What they do
Tompkins Conservation (founded by Kristine and Doug Tompkins, the North Face and Esprit founders) has created 15 national parks and protected 14.8 million acres in Chile and Argentina. Their rewilding programs reintroduce species including jaguars, giant anteaters, macaws, and giant river otters to areas where they were locally extinct. They donate completed parks to national governments for permanent public protection.
Why they matter
Tompkins Conservation is the most ambitious private land conservation initiative in history. Their model, buying and restoring degraded land, rewilding it, building park infrastructure, then donating it to the government as a national park, has permanently protected an area larger than Switzerland. The species reintroductions are rebuilding ecological communities that were destroyed by hunting and habitat loss, demonstrating that ecological restoration is possible even after decades of degradation.
How to support
Donations fund ongoing land acquisition and rewilding projects in Chile and Argentina. Visit Tompkins Conservation national parks (many are open to the public). Advocate for the model of private conservation creating public parks.
Key project to explore
The Iberá Rewilding Project in Argentina reintroduced jaguars, giant anteaters, macaws, and pampas deer to the Iberá Wetlands, rebuilding one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in South America.