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Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and her late husband Doug Tompkins had a passion for the outdoors, which was apparent in the companies they helped build. Kristine, the former CEO of Patagonia, and Doug, the founder of North Face and Espirit, poured much of their earnings and their life into ‘rewilding’ an expanse of land in Argentina and Chile.
This week, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins announced that they would be handing over the land purchased by the couple’s non-profit for conservation back to the Chilean government. Patagonia National Park and Pumalín National Park will return to Chile’s National Park system. The one million acres are being stated as the largest conservation donation from a private entity to a country. These donations are part of a 10 million-acre addition to Chile’s National Park system, that includes approximately one million acres of land from Tompkins Conservation and 9 million acres of federal land from Chile. In total, it will add five new parks and expand three more.
It’s a unique model: two entrepreneurs channel their networks and funds into conserving a swath of land to then turn it over to the authorities to preserve.
It begs the question of how business can shape the outdoors. Patagonia, the Ventura-based outdoor retailer, has been deeply involved in the conservation of Patagonia; founder Yvon Chouinard was alongside Doug Tompkins when he passed in 2015. The two were canoeing together in Patagonia, along with Rick Ridgeway, Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Patagonia.
The Tompkins left their careers in the early 1990s to solely focus on conservation and established their nonprofit, Tompkins Conservation. Despite this week’s historic announcement, the mission of the non-profit is far from complete. Kristine and her late husband’s mission was, and still is, to “help rewild at least half of the Earth, revers[ing] the current extinction crisis that is decimating wildlife, and begin to reestablish a more harmonious and equitable relationship between humans and the rest of life.”
While it may seem that conservation is focused on the ecology of the region, the non-profit is keen to point out that their efforts are also designed to aid humanity.
“Because conservation is ultimately about preventing human-caused extinction of other species, all of which have inherent value,” Kristine says, “we endorse the idea of “Half-Earth”—a global conservation agenda that works to secure enough habitat—in interconnected systems of terrestrial and marine protected areas—to support vibrant populations of all species.”
Hence the dream is to set aside 50 percent of the planet as protected natural areas. “A key benefit of such an outcome would be thriving ecosystems and a stable climate in which human society might flourish.”
They’re well on their way. The new additions this week allow for a 17-park stretch from southern Chile to Cape Horn. To date, the Tompkins family foundations have made grants totaling more than $100 million to nonprofit organizations working for a “permanent peace treaty between humanity and wild nature.”
Patagonia, the brand, has been behind the conservation passionately. Lisa Pike, Patagonia’s Vice President of Environmental Activism, says the company was involved from the start, given Kristine's roots and Yvon's love for the outdoors. “From the beginning, Patagonia helped get the land set-up by sending dozens of employees down to remove fence and built trail. We continue to support the project through our environmental internship program, through which employees work at their organic garden.”
The outdoor company also supports the Tompkins Conservation through grants, giving funds annually to Conservacion Patagonica.
With the early success of Tompkins Conservation and its ability to ‘rewild’ a significant mass of land in about two decades, could it be the beginning of a new movement, and model, with environmental entrepreneurs leading conservation efforts globally?
Bear in mind, the area preserved and nurtured by Tompkins Conservation is the size of Switzerland. Albeit a small country, but still a country. Therefore, could passionate entrepreneurs help fill the gaps where the public sector has struggled?
