Natural History Wanderings

Mother Nature News reports

Chile has created two new national parks and expanded three others thanks to 1 million acres donated by former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and another 9 million acres declared national parks by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

The total size is roughly the size of Switzerland.

The two new parks — Pumalín National Park and Patagonia National Park Chile — are already open to the public and are now permanently protected for visitors and the wildlife that live there.

The almost 43 percent expansion of national parks in Chile marks the culmination of a more than 20-year effort by McDivitt Tompkins and her now-deceased husband, Doug Tompkins, a founder of The North Face and Esprit clothing companies. The couple spent more than two decades acquiring and restoring land in southern Chile, like the Chacabuco Valley

Read full story  Chile just created 10 million acres of new national parks | MNN – Mother Nature Network