Land conservation in Chile could reach a new high with a recent pledge to conserve 11 million acres of wilderness as national parks. As part of the proposal, former Patagonia CEO Kris Tompkins gifted one million acres to the country in what her organization, Tompkins Conservation, says is the “largest land donation in history from a private entity to a country.”
Tompkins and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed an agreement to add the one million acres of land from Tompkins Conservation to around 10 million acres of federal land to create a large system of parklands. Under the pledge the government will establish five new national parks. The land under the proposal is three times the size of Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite together. Volcanoes, coastal areas, and forests will be protected under the pledge. In a speech, the president said, “We are bequeathing to the country the greatest creation of protected areas in our history.”
This is an excerpt from an article first published by inhabitat. Read the original article here: Former Patagonia CEO announces largest land donation in history.
