Chile’s Eco Triumph

Dawn light turns clouds pink over over the snowy massif of Cerro San Lorenzo in Chilean Patagonia. Photo courtesy Tompkins Conservation.

Making a huge statement to the entire world about environmental conservation, Chile has announced that it will expand its national park lands by around 11 million acres, an area equivalent to more than four Yellowstones.

An article in the Huffington Post outlined the March 15th agreement between Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and American conservationist Kristine Tompkins to increase the nation’s parklands — including vast expanses of Patagonia.

The unprecedented deal comes after decades of discussions between the government and Tompkins and her late husband Douglas Tompkins, who died two years ago in a kayaking accident in southern Chile. The Tompkins are co-founders of the North Face outdoor clothing and equipment company and longtime environmental advocates.

The agreement calls for Tompkins to donate a million acres of her own land, believed to be the largest private land donation ever. Meanwhile, the government will reclassify or contribute 10 million acres of public land to expand existing or create entirely new national parks — Pumalín, Patagonia, Hornopirén, Corcovado and Isla Magdalena.

“There’s never, to our knowledge, been a larger expansion of a national park system that was prompted by a private land donation,” Tompkins Conservation vice president Tom Butler told Huff Post.

“I know that if Doug were here today, he would speak of national parks being one of the greatest expressions of democracy that a country can realize, preserving the masterpieces of a nation for all of its citizenry,” said Kristine Tompkins after signing the pledge.

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and American conservationist Kristine Tompkins signing the historic agreement. Photos courtesy Government of Chile.