In creating the future Patagonia National Park, we seek to create as powerful an impact on people as on the land. Securing lasting protection for wild places depends on communities supportive of protected areas and people dedicated to conservation. Parklands have formed the keystone of thriving, sustainable local economies in communities throughout the world. Encounters with wild nature have inspired millions to take action for the planet. Creating a park here allows this area's majestic landscape and fascinating wildlife to foster a deeper environmental ethos in visitors, neighbors, and workers and to bolster the regional economy through ecotourism and conservation jobs.
National parks create immense value for people, nation, and nature—value that extends far beyond the boundaries of the protected area. As the recent PBS series "The National Parks" states, parks "protect the most special places in the nation, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone." In creating celebrated and beloved areas where people from all walks of life can experience nature, national parks become a physical focal point for the national conversation about natural resources and the environment. As parks provide a forum for nature to inspire and reinvigorate people, they represent a birthplace and incubation space for environmentalism.
Direct experience with the natural world is the first step towards developing a conservation ethos. The park's system of trails and campgrounds enable visitors to spend time in this vast and vibrant landscape. One major project for the next two years is completing a set of hiking trails, designed to have a minimal impact on the land while providing full access to various areas of the park. The planned hiking circuits will offer a range of recreational opportunities to visitors of all ages and abilities.
At the park headquarters, well-designed facilities form an iconic center for the park. While providing spaces for visitors to eat, sleep, and learn, for neighbors to gather, and for employees to work, these buildings strive to elevate respect for conservation through high-quality architecture and design. Constructed from local materials, and reflecting the traditional architectural vocabulary of Patagonia, these facilities exemplify the ecological thoughtfulness we seek to inspire.
Community participation and support is critical to the lasting success of the park. We have developed programs to retrain former gauchos as park guards, educate schoolchildren about nature, and build local capacity for future ecotourism. |
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Community participation
A play about the animals of Patagonia
Trekking in the future Park
Ruta del Huemul event in Patagonia |
