conservation patagonia preserving habitat in chile and argentina

1. Conservation PatagoniaPreserving habitat in Chile and Argentina Conservation Biology Tyson Whitesides

4. Such a large purchase of land, from foreigners, aroused suspicion. The administration of then-President Patricio Aylwin -- accused him of ulterior motives ranging from the breakup of Chile and the creation of a CIA spy station to the founding of a Zionist enclave. After 4 years, the Chilean government ended the persistent battle of Pumalín by giving it official protected status and promising to convert it into a national park. The Tompkins knew that there had to be a faster and more effective method to go about the preservation of habitat. Indeed, there was such a method and five years later the Conservation Land Trust/Patagonia Land Trust was founded by Kristine McDivitt Tompkins (wife of Doug Tompkins). This is a charitable foundation established to raise funds in order to acquire, restore and preserve the fragile forests, grasslands and coast of South America's Patagonia

5. Land Trusts Land trusts are governing entities or organizations established to hold and administer land use by adhering to the charters of the governing organization. The land trust organization determines how the land is to be used in a manner beneficial for a designated community or area. There are two types of land trusts that currently exist. One is for the community and the other is for conservation groups. The land trust works with willing private landowners who wish to see their land conserved. The land trust is a way to legally bind the federal government into abiding by the goals and wishes of private land owners.

6. Struggle to success- Success to struggle With the land trust in motion the Tompkins were able to purchase, in 2001, an additional 155,000 acres (25-26 Miles of coastline) of Argentine’s southern Atlantic cost. With support of, then President, Nestor Kirchner the land was established and named as Monte León National Park. El Rincón (38,000 acre ranch) was also purchased and is situated right by an already existing National park in Argentina. It was thought that things were going smoothly and that El Rinón was going to be added to the National park boundaries but that wasn’t the case. In 2006 Kirchner's progressive political coalition introduced a bill into Congress that would expropriate the Tompkins's properties in the Esteros del Ibera region. The coalition accused them of trying to monopolize the area’s water resources and suggested working in behalf of the U.S. military.

7. Monte León

8. El Rincón

9. Current goal/project of the Tompkins in Chile Conservacion Patagonica is now looking to join one large piece of land to an even larger piece of already protected land in Chile. In 2004, Conservacion Patagonica bought the 173,000-acre Estancia Chacabuco, one of Chile’s largest ranches. The plan is to join this region of land to the neighboring 460,000 acres of Chilean national reserves and create the new Patagonia National Park which would eventually be more than 650,000 acres.

10. Future Patagonia National Park

11. Future park

12. Why Patagonia? There are many endemic species that are common to Patagonia such as the puma, gray fox, pampas cats and the huemul deer. Monte Leon Island, 300 yards offshore, has long provided a safe haven for both migrant and resident bird life – including four types of cormorants, albatross and gulls. Monte Leon is also home to an estimated 65,000 mating pairs of Magellanic penguins, and at one point in the region’s history some 350,000 South American sea lions.

13. The huemul deer deserves special attention, since it is the only Chilean large mammal in danger of extinction. Today its population numbers are barely large enough to maintain the specie’s genetic integrity.

14. Variety of land

15. Over the past decade and a half, the Tompkins have spent about $150 million to buy two dozen properties covering 2.2 million acres of Chile and Argentina, in what collectively amounts to the world's largest privately run land conservation project.

16. Current problems Preliminary development has begun on a massive hydroelectric project that would dam two of Patagonia’s wild and pristine rivers, the Baker and the Pascua. The Baker River is the largest remaining wild river in Chile and runs right along the edge of the proposed 650,000-acre Patagonia National Park Just as damaging, a 3,000-km chain of huge power-line towers is being proposed to transmit electricity to the north. The effects of this project would permanently blemish and scar an enormous swath of the spectacular Patagonia region.

17. Civic engagement What can we do to help in these foreign affairs? Donations to pay off conservation loans Volunteer programs Write to the president of Chile or Argentina

18. Volunteer program Conservacion Patagonica has also developed a volunteer program, which gives volunteers the opportunity to work from two weeks to three months on jobs related to the current problems in Patagonia, such as fence pulling or growing plants in the green house to reforest parts of Patagonia. The volunteer program is currently set up through a partner organization but hopes to soon allow the involvement of individual work in Patagonia.

19. Letter to President of Chile/Argentina Mail letter (English is accepted) to: Your Excellency Ms. Michelle Bachlete Presidenta Republica de Chile Palacio de la Moneda Santiago - Chile You can also fax the Chilean president from the U.S. at: 011-56-2-6904958

21. Questions?