Parque Pumalin: An Environmental Blessing In Disguise?

Chileans may be in the teething stages of learning to care for the environment, but in the mean time, foreigners have been leading the charge to make sure this gorgeous country is protected.

Tourists have started demanding eco-tourism and the smart business are responding. Slowly but surely more eco-lodges and eco-tours are popping up. One man, though, was in on the game before it had even begun — Douglas Tomkins.

Anyone who’s studied conservation has surely heard of him. He’s a US citizen who has privately bought lands in countries such as Canada, Chile and Argentina, in order to turn them into nature reservations.

So, one would think this is a good thing, right? Wrong. After living in Chile for three years, I’ve heard from far more naysayers than people who believe in his vision. Part of the problem is that Tomkin’s land here, Parque Pumalin, divides Chile. The park runs from the Pacific oceanic border to the border with Argentina, la Cordillera de los Andes mountain range. So effectively, the country has been split in two.

At first, I couldn’t wrap my mind around how people could bad talk this man who came with seemingly good intentions to buy land in hopes of preserving the flora and fauna for generations to come. But, it can’t be denied. The people of Chile, who are notoriously distrustful of any outsiders, think that Tomkins has ulterior motives.

Just a few of the conspiracy theories I’ve heard over the years include, but are not limited to: Tomkins is working for the US government to help them eventually implement a military base on the land. Tomkins knows that eventually the planet will run out of public fresh water supplies and then his evil plan is to get rich since he’ll be a private holder of some of the largest reservoirs in the world. Tomkins wants to divide the country in two pieces making it easier for Argentina and Peru to reclaim stakes on what was once their territories in the North and South that now belong to Chile.

Pumalin’s website acknowledges that the battle to win the locals over has been long and hard. On the park’s history page, it says, “Being a new form of private environmental philanthropy in Chile, the project has met with political opposition, primarily from those who do not understand how such an initiative would work. Slowly but surely, confidence has been built, both locally and nationally, and the project continues to move along, giving access to the public as originally envisioned.”

But, this statement makes it sound like the battle has already been won, when judging by popular opinion of the working class Chileans I know, they’re still not receptive. Not helping clear the air any are rumors that Tompkins doesn’t treat the natives well, especially those who occupy land that he also hopes to purchase.

My own husband, who has had the pleasure of visiting the park, has his own opinion. He says that at first it was “extremely worrying,” to him that a foreigner was able to control so much land in Chile. But, then he visited the place. The plants and animals had been treated and respected in such a way that he was sold. He remarked, “Once you’re there, it’s obvious that Douglas loves nature. The park was so amazing and so well taken care of that I was convinced that he only means well. My only concern is whether or not the people who inherit the land from him when he dies will continue to treat it the same.”

While that does make some people nervous, if Tompkins truly loves the land in the way that it seems he does, he’ll make sure Pumalin doesn’t ever fall into the wrong hands.

Photo: Chile via National Geographic