One of the geographical landmarks of the future national park is Cape Froward, located on the Brunswick Peninsula, in the middle section of the Strait of Magellan, 90 km southwest of the city of Punta Arenas.
Photo: Jonathan Poblete
Rewilding Chile expands its conservation work in the region of Magallanes
Just as we have collaborated with the State to create national parks along the Route of Parks of Patagonia before, we want to continue working on large-scale conservation, including the Magallanes region.
“In a joint effort between Rewilding Chile and Tompkins Conservation, four months ago, we finalized the purchase of a 93,000-hectare property on the Strait of Magellan, Cape Froward, intended to become a national park and conserve as much as possible,” said Kristine Tompkins, co-founder of Rewilding Chile, the legacy of Tompkins Conservation.
For this reason, a few weeks ago, we explored the Strait of Magellan and its unique geography to learn more about its history, marked by ancient cultures such as the Kawésqar people, and learn about its incredible biodiversity. The Cape Froward sector is home to huemul populations, Chile’s emblematic and highly endangered Andean deer. In addition, it is possible to find significant extensions of peatlands, a pivotal ecosystem to reduce the impacts of climate change.
“On the other hand, the acquired land has an extensive coastline on the Strait of Magellan, which is home to Sei and Humpback whales, as well as dense kelp forests, one of the key sub-Antarctic ecosystems for the maintenance of biodiversity, as well as for absorbing CO2,” explained Carolina Morgado, Executive Director of Rewilding Chile.
"On the other hand, the acquired land has an extensive coastline on the Strait of Magellan, which is home to Sei and Humpback whales, as well as dense kelp forests, one of the key sub-Antarctic ecosystems for the maintenance of biodiversity, as well as for absorbing CO2," explained Carolina Morgado, Executive Director of Rewilding Chile.
We are currently socializing the project with different stakeholders in the Magallanes region to present our ideas and learn about the different views on the creation of this future national park.
Stay tuned. We will be sharing all the news related to this process through our platforms!