Photo: Natalia Reyes Escobar | Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Swaths of wild Patagonia are thriving, thanks to a US billionaire. Patagonia National Park in Aysen, Chile is sheltering the endangered Andean huemul deer. Less than 1,500 remain in the world, with the park being one of the few places they can be studied without human disturbance. Douglas Tompkins, founder of The North Face and Esprit, who died in a kayaking accident in 2015, had inspired Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to create five new national parks and place millions of acres of land under strict environmental protection. In 1990, Tompkins bought 8,000 kilometers of land and donated it to Chile and Argentina to improve their biodiversity. He wanted to create a reserve in southern Chile that both hikers and animals could enjoy. His dream has come true. The Chilean part of Patagonia National Park is a true example of ecosystem conservation.
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