Project
Patagonia National Park

Founded: December 11, 2018
Area: 752,504 acres
Donated area: 206,983 acres
Ecosystem: Patagonian steppe
Estimated carbon sequestration: 102.6 million metric tons
Location: Aysén Region

Patagonia National Park is one of Chile’s most important eco-restoration and rewilding projects. It is made up of the former Tamango and Jeinimeni Reserves, as well as the Chacabuco Valley, which was previously one of the largest livestock farming ranches in the country, before we acquired the land and donated it to the state.

The park is home to our wildlife program, led in partnership with Conaf (Chile’s National Forest Corporation, a part of the Chilean government). This program focuses on the protection of different wild species, including the puma, the condor, the ñandú, and the huemul (South Andean deer), the latter of which is threatened.

Our wildlife program has also focused on the recovery of degraded ecosystems affected by overgrazing. Despite still being present in the area, initially many species had very low numbers and density, making their monitoring key to understanding and improving ecosystem health.

The conservation project has featured various phases of active management and rewilding, among them:

  • The removal of more than 370 miles of fencing and posts that limited the movement of species, notably the guanaco
  • The gradual removal of domestic livestock
  • Control of environmental threats, especially in priority areas for the huemul
  • The active control of invasive species, in particular rosehip and pine
  • The protection and monitoring of predator species, including pumas and foxes
  • Implementation of measures to mitigate conflicts between predators and sheep farms
  • Population reinforcement measures for species with a high risk of local extinction, including the ñandú

Today, this extraordinary territory is the site of reestablished relationships between native species and their ecosystems.