Chile Accepts Donation Toward a New National Park at the End of the Continent

The government of Chile is taking steps to protect Cape Froward, a remote wilderness on the coast of the Brunswick Peninsula, the southernmost point of the South American continent. The move to create this new national park furthers the country’s commitment to take concrete measures in facing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. © Eduardo Hernandez
President Gabriel Boric has met with Kristine Tompkins to move forward with a proposed donation of 230,000 acres on behalf of Tompkins Conservation and Rewilding Chile toward the creation of a future national park on Cape Froward. The forthcoming process of park creation will include local stakeholders, including the indigenous communities of the area, as the land is ancestral Kawésqar territory.
Located 62 miles southwest of Punta Arenas, the first national park in Boric’s home county would also mark progress in the country’s stated goal at COP15 to protect 30% of land by 2030. In addition to the donated land, the proposal contemplates the reclassification of state-owned property in the sectors of Cape Froward and Batchelor River. If included, the resulting protected area would be larger than Grand Teton National Park in the United States. At the meeting, President Boric also expressed interest in exploring the option of an adjacent marine protected area.
Largely unexplored, this rugged region is a refuge for highly endangered species, including the huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), one of the most endangered large land mammals on the IUCN Red List, and the critically endangered ruddy-headed goose (Chloephaga rubidiceps). The peninsula marks a transitional ecosystem between land and sea, where diverse marine life, including Magellanic penguins, Peale’s dolphins, and Sei and humpback whales, feed off nutrients provided by the Antarctic, Pacific and Atlantic currents and coasts are lined with dense kelp forest. Subantarctic forest covers nearly half of the proposed donation area, which also features 24,710 acres of peatlands, an ecosystem considered critical to carbon storage and climate change mitigation.
For Kristine Tompkins, President of Tompkins Conservation, “It’s hard to believe that only a quarter of the Earth is left untouched, despite our understanding that whole and functioning ecosystems are the principal life force of our planet.” She added, “Today I’m proud of Chile for recognizing how national parks can benefit both nature and communities in so many ways, from providing essential ecosystem services to helping build regenerative economies.”
A driving force to curb the worldwide climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis, Tompkins Conservation protects, rewilds, and defends land and marine ecosystems in the Southern Cone through collaborating to create national parks and rewilding key species. Working with public and private partners, the organization has helped to create 13 national parks, protecting 14.5 million acres. The goal is to restore a healthy planet with big, wild, and connected landscapes where animals and plants can thrive. This also means helping to build robust communities that benefit from a healthy natural world.
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins (1943-2015) founded Tompkins Conservation after leading iconic American clothing brands—Kristine as longtime CEO of Patagonia Inc, and Doug as co-founder of The North Face and Esprit. Changing course in the early 1990s to focus on conservation, they became two of the most successful conservation philanthropists in history. After Doug lost his life in a tragic kayaking accident in 2015, Kristine has continued to build on their foundation. She is now the president of Tompkins Conservation and a UN Environment Patron of Protected Areas.
A 501(c)(3) public charity, Tompkins Conservation carries out conservation projects through the nonprofit network of Rewilding Chile and Rewilding Argentina.
Well, at least SOME countries appear to be moving in the right direction.