Until the 1990s, you were the CEO of outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. What led you to move to Chile and devote your life to conservation?
My husband Doug [the late Douglas Tompkins, who co-founded the North Face and Esprit clothing companies before becoming a full-time conservationist] and I’d begun to see what was happening to the natural world. It was his idea to find opportunities where we could buy large tracts of land, aggregate them and turn them back over to the country in the form of national parks. It was obvious to us that it’s not enough just to conserve the land — it’s important to get people onto the land, to begin to love these places, so they can look after them long after we’re gone.
What were the initial challenges?
This story is from the September 2021 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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This story is from the September 2021 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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