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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/kristine-tompkins-conservation-chile-argentina-national-parks/>
"How the daughter of an oil baron came to change the trajectory of two
countries and maybe the planet is a story of love and hardship, intuition and
calculation. Tompkins is petite, which explains her nickname “Birdie,” but her
small frame bursts with energy. “Full throttle ahead!” she says. “Now more than
ever because I don’t know how many years I have left.”
What she accomplished in the last three decades, at first with her husband at
her side, will preserve some of the most precious ecosystems on the planet.
Their work began in Pumalín, a largely impenetrable area that stretches from
the Chilean coast into the snow-covered Andes. The wet climate is home to an
incredible biodiversity comprised of thousands of species. The endangered
Alerce cypresses, some more than 3,000 years old, grow here below the peaks of
the Andes and are so precious the German colonists used their wood as currency
rather than money.
Tearing down fences was just the first step. With the help of experts and
volunteers, the Tompkinses ripped out invasive weeds, seeded native grasses and
removed livestock that was harming the native fauna. They turned dilapidated
sheep farms into regenerative farms and parkland. They also built hiking
trails, campsites and traditional stone lodges powered by solar energy, opening
up this natural wonder world to responsible tourism, knowing full well that
their vision would only succeed if the locals benefited, too. Their vision was
to create a balance between preservation and accessibility just as U.S.
national parks do — not least to generate an alternative income for the locals
whose farms were suffering from overgrazing and crushingly low market prices."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
