Billionaire sparks outrage with plans for new luxury retreat following massive land grab: 'They always take the productive places'

A Qatari billionaire is facing backlash after acquiring land in Patagonia, Noticias Ambientales reported. Environmental groups, Indigenous communities, and online critics have expressed their disapproval with the purchase.

Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, brother-in-law to the emir of Qatar, quietly purchased the 10,000 hectares of land near Bariloche, Argentina, to build a luxury mountain retreat and hydroelectric facility.

"We're left with 70 meters of riverfront for 15 kilometers of community." — Photo Credit: Reddit

Al-Hajri is developing three private hydroelectric power plants in the Meseta Baguales area through his firm, Baguales Acquisitions. These stations, with a combined capacity of 920 kilowatts, will exclusively power a private residence and the Baguales Mountain Reserve, a ski resort that will charge guests upward of $1,500 per night.

This project has all the signs of greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the practice of exploiting renewable energy to justify luxury and privatization. Environmentalists warn that the development threatens the Villegas River basin and fragile native forests, capitalizing on the image of sustainability while reinforcing inequity and land concentration.

Al-Hajri, like many billionaires and large corporations before him, seems to be attempting to profit from an environmentally conscious framing of his purchase.

Even more troubling, local Indigenous communities were never consulted despite laws requiring prior, informed consent for projects on their ancestral lands.

According to Mongabay, the Mapuche people are organizing trawünes, or traditional gatherings, to resist this and other land and water grabs.

"They always take the productive places," said Mario Martín, president of the Fofocahuel community. "And we're left with 70 meters of riverfront for 15 kilometers of community."

Do you think billionaires spend their money wisely?

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