Billionaire entrepreneur cements legacy with creation of a new national park: 'It feels like a tremendous responsibility'

Another new national park has been established in Chile thanks to the ongoing efforts of U.S. conservationist and philanthropist Kristine Tompkins and her organization, Tompkins Conservation, NPR reported.

Tompkins first came to Chile in 1993 with her husband, the late Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face and Esprit clothing companies. In the intervening years, the couple established 15 other national parks in Chile and Argentina, including two marine parks.

Combined, these sites offer the highest level of environmental protection available to 14.8 million acres of land and 30 million acres of ocean.

The newest site sits at Cape Froward, the southernmost point of South America. It comprises 315,000 acres of freezing forest, with a view of the glaciers atop the Darwin mountain range.

"We started off by acquiring land as and when it came onto the market," said Marcela Quiroz, director of strategic partnerships for Tompkins Conservation subsidiary Rewilding Chile, per NPR. "The first major purchase we made was nearly 94,000 hectares in 2021 which we bought from a local family. We want to keep working to complete this puzzle."

The organization purchased this parcel of land and one other, then worked with the Chilean government to establish the new national park. The government accepted the parcel and added on federal land at each end to create a long corridor of uninterrupted nature.

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Conservation work like this is vital to the future of the planet. As more and more natural areas are cleared for farming, ranching, and industry, the forests that the world relies on for clean air and the removal of carbon air pollution are dwindling. With the old trees and diverse plants go a huge assortment of wildlife, from tiny bugs to the beautiful birds and larger animals — any of which could go extinct forever if enough habitat is lost.

"It feels like a tremendous responsibility," said Carolina Morgado, executive director of Rewilding Chile, per NPR. "This goes way beyond creating national parks. It's about installing a vision about how we, as citizens, can get involved in protecting the land and its biodiversity.

"And that, to me at least, is important."

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