of being CIA spiesor assay to found a Modern Jewish state . Tragically , Doug Tompkins pass away of severe hypothermia after a kayaking accident in 2015 .
Last week , however , old differences were settled and the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met their pledge and agreed to expand the national park in Chile by a further 4 million hectare ( 10 million acres ) .
The correspondence will create five new national parks to install a 17 - ballpark meshwork , which will span the length of the country and be known as the “ Route of Parks ” . Overall , it will encompass 4,450,000 hectares ( 11 million acres ) of protect land – larger than the whole of Denmark .
A Llama in Atacama Desert of Chile . Aline Melo / Shutterstock
“ I like my husband Doug , whose visual sense inspired today ’s historic toast , were here on this memorable day . Our squad and I find his absence profoundly , ” Kristine Tompkins say the gang at theannouncement . “ But I know that if Doug were here today , he would speak of national parks being one of the great aspect of majority rule that a body politic can realize , preserving the masterpiece of a nation for all of its citizenry . ”
The parkway behind the move is obvious – just look at it . Chile is a diverse land that has everything from warm desert climate to temperate Mediterranean climate to ice - cold tundra mood .
As such , it is also home to a variety of rarified animals , including pudú deer , chilla fox , Chilean mockingbirds , and the Andean condor . The preservation move will also bring many other benefits to the country . Through ecotourism , it ’s guess Chile will generate $ 270 million in income and provide 43,000 more job .
“ That place Chile right up there with Costa Rica in terms of the percentage of protect lands , ” Yvon Chouinard , the founder of clothing company Patagonia and dependable friend of Tompkins , toldThe Guardian . “ No other human has ever create this many Acre of protect wildlands [ through private philanthropic gift ] and he did not do it with the stroke of a playpen . "
Parinacota vent as see from Lauca National Park in Chile . Alberto Loyo / Shutterstock
